Should I crack my own back?

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Should I crack my own back?

The reasons for cracking one’s own back are many. Some do it for pain relief, others cause they simply like it. However the question we really must answer is should you really be doing it yourself?

Mobility or an increase in ones movement is an essential aspect in maintaining a healthy functioning body. However, what if the joint that you are moving is already too mobile otherwise known as ‘unstable’? Well, continually ‘cracking that segment will make it more loose.

Imagine a hinge on a door that is a bit wobbly, you go tighten the screws that are already tight but ignore the loose ones. Over time that hinge, like your back will become unstable and come of from the frame. Our bodies on the other hand, will develop wear and tear such joint arthritis, disc degeneration or look for stability further up or down the chain in our bodies.

While it is important to get the ‘right’ joint moving by a qualified health profession, it is also important to work out why the joint was tightening up or compensating in the first place.

Getting a thorugh history and finding a health professional with an appreciation of how the body functions is always crucial.

Take home message.

Stop cracking your back. Find out the real reason why it got stiff in the first place. 

Click the below link to book and online appointment today to get your body sorted. 

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3 reasons why you need to stop clenching your jaw

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3 reasons why you need to stop clenching your jaw

I’m sure you are guilty of this.

You have deadlines to meet, busy work/life schedules and feel like that you have no time on your hands. Your stress levels start to creep up and you begin to clench your jaw. I mean really clench your jaw. Soon enough you may begin to develop headaches, neck pain and that annoying click in your jaw. On the other side of the coin, you notice that you are favouring one side of your body more than the other and 6 months down the track you develop low back pain that has been diagnosed as a disc issue.  

 

What’s the go? Your jaw (temporamandibular joint TMJ) is one of the most sensory innervated structures in your body. In plain English, it tells your body where it is in space. ‘Where the head goes the body will follow’. With his in mind, if your jaw dysfunction due to over clenching/grinding causes you to stick out your jaw more, it will shift your body forward switching off the chain of muscles in your back. Conversely if you jaw deviates to one side it will make you favour more that side you are deviating to, switching off the other side of your body.

 

It is not your jaws fault, it just think it is giving you the best chance in stabilising your body. Doing endless amount of  activation for your glutes or ‘core’ will be an absolute waste of time if your jaw is trying to do all the work.

 

Know where your jaw is positioned.

 

Think your jaw is the culprit to your body woes?

Book Online below and finally get your body issues sorted. 

 

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3 reasons why Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is not due to your wrist

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3 reasons why Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is not due to your wrist

Do symptoms like pins and needles in your index, middle and part of your ring finger bother you, more so at night? Do you find them coming on whilst sitting at work typing or riding your road bike with your wrists resting on the handlebars?

 

You may have what is commonly referred to as ‘Carpal tunnel syndrome’ (CTS). Typically the diagnosis is based on the premise that the median nerve that causes the pins and needles gets trapped/restricted in the carpal tunnel. Traditional treatment typically involves splinting/wrist bracing, corticosteroid injections and extreme cases surgery.

 

However the question begs to be asked, is the problem actually in the wrist? There are three reasons why CTS may not be due to your wrist. If we look at where the median nerves runs through, one can appreciate that it actually can get entrapped in the following areas other than your wrist.

 

1.     Neck

2.     Armpit

3.     Forearm muscles

 

 If whatever reason the muscles in that region gets restricted, it can effect how well that nerve can slide causing it to get irritated and inflamed. The end result is your pins and needles.

 

While it is beneficial to work out the areas that have tightened up, just as importantly you need to know why it happened in the first place. The big players are things like poor posture, dysfunctional breathing patterns and old injuries that were treated correctly.

 

Active Release Technique (ART) is one of the techniques used at Kinetic Healthcare to effectively treat the soft tissue injuries that lead to carpal tunnel syndrome. Neurokineteic Therapy (NKT) is an alternative technique that is utilised to address where the compensations in the body lie.  Stop wasting doing the same things over and over and expecting different results. Book online below to finally sort your  carpal tunnel syndrome.

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Poor Breathing Patterns And Your Pain: The Missing Link

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Poor Breathing Patterns And Your Pain: The Missing Link

Lets start with a little test. Standing upright and take a big breath in, as much as possible, do it with a group of people to see what everyone else is doing. Did you notice peoples shoulders elevating to the ceiling, there neck muscles straining and not much movement in their stomachs?

 

Dysfunctional breathing patterns are unfortunately more common due to our sedentary sitting lifestyle and other factors as well. Introducing to you the diaphragm.

 

This dome shaped muscles sits just above your liver and is responsible for breathing. However due to our poor postures, time poor lifestyle and less than optimum stress control mechanisms, our breathing patterns have taken a hit. It is no wonder then why people now-days are suffering from chronic neck, low back and even jaw pain. No amount of stretching, releasing, prodding or poking your painful areas will fix it. 

 

 

Diaphragmatic breathing is advantageous as it is more energy efficient, which means that you will feel less tired and more energized. It will also help regulate your nervous system from a sympathetic state (think of fighting off a saber toothed tiger) to a parasympathetic state (laying on a beach getting your tan on). If you have pain this will also help reduce your pain and control it more effectively.  For the athletes reading this, utilising diaphragmatic breathing will improve your performance by up to 30%.

 

So now you know the importance of diaphragm breathing, the key is implanting it. A simple and effective way is to lay on your back and place a kettlebell(12 – 16 kg) on your belly. Whilst breathing in through your nose, try to lift the kettle with your belly. The weight will act as a cue to your brain to help use your diaphragm more effectively.

 

If you have had previous long standing injuries that have not resolved with traditional treatments, diaphragmatic retraining and other rehab-focused exercises used at Kinetic Healthcare may be a solution.

 

Book online below to get your issues sorted. 

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Benefits of Remedial Massage

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Benefits of Remedial Massage

When you fell off the swings as a child and ran into your Mum’s arms, bursting into tears knowing that a big dirty bruise was on its way to the surface, did she ever give you the saying “there there, I’ll rub it better” as she frantically tried to calm you down?

My Mum constantly did this whenever I fell over and to be honest, I never thought it felt “better” after she rubbed it! As an adult and Remedial Massage Therapist I understand that the paternal instinct to rub an area of trauma has been a form of innate human behaviour for thousands of years.  As kids we didn’t truly understand how significant it was to have our mother (or respective guardian) rubbing our knee after we fell over. Our elders most likely didn’t know that they were subconsciously trying to accelerate and promote the formation of scar tissue in an attempt to heal our injury. Nor were they aware on a conscious level that they were initiating the release of serotonin (mood altering hormone) from our brain which ultimately aimed at making us feel better.

I daily come in to contact with people who have experienced direct trauma to certain muscle groups. Athletes who lower barbells too quickly onto their thighs from over-head positions often create corks on their quads. They may not realise to what extent they have damaged their quads, however leaving this subtle injury untreated can do more damage than good. Your muscles can essentially stick to each other via the formation of initial scar tissues. This will create anchoring between your muscles, restricting their natural ability to glide against one another properly. If your muscles lose their ability to function independently, they will also lose their ability to work with other muscle groups when performing basic and complex movements.

Massage may or may not be appropriate immediately, but when it is, the benefits can be remarkable. Increasing heat and blood flow through the use of pressure can cause scar tissue to break down between muscle groups. Doing this reduces the anchoring between them thus allowing them to function independently of one another. Massage will also stimulate your nervous system which allows your muscles to activate more freely when they are needed.

If you have had a cork in the past, or have received subtle injuries which you think may be holding you back, I urge you to have it checked by your physical therapist. Your maximal performance depends on it! 

 

To make a book online with Jamal, our wizard remedial massage therapist click the below link. 

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Why Sitting isn't the new Smoking!

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Why Sitting isn't the new Smoking!

Great we got your attention.

 

There is so much discussion around sitting, in particular relating it to being the ‘new smoking’ issue. More to the point, with the implementation of standing work stations it has been made out that sitting is like the anti-Christ.

 

We wanted to set the record straight via this blog. Now lets look at cyclists, particularly road cylists (race bikes). We can all agree that there posture are thatsimilar to sitting posture. We can also agree that they are some of the fittest and healthiest people on the planet. What is the difference? There body is in constant movement. There legs are constantly in motion to propel the bike forward, there upper body position constantly changes with change of the slope of the road.

 

The point is this, there bodies are being challenged to meet the demands given to it. Now lets compare that to sitting posture someone would use at work. It is static. There is no movement what so ever. It is the static postures with no change in movement that are the primary causes in many chronic health conditions, low back and neck disorders and even breathing disorders.

 

I am not telling you to convert your workstation into a human hamster wheel.  However implementing movement whilst sitting would be a good start. Move your legs whilst sitting, change your posture, get up every twenty minutes and walk around, do some squats.

 

Whatever it may give your body a stimulus to respond to. Remember every action has a reaction so make sure you give your body the best it deserves.

 

Concerned that something is not right with your movement or are you suffering from  chronic pain. We may be able to help. Click below to book an online appointment to get yourself sorted.

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Stretch or strength? When to do what for your hamstring tightness

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Stretch or strength? When to do what for your hamstring tightness

Lets face it; we live in an age of a sedentary lifestyle. Everything is made to be easier for us but unfortunately it has the direct opposite effect on our bodies. The change in our biomechanics and our lack of movement causes certain muscles to become tight, for instance our hamstrings. The problem is the majority of people think that just because it is tight it needs to be stretched. What if we told you it may be feeling tight as it thinks that your body is unstable?

 

Here is a simple test you can do. Standing upright with your feet together, legs straight bend forward and touch your toes. Either you can touch your toes (what we want) or you can’t touch them (Now you need to determine if it is a problem with hip/pelvis mobility or a stability issue).

 

From here you can work out if both/one of the hips are involved or if it is truly a stability issue. As the test above, modify it by keeping your left leg straight and right leg bent with pressure on the ball of your foot. Bend forward to touch your toes on the left side. Repeat the same process to the other side.

 

If you went further on one side than the other it means definite hip involvement. If it has no change it could mean that both hips and or back are involved.

 

Next, you want to challenge your toe touch test in a seated position. Sitting on the floor with your legs straight and feet together, bend forward and touch your toes. Are you able to get further? If so, this signifies the fact that there is an underlying stability issue. The reason is because your body feels safer in a seated position and hence allows our nervous system to work to its full potential. In other words it allows you to take the brakes of your body.

 

Great. You know now what is going on, what do you do about it. If it is purely a mobility issue, using the foam roller/ mobility ball (download our free mobility guide here) for a few minutes around your hip and pelvic region would be a good start. Opening up the hip capsule would also be great. Seated on the floor, put your leg in a figure 4 position, wrap a band around that same hip and tie it to a pole. Now put tension on it so that your hip feels like it is being stretched out of the socket.

 

Now for the stability work, you want to have to your upper and lower body talking to each other. Lie onto your stomach and place your left hand behind your neck. Now rotate the left side of your upper body to the ceiling whilst elevating your right leg to the ceiling. Complete a total of four reps and repeat the process on the side.

 

Remember always look deeper for your underlying problem. Where you think it is it isn’t.

MY OFFER TO YOU

Think you have an underlying mobility or stability issue or have an old injury that just won't go away? Stop guessing, come in for FREE and I will take a look at it

If I can fix it then awesome, if I can't then I will refer you on to someone who can .. either way your issues can be fixed as long as you take ACTION

Book in for a Free 15 minute Assessment with me below

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A trainers guide to finding a good practitioner

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As a personal trainer, you take great pride in your work and want to give 110% to your clients. Going above and beyond your personal training requirements is something that you would be used to, so sending your clients to get treatment for an injury or body related problem doesn’t seem like a problem or is it? 

Time and time again having spoken with many personal trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, martial arts instructors etc. who are absolutely frustrated and angered that they are betrayed. Why? They did they right thing, referred their client to get treatment only to be told that they no longer can train. So the client either puts their membership on hold or completely cancels it. The other flip side is that the therapist takes it upon themselves to do the rehab solely and not work with the trainer, again leaving them out of the equation. 

As a health professional this is one of my main pet hates. First things first the exercise/exercise discipline did not cause the injury itself, more so the individual did not know how to control or execute it correctly at the right moment. So to tell someone to stop training altogether is ridiculous. A more appropriate approach would be to scale back the exercise or recommend an alternate. Avoiding the issue simply does not solve it. 

So from practitioner to personal trainer, here are some tips to find the right person for your clients.

1. Does he/she train or has trained in your sport/training style? This will help them understand the movements or exercise and what they can recommend to your client for alternative exercises. 

2. Do they have an understanding of rehabilitation. This is important, so that the two of you can work together. 

3. Does the practitioner contact you and advise you what they found with your client (diagnosis) and the action plan to get them fixed. This is really important, as a lack of communication may imply a lack of cohesion with you. 

Don’t be put off by a previous sour experience you may have had referring on your clients to get treatment. I can guarantee you that when you find a practitioner that is ethical, communicative and bloody good at what they do, your clients will love you for it and your business will thrive with the increased client retention rate.  

The Art In Active Release Technique

The Art In Active Release Technique

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Tightness in ones body either due to injury or overuse will change the way you move, feel and perform. The tightness you feel is not necessarily related to tight muscles. Our bodies have something called 'fascia' that is meant to glide and assist movement between our muscles, ligaments tendons. If the fascia is unable to glide effecitively it can then cause your muscles to contract more than they need to. Change in contraction = change in function. With athletic training, overuse injuries are on top of the list. 

This is where Active Release Technique (A.R.T) is extremely powerful. Compared to traditional massage, A.R.T works when you work. That is, by mimicking the tissue/muscle or tendons movement and applying tension you can effectively strip the tightness away and allow the tissue to work in its normal functioning state. Active Release Technique has been shown to be beneficial in cases such carpal tunnel, tennis elbow, shoulder pain, sciatica, nerve entrapments including many other body movement disorders.

Below are the 5 benefits of Active Release Technique: 

1. Improved mobility in the body

2. Reduction in pain

3. Improved range of movement (ROM) 

3. Quick results

5. Improved performance and function

 

To find out more about A.R.T and its benefits  click here 

 

kinetic Healthcare  

Feel Better, Move Better, Perform

Why isn't my Elbow Pain going away?

Why isn't my Elbow Pain going away?

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Now lets look at our lifestyles, one that of a sedentary, 8-12 hour a day office worker. Posture tends not to be the best. Certain muscles worker harder than others, and all of a sudden you are having a ‘fascial tug-of-war’ going on in your body. You go to train, your shoulders are feeling tight so your roll out your lats. Feels better, you do your workout and by the end of cooling down it tightened up again. Sounds like you? Or on the side of the coin you start doing pull-ups, lots of pull-ups and develop inner elbow pain (golfers elbow), you do a heap of mobility in your forearms, get treatment in your forearms with needles and every other gadget, get temporary change but does not last.

Sounds familiar? 

Read on 

Most people now can appreciate that for the body to perform at its best it needs to work as a whole functional unit. So what we used to sing as kids with the ‘hip bone being connected to the back bone’, actually now makes a lot of sense. So on the topic of connecting the dots, there are two muscles that play a massive role in how we move and perform as a whole being. They are the psoas (hip flexor) and the latissimus dorsi (muscle side of your body).  The reason being is that they connect the upper body to the lower body. This blog will concentrate on the lats. 

The lats are a super powerful extensor (arms back) of the shoulder and due to its fascial attachments downstairs; it also helps to extend the low back. On the topic of fascia,the lats are also part of the ‘posterior oblique sling’. Translated in English, your lats connect to your opposite butt. In a nutshell, it is super important in the movement game. 

Moral of the story were you think the problem is it isn’t. Instead of releasing the tight area, try strengthening the area where it may be weak. The lats and psoas are common, very common contributors. 

At Kinetic Healthcare, we utilise Neurokinetic Therapy (NKT) with a sports chiropractic approach to work out if that pain in your butt is literally coming from there or somewhere completely different. 

Contact the clinic on (02) 9262 6473 to find out more information on NKT or to have a chat about your movement issues.