KINESIO TAPE

KINESIO TAPE

What is Kinesio Tape?  It is an elastic adhesive tape that is latex-free, hypoallergenic, water-resistant and wearable for days at a time.

Who can wear Kinesio Tape?  It can be worn by elite athletes, weekend warriors, geriatric patients, pregnant women and pediatric patients.

What does Kinesio Tape do?  It is applied over muscles to reduce pain and inflammation, relax overused or tired muscles and support muscles in movement on a 24 hour a day basis.

How does Kinesio Tape work?  It alleviates discomfort and facilitates lymphatic drainage by microscopically lifting the skin.  The lifting of the skin increases the interstitial space and allows for a decrease in inflammation, reducing pressure while creating a more effective flow of blood and lymphatic fluid in and out.

What can Kinesio Tape treat?  It can treat anything from headaches, carpal tunnel, sprain/strains, disc injuries, knee and shoulder conditions.

YIN YOGA

YIN YOGA

I have never been one to spend a lot of time stretching, even though I preach it at my office every day.  I try and attend yoga a couple times a week and have taken a variety of different classes.  In July I travelled to Bali to attend a six day Yin Yoga and Meditation Retreat with my sister.  This was my first experience with Yin Yoga.  WOW.  Yin Yoga is a slow-paced style of yoga with postures that are held for longer periods of time.   Yin Yoga applies moderate stress to the tendons, fascia and ligaments of the body with the sole purpose of increasing circulation in the joints and increasing flexibility.    During my retreat in Bali we held poses for six minutes…can you say uncomfortable.   Some poses were more painful then others and getting out of the poses I felt like I was 90 years old.   After six days of practice I really noticed a big difference in my flexibility and a decrease in my low back tightness that I experience daily.

Here are some of the benefits to Yin Yoga:

-calm and balance the mind and body

-increases flexibility and mobility, especially the joints and hips

-lowers stress levels

-regulates energy

-better lubrication of the joints

-release of fascia

I highly recommend you take some Yin Yoga classes, I can attest to how well it works.  There are some great apps for your devices, books and YouTube videos that can also get you started.  Pleases send me a message if you would like more information.   Happy stretching!

TEXT NECK

TEXT NECK

Text neck is becoming an epidemic.  We spend an average of 2-4 hours a day hunched over reading, emailing, texting and using social media.   That is roughly 700-1400 hours a year putting stress on our spines.   Teenagers are even worse spending an additional 5000 hours a year.

The human head weighs approximately 8-10lbs, but as the neck bends more forward and down the weight on your neck increases.  At 30% neck flexion you add an extra 40lbs to your head and at 60% neck flexion you add at extra 60lbs of weight to your head.

This poor posture leads to a number of conditions.

1.     Pain

2.     Inflammation

3.     Muscle strain

4.     Pinched nerves

5.     Herniated discs

6.     Headaches

7.     Decreased lung capacity

8.     A change in the natural curvature of your neck

9.     Depression

10.  Heart disease

11.  Early wear and tear and degeneration

Changing your posture when you are using your devices is critical.   Try to move your eyes-only and not your head.   Home exercises to correct your posture are also important and lets not forget about chiropractic adjustments and ART.   Happy Texting!

DIETING

DIETING…ugh

“diet…eat clean…count calories…no carbs…low fat…count points…high protein…count macros”.  It’s SOOOO overwhelming.   We all want the easy fix…unfortunately it doesn’t exist.   I have done my fair share of diets and ridiculous routines and what I have realized is there is no right or wrong way.  What there needs to be is…consistency.   Whatever you choose to do, you need to do your research and make sure it is a lifestyle that you can maintain.   Jumping around from one thing to another will never work and you will not get the results you want.    I won’t preach what I think works the best because it is a journey you need to take on your own…trial and error.   We are all different and our bodies respond differently to different food.   What I will recommend is that you download a calorie count app ONLY for the purpose of seeing what you are or aren’t eating.  I did this a while ago and I was SHOCKED.  I thought I was eating perfectly and eating all the damn time.   What I realized was, I was under eating and definitely not getting enough protein.   I couldn’t believe it.  I was way off.   So I would track your food for a few days and see where you are at, I would bet that if you aren’t getting the results you want you will find what’s missing just by tracking your food for a few days.   Just use the app as an educational tool.  Play around with it and see what you may be able to change.   If you have specific questions please don’t hesitate to ask.   Happy Eating!

SLEEP

Sleep

Jeez, I love my sleep and my napping.  I can sleep anytime, anywhere…with my head down on a desk, on a plane before we have even taxied away from the gate, at the office, in my car.  Wow, it kinda sounds like all I do is sleep.   But seriously, sleeping is extremely important.   It is vital for our health and plays a major role in our well-being.  It has been shown that sleep is important for neural development, learning, memory, emotional regulation, cardiovascular and metabolic function, and cellular toxin removal.

Your sleeping posture is just as important as how you sit or stand throughout the day, and it can have a great impact on your quality of sleep.  It is important to ensure that, as we rest, we are in a comfortable and safe position in order to prevent any additional strain to the body.

The ideal sleeping position is on your side, legs drawn up slightly towards your chest with a pillow between your legs.   If you need to sleep on your back, try placing a pillow under your knees to help maintain a neutral low back curvature.  Sleeping on your stomach is terrible for you and it is a habit you should break.  Tummy sleeping creates strain on your neck and low back that may lead to compression of your nerves, muscle tightness and pain.

Everyone has a different preference on mattress and pillows.  Hard vs soft.  My only recommendation is choose a mattress that does not sag and that supports the natural curvature of the spine.  In regards to pillows, choose a pillow that keeps your neck as neutral as possible, it should not allow your neck to be curved to the right or left.  Your head and neck should be straight and aligned.  

There are more things that can affect your quality of sleep- pajamas, using your devices in bed…look for my future blog post on that.  Happy Sleeping.  zzzz

GRASTON TECHNIQUE

GRASTON TECHNIQUE

I have been using Graston Technique on my patients since I was doing clinical rounds at Logan University.   It is such a cool and effective technique and I wanted to briefly explain what it could do for you.

Graston Technique is a soft tissue technique that uses stainless steal instruments.   These tools allow me to detect and treat areas of scar tissue, fascial restrictions as well as increase range of motion.  As scar tissue builds up, muscles become shorter and weaker which can reduce range of motion, cause loss of strength, pain, tingling, numbness and weakness.

A treatment consists of scraping, maybe that’s not a great choice or word…rubbing, combing over the area of concern with a beeswax emollient cream which smells pretty tasty- (FYI if you are allergic to bees please do not use this emollient) to identify scar tissue and areas of restriction.  Areas of injury, scar tissue and fascial restrictions will “light up” quickly, appearing red and even produce little petechia (red spots on the skin as a result of bleeding).  The action of scraping over the skin brings a histamine reaction to the skin and brings blood flow back to the area being treated.  

Treatment can be uncomfortable, although most patients say it isn’t bad at all.  The area typically gets very warm, can feel like a sunburn.  Some patients have described treatment like getting a tattoo…I wouldn’t know…I don’t have any yet.  Most people do not have any pain after treatment but it can be tender to the touch like a bruise would feel like.   It can leave you black and blue.  I always warn my patients to notify their family members at home what kind of treatment they have had done and that it may be bruised later, it can come as a big shock to them to see such bruising…please tell them I take full responsibility for it. J

It is proven to achieve faster and better outcomes for acute and chronic conditions such as Achilles Tendonitis, Carpal Tunnel, IT Band Syndrome, Lumbar Strain and Plantar Fasciitis.  If you would like more information on Graston or to experience a treatment please contact me.  Happy Grastoning!

WATER

WATER

I am often telling family, friends and patients how important water is for us. The majority of people are not drinking enough of it. I usually say, “you don’t know how crappy you feel until you start to drink more water and realize how good you can feel and look”.   I have noticed when I have not consumed enough water I am extremely tired. I could sleep all day. Almost every time when I stop and think why am I so tired today, I realize I have not had enough water. I drink a glass and almost immediately I feel awake and energized and back to my day.   Happy drinking!