The Pain Free You, You Once Knew

Lesson 7- The 7 Most Overlooked Causes of Pain

2009-01-30T11:00:00.005-06:00

Welcome to lesson number seven of The Seven Most Overlooked Causes of Body Pain & What You Can Do About Them Today series.

Let’s get right to it!

If you are suffering from something called Trigger Point pain, you probably don’t even know that you are. Most people don’t have a clue about Trigger Points unless they have been to a qualified Massage Therapist who specializes in Trigger Point work.

Once someone has been to a Massage Therapist that works out his or her neck pain, shoulder pain, hip pain, back pain and so on... they WILL know that they have just had trigger point work done.

Trigger Points are knots in the muscle that refer pain elsewhere in the body. For
instance, if I were to push on a point on the side of your neck and you feel pain
shooting down your arm it is more than likely a trigger point in one of your scalene muscles.

There are also Tender Points that don’t refer pain, they just hurt at the point of
pressure.

Trigger point work is crucial in the relief of most chronic pain. Suffering from this type of pain can and will make your life miserable.

Muscles that have been over-worked for years or muscles that have been injured, develop trigger points. You can also have trigger points from birth or just repetitive motion doing the same thing over and over and over and over... ok you get the idea right.

Trigger points need to be worked so that they will “release” and should be worked on for SHORT PERIODS OF TIME but worked OFTEN.

Just 10 minutes, 5 times a day will get you feeling good again. Whatever you can do is better than doing nothing at all. Massage Therapy is gaining more and more recognition and that is wonderful! But once a week for an hour just won’t cut it.

If you suffer from chronic Trigger Point pain than you need to get work done MORE often. Ideally if you can get a 1 hour massage once a week along with using trigger point tools for just 10 minutes, 4-5 times a day until the trigger points have released, you will find the relief from pain you are looking for.

I hope this new information has been helpful to you on your journey to the
pain free you, you once knew!

If you are interested in getting some Trigger Point tools for yourself so that you can take an active role in eliminating your pain please check out the ones I offer at MuscleTensionRelief.com

These are NOT the only Trigger Point tools on the market, but I believe they are the best and I think that once you try them you'll agree with me and the countless others who have used my Knot Works Trigger Point tools.

Take good care of yourself and be WELL!

Barbara M. LaDrig LMT, NCTMB
www.MuscleTensionRelief.com
www.Myspace.com/MuscleTensionRelief

Please note that this is my opinion and not to be taken as medical advice, I am not a doctor.

Lesson 6- The 7 Most Overlooked Causes of Pain

2009-01-15T08:40:00.002-06:00

Welcome to lesson number six of The Seven Most Overlooked Causes of Body Pain & What You Can Do About Them Today series.

Let’s get right to it!

Sleep is the topic of lesson 6. And it is not only a cause of pain but can be a pain reliever as well. Sleep is a tricky one.

To start off with you should know that you need sleep for not only your mind to rest but your body and your muscles. Your body regenerates and recuperates itself while you sleep to get ready for the next day.

So it is really important that you get enough sleep. The key word is ENOUGH. Statistically speaking they say the average adult should have between 7-8 hours of restful sleep each night. No more, no less.

Get too much sleep and your muscles will begin to stiffen and tighten up. If you don’t get enough of a good nights rest your body won’t have the proper time to regenerate.

If you have neck pain or related headaches, it could be that your pillow isn’t providing the proper support. You want to make sure that you are using a pillow that is firm enough to give your neck support BUT not so bulky that it sits your head up high.

You really want to be keeping your spine in straight alignment while you sleep. You will wake up feeling better for it.

This goes for your whole body. You could be having low back pain or hip pain or any number of other types of pain from the way you are positioning your legs or arms.

Always try to keep your hips aligned. This is very important! If you turn on your side make sure that one leg isn’t hanging out further than the other.

If you curl your legs up be sure to keep those hips aligned and you may also want to take an extra pillow and put it between your legs around the knee area to keep your legs a good natural distance apart. This relieves a lot of stress from the lower back and hips.

Whatever your personal sleeping habits are be sure keep your body aligned from head to toe. You’ll get a much better night of sleep.

As a result you will begin seeing a reduction in daily pain because instead of ADDING to your daily pain you are giving your body the proper rest it so desperately needs.

I hope this new information is helping you on your journey to the pain free you, you once knew!

Take good care of yourself and Be Well!

Barbara M. LaDrig LMT, NCTMB

MuscleTensionRelief.com
Myspace.com/MuscleTensionRelief

*Please note that this is my opinion only and not to be treated as medical advice, I am not a doctor.

Lesson 5- The 7 Most Overlooked Causes of Pain

2009-01-09T08:47:00.003-06:00

Welcome to lesson number five of The Seven Most Overlooked Causes of Body Pain & What You Can Do About Them Today series.

Let’s get right to it!

Let’s face it pain is, well… painful and being in pain can affect your emotional outlook or your mood. A less thought of reality that has been shown scientifically to be true (go ahead and search online for studies if you don’t believe me) is that your emotions or mood can affect to what extent you feel pain.

It’s a no-brainer that if your back hurts, you feel crabby and agitated – not a new concept right. But when you’ve had a bad day at work, your ankles might feel especially sore and achy even though as far as your physical activities are concerned, your day was just like any other.

You have the ability, although it can be difficult, to make a choice to change your mood. And according to SCIENCE if you are successful in doing this you will see a reduction in pain. Another scientifically proven fact is that smelling things you perceive as good decreases your pain levels and the smelling of things you perceive as bad actually increases your pain. Listening to pleasing musical tones has been shown to also have the same affect.

So when you are “in pain” it REALLY is beneficial to listen to your favorite music, put on your favorite perfume and make a choice to be happy and get “out” of pain.

Along this same line, of correlating ones emotions to pain, there are also scientific studies that show that emotional issues can actually manifest themselves in the form of physical pain to you.

You’ve probably seen the TV commercial for some anti-depressants where the narrative voice asks, “Where does depression hurt?” and the answer is given “everywhere”. Even major pharmaceuticals are convinced of the correlation between mental and physical pain.

If you have unresolved emotions it is possible they could be showing up in your life through means of physical pain because you were otherwise ignoring them… and they want your attention because they want to be resolved.

I encourage you to do a little investigating within yourself to discover where your pain is really coming from. Is it emotional? Is it from repetitive motion? Is it from your intake of certain food and drink? Is it from an old injury? Or is it from a combination of some of these things or a yet undiscovered culprit.

I hope this new information is helping you on your journey to the pain free you, you once knew!

Take care of yourself and be WELL!

Barbara M LaDrig LMT, NCTMB
MuscleTensionRelief.com
MuscleTensionRelief.blogspot.com
Myspace.com/MuscletensionRelief

Please note this is my opinion and not to be taken as medical advice, I am not a doctor.

Lesson 4- The 7 Most Overlooked Causes of Pain

2009-01-02T09:37:00.002-06:00

Welcome to lesson number four of The Seven Most Overlooked Causes of Body Pain & What You Can Do About Them Today series.

Let’s get right to it!

Repetitive motion injury is generally thought of as an injury you would get at work or from over-using the computer (sometimes they are one in the same).

But in reality this idea that repetitive motion injuries only happen from your j-o-b, is a big misconception. Any type of activity that requires a repetitive motion can cause this condition.

Sports, sewing, cooking, writing, drawing and housework are just a few of the things that came to my mind but really anything you do, that you do often, can be associated with repetitive motion injury.

If you already have this kind of injury, then there are some things you can do that can possibly stop the progression of the injury.

If you make the effort to practice good posture and be mindful of your body mechanics you will be on the right track. Plus try limiting the amount of time you spend doing activities where you would be practicing poor body mechanics or an awkward posture.

Reduce the amount of repetitive movements of your hands, wrists and arms and you can reduce your risk of strain from repetitive movement.

Stretching and strengthening should become part of a preventative strategy as well as the treatment of a repetitive motion injury if you are already afflicted.
Seeking the services of a Licensed or Certified Massage Therapist is also effective in most cases.

Spending a little time doing some type of relaxation technique that will help you unwind can be very beneficial. Listening to your favorite music, sitting on your deck, meditation, deep breathing exercises or going for an after work walk can help you in getting the day’s stress to drain from your muscles, body and your mind.
A combination of all of these approaches can help you in the healing of any existing repetitive motion injuries that you may have and prevent the onset of the injuries if you don’t have them.

If you suspect you might have a repetitive motion injury, you should consult with your family doctor and then make arrangements to see a Massage Therapist who specializes in these types of injuries.

I hope this new information is helping you on your journey to the pain free you, you once knew!

Take care of yourself and be WELL!
Barbara M LaDrig LMT, NCTMB
MuscleTensionRelief.com
Myspace.com/MuscleTensionRelief

Please note: This is just my opinion and not to be taken as medical advice, I am not a doctor.

Lesson 3- The 7 Most Overlooked Causes of Pain

2008-12-22T15:56:00.002-06:00

Welcome to Part 3 of The Seven Most Overlooked Causes of Body Pain & What You Can Do About Them Today series.

Let’s get right to it!

HEY! Are you sitting upright in your chair? I’m kidding of course; you can sit however you choose. But maybe you don’t even realize that you’re making a choice and that the choices you make in how you sit or even stand are affecting the way you feel.

Most people don’t have physical clues (such as immediate pain) reminding them to sit up straight or keep both legs on the ground, uncrossed, so it’s not even a thought that comes to mind. It really should be though.

Poor posture will put unnecessary stress on your muscles and even your spine. Any time you put undue stress on your body, you are literally creating more aches and pains for yourself.

Over time, the bad posture will cause some of your muscles to shorten, others to lengthen. It will also lead to fatigue because some muscles work harder than others. The imbalance that is created will definitely affect the way your muscles work and cause you more aches and pains in parts of your body that you generally wouldn’t even have to deal with if you were sitting and standing up straight.

Maintaining good posture for yourself will actually allow you to do more with more energy, and you’ll experience less stress and less fatigue. When talking about overall good health, posture ranks right at the top of the list along with eating right, stretching, exercising, and getting a good night’s sleep.

So make a choice today to break the HABIT.

Using good posture is really easy! It just takes a little conscious effort. But if you do it (or anything else for that matter) for 21 consecutive days it will become your new habit. It may seem like a long time but 21 days of concentrated effort for a lifetime of the reduction in the amount of chronic pain you have is truly priceless.

I hope this new information is helping you on your journey to the pain free you, you once knew!

Take care and be WELL!

Barbara M. LaDrig LMT #4409, NCTMB

http://www.MuscleTensionRelief.com

Please note: This is only my opinion and is not to be treated as medical advice, I am not a doctor.

Lesson 2- The 7 Most Overlooked Causes of Pain

2008-12-12T15:53:00.002-06:00

Welcome to lesson number 2 of The Seven Most Overlooked Causes of Body Pain & What You Can Do About Them Today series.

I am about to explain to you a vicious pain cycle that you may or may not be familiar with. In a typical day most people get up out of bed only to sit for a large part of their day.

We sit on our way to and from work or shopping and then we sit when we get home from work to watch TV or at the computer. Since we are doing all of this sitting, we can’t possibly be doing a whole lot of movement, unless it’s repetitive movement using and overusing only certain muscles.

All of this lack of movement and sitting leads to serious muscle imbalances. The imbalances then cause pain because some of your muscles are at a shortened state for too long.

When you finally decide to use those shortened muscles it overtaxes them very quickly since they have lost elasticity and pain occurs. Also lack of movement causes lack of circulation and lack of circulation causes the build up of toxins to happen and pain occurs.

The pain you feel then reduces the ability or desire you may have had to move in full range of motion. Movement is key to maintaining your muscle and joint health. Lack of movement creates a viscous pain-spasm-pain cycle.

Along with the pain cycle the lack of movement increases chances of carrying excess body weight and the more body weight you carry the less movement one tends to be motivated to do. I’d say this could easily be called viscous cycle number 2.

So what to do about it? GET UP! You don’t have to go over the top with movement but making a conscious choice to wake up in the morning and get into the habit of doing some light stretches to lengthen your muscles can really help.

Bend over, reach towards your toes, it’s not rocket science just do a few things that are out of your normal body habits to give some of those stagnant muscles a turn.

Many people don’t realize that Massage when done properly is an easy way to give your muscles a workout. You’ve got to lengthen those muscles more than once a week however so this isn’t going to be a cure all answer. But along with the stretches you do every day and the stretches your massage practitioner will facilitate for you, you’ll be well on your way to the pain free you, you once knew!

The very reason I created the Knot Works Tools was because I was a chronic pain sufferer and even with being a Massage Therapist and having easy access to massage once a week, those sessions just weren’t enough. Now I use my Knot Works tools everyday and I encourage you to do the same. Check them out, MuscleTensionRelief.com, they are worth it.

I hope this new information is helping you on your journey to the pain free you, you once knew!

Take Care of yourself and be WELL!

Barbara M LaDrig LMT, NCTMB
MuscleTensionRelief.com
Myspace.com/MuscleTensionRelief
Twitter/KnotWorks

*Please note that this is a blog of my opinions only and is not to be treated as medical advice, I am not a doctor.

Lesson 1- The 7 Most Overlooked Causes of Pain

2008-12-05T16:47:00.002-06:00

Welcome my friend, to lesson number one of The Seven Most Overlooked Causes of Body Pain & What You Can Do About Them Today.

Let's get right to it!

As you might already know, I'm a Licensed and Nationally Certified Massage Therapist. What you don't know (unless you've received a massage from me) is that I have had a banner in my therapy room since the very start of my career that reads, "Your body reflects what you put into it".

Of all the things I could have chosen to broadcast across the wall in my room, I chose that one saying because it is SO important and yet few people really pay attention to the reality of it.

Certain foods that we eat can actually REDUCE pain & inflammation but certain other foods WILL cause you more of it. Plain and simple.

So just what foods do you want to eat in order to reduce your pain and inflammation?

Try increasing your intake of these:

Coldwater fish such as Salmon, Halibut, Albacore Tuna, Sardines, Mackerel, and Herring.

Fresh Pineapple, Papaya, Strawberries, Raspberries, Bananas and Blueberries.

Spinach, Broccoli, Onion, Green Beans, Olives, Olive oil, Avocado, Walnuts, Whole Grains Oatmeal and Brown Rice.

Ginger, Thyme, Garlic, Turmeric, Rosemary.

Water and Distilled Aloe Vera Juice!!

The fruits and veggies are most beneficial in raw fresh form so fruit and vegetable salads are GREAT. Add some fish atop your vegetable salad and you're in for a real treat.

Your water intake is very important! Water helps your muscles relax and contract and keeps muscles hydrated. Plus if your not flushing toxins out of your body properly it may cause inflammation, tenderness, swelling and pain in the joints. Drinking water throughout your day is a MUST if you want to be pain free.

On the other side of things there are foods that you are going to want to avoid since they have been found to INCREASE pain and inflammation. Stay away from Potatoes (sweet potatoes are ok though), Tomatoes, Peppers (black pepper is ok) and Eggplant. Also keeping fatty meats and dairy to a very low minimum if you decide to eat them at all is a good idea.

I hope this new information is helping you on your journey to the pain free you, you once knew! A good idea is to print this out and stick it on your fridge for a while for quick referencing, you may even want to use a highlighter to highlight the foods you want to eat more of.

Take good care of yourself, be WELL and thanks for reading!

Barbara M. LaDrig LMT 4409, NCTMB
www.MuscleTensionRelief.com
www.Myspace.com/muscletensionrelief
www.Twitter.com/knotworks
*Disclaimer: Please note that information is my opinion only and is not to be treated as medical advice, I am not a doctor.