Posts tagged back injury
Physical Therapy and Sports: Augmenting Rehabilitation From A Massage Chair
Apr 11th
If you play sports or other physical activities, then you know that injuries come with the territory. Depending on the type of injury and the extent of your injury, you may need physical therapy. Physical therapy is the process of rehabilitation and recovery from your injury or physical ailment. Physical therapy works on recovery of your musculoskeletal system. Massage therapy is used as part of the recovery process. Some of the more advanced therapy clinics are starting to use massage chair recliners as part of their arsenal of tools to help people recover from their injuries.
Physical therapy starts with an expert therapist. Much like a trainer, the physical therapist will design a program to increase the flexibility and strength of the injured areas. The therapist must understand your situation. They must know the procedures you went through if you had surgery. They also must know the physiology of your body and its related mechanics. Most of the programs require stretching and massage for flexibility and exercise for strength. They use specialized equipment in order to target specific areas or individual muscles. Massage chairs are particularly effective in loosening tight areas and enhancing blood circulation.
One of the first things you will do in physical therapy is to sit down with your therapist. You will go over in detail your physique and injured areas. The therapist understands surgeries and there affect on your muscle and skeletal systems. They will design a specific program with you. You will be put through a regimen of stretching. They will want you to gain more strength. You may need to do exercises or use specialized exercise equipment. They may rub down or massage certain areas of your injuries. They may have you receive massage therapy in a massage chair recliner. All these therapies are designed to help your recover fully.
One of the key areas when you start is to make your muscles more pliable. When an injury occurs, the body immobilizes the affected area. Your body has redundant systems for most everything. If your leg is injured, it will want the other leg to take over. The body does not want the injured leg used and tries to shut it down to heal it. This is good, but your muscles become stiff and tight. They actually hurt when you start to bend them. Stretching is an important part of the physical therapy routine to build back flexibility.
Exercises are important to help rebuild strength. When we have an injury, we tend to protect that area. Protecting that area is usually to isolate and immobilize it. In other words, we tend not to use the injured area. This helps to prevent further injury, but at the expense of strength and conditioning. To help rebuild the body, exercises help to build up strength, endurance and agility. Physical therapy clinics have a wide array of exercise equipment from treadmills, stationary bikes, weights and more. These help you focus building up a particular set of muscles.
Some of the problems encountered in the physical recovery process are scar tissue. Scar tissue forms harder than the original tissue. This needs recurring kneading and pressing massage to restore flexibility. The muscle tissue breaks down into shorter lengths when physically stressed. The muscles tissues need the fibers to be elongated to restore further flexibility. Massage therapy targets these two important areas. Some physical therapy clinics use massage therapists and may also use massage chairs. In either case, the focus is on increasing the longer term flexibility. Massage therapy is effective in loosening the muscles and scar tissue while increasing the blood and nutrient flow accelerate the healing process.
If you push your limits, you may sometimes go too far and suffer an injury. Or they may just happen. Either way, you just want to be fully recovered. The physical therapies being offered utilize top notch technology and methodologies. From massage chair recliners to treadmills, you will be exposed to a range of treatments designed for your full recovery.
Hopefully needed not require Physical Therapy, but if needed then research what massage therapy most benefits you. A massage chair can be an excellent investment in your health. Massage Chair Therapy offers many techniques
The Thoracic Outlet Syndrome – Part Two
Dec 25th
Physiotherapy examination starts with the therapist assessing the posture of the patient, often before they have taken any of their clothes off. A rounded or slumped shoulder posture and a poking forward neck and head stretch the neck and shoulder blade muscles and may make this syndrome more likely to occur. Active range of movements of the neck will be examined and any restrictions noted. The neck may be placed in combined positions involving two or more pure movements plus downward pressure in an attempt to bring on symptoms. Range of motion of the shoulders is also assessed.
The examination will include the ability of the nervous and vascular system to supply the requirements of the arm, with most of the deficiencies involving the lower nerves of the brachial plexus. Compression of the veins in the armpit area results in an arm which is bluish in colour and swollen, whilst if the part of the vascular system which is compressed is an artery this makes the arm cooler, lacking in a pulse and often having a lower blood pressure of 20 mmHg or more compared to the normal arm.
In the case of thoracic outlet syndrome due to neurological compression the finding are often of weakness and wasting of the small muscles of the hand. There may also be reduced sensation in the areas supplied by the ulnar nerve, which again reflects the fact that the lower nerves of the brachial plexus are most often involved. The last type of this syndrome, that of non-specific thoracic outlet syndrome, has widespread but less precisely located pain, with less precise and clear examination findings, making the diagnosis unreliable at best.
Thoracic outlet syndrome can be brought on by a large number of neck and shoulder anatomical structures and this is reflected in the numbers of diagnostic tests which have been developed to investigate this problem. A significant problem with these tests is the occurrence of false positive and false negative tests. False negatives mean that the test shows the problem not to be present when it really is and false positives mean the test indicates the tested problem to be present when in reality it is not.
A typical test is Roos stress test, where the patient keeps their arms up in a "hands up" position, opening and closing the fist. If the symptoms come on or the arms feel heavy or tired then the test may be taken to have a positive result. The reasons for thoracic outlet syndrome can either be due to bony structures or soft tissue structures. Bony structures which might cause compression or obstruction include cervical ribs and bony outgrowths on the ribs or collar bone. Soft tissue structures involved include abnormal fibrous bands or abnormally large muscles in weight training athletes.
Trauma to the neck and mechanical stressors may combine with any abnormalities in neck anatomy such as cervical ribs to increase the likelihood of developing thoracic outlet syndrome. Obstruction of the blood supply is an emergency and should be speedily assessed and surgically decompressed with repair to the arteries or veins. Most people with this syndrome are however treated conservatively with anti-inflammatory drugs, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and assessment and mobilisation or exercise prescription by a physiotherapist.
Many patients are helped by conservative management and those whose pain continues to be troublesome may eventually be considered for surgery. Physiotherapists look at the postural attitude taken by patients and muscle imbalances which may be present around the neck and shoulders. Patients who maintain static postures for long periods or continually return to one particular posture may develop dysfunctions.
Abnormalities of posture can elevate local tension or compressive forces and cause chronic compression of the nerves in the area. Maintenance of muscles in a shortened position can cause them to shorten permanently and then react with pain when they are put on a stretch. The idea of muscle imbalance implies that some muscles are stretched by the person's function and become weaker whilst others become shorter in consequence and so stronger, perpetuating abnormal function. Management of these conditions starts with patient education as understanding is vital if they are to make long term postural changes.
Jonathan Blood Smyth, editor of the Physiotherapy Site, writes articles about Physiotherapists, physiotherapy, Physiotherapists in Coventry, back pain, orthopaedic conditions, neck pain and injury management. Jonathan is a superintendant physiotherapist at an NHS hospital in the South-West of the UK.
Physical Therapy and Sports: Help Rehabilitation With A Massage Chair
Aug 2nd
Amateur and professional athletes alike both know that injury comes hand in hand with sports. Sports by its very nature are geared to push the limits of individuals to remain competitive. As boundaries are pushed, limits will be crossed. This is when injuries happen. However, the body is very resilient and with the help of the physical therapy programs recovery times are minimal. These advanced therapy programs build a regimen of activities to restore health and vitality to the affected areas. Many programs require the use of exercise equipment, massage chairs and stretching elements.
If you start a physical therapy program, then you will be assigned a physical therapist. The therapist is a trained professional to help restore your strength, motion and activity. The therapist understands the mechanics of your body and will help design a treatment program for you. You will learn specific stretches, exercises and other specialized techniques to help your body recover. You may also use specific equipment that can address particular issues. Massage therapy has become an important tool in the recovery arsenal and many clinics are making use of massage chair recliners.
Your therapist is trained in different surgeries, treatments and rehabilitation techniques and goals. The therapist will design a recovery treatment targeting the areas of your body that needs greater flexibility or strength. If you are recovering from surgery, then the therapist will be knowledgeable about different surgical procedures. The therapist will help in setting goals as you work through the initial limitations of your physique. Some of the important physical therapy tools are stretching, exercises and massage therapy.
Stretching is important to help regain lost flexibility. The muscles may be tight, the joints stiff and you may have scar tissue. These reduce your range of motion and decrease flexibility. Stretching helps to elongate the muscles. This helps to stretch the muscles helping their elasticity. A frequent and continuous regimen of daily stretching helps to speed recovery. Your therapist will design a stretching routine which will help focus on restoring the range of motion.
Exercises are important to help rebuild strength. When we have an injury, we tend to protect that area. Protecting that area is usually to isolate and immobilize it. In other words, we tend not to use the injured area. This helps to prevent further injury, but at the expense of strength and conditioning. To help rebuild the body, exercises help to build up strength, endurance and agility. Physical therapy clinics have a wide array of exercise equipment from treadmills, stationary bikes, weights and more. These help you focus building up a particular set of muscles.
When you are recovering from surgery most likely you will have new scar tissue. Scar tissue needs to be made more pliable through time. This will enhance the flexibility of the affected area. The mobility of the muscle and also the skin is at stake here. Massage therapy has been shown to increase the flexibility of muscles. Your muscles when injured may also have the muscle fibers break into short units. This reduces their flexibility. The muscles need to be more pliable by elongating the muscle fibers. Massage chairs use kneading and pressing massage techniques to relieve tight muscles and elongate the muscle fibers to restore their flexibility.
Whether you are a professional tennis player or a beginner skier, injuries can happen to anyone. If you do find yourself in physical therapy, work on setting goals to recover. Find yourself an excellent physical therapy clinic. Make sure they have qualified people, proper exercise equipment and massage therapy. And if you need massage therapy, make sure a massage chair is part of your recovery plans.
