Understanding Hypermobility: By Kat Mason
Hypermobility is often perceived as simply being naturally more flexible than average and having the ability to perform extreme stretches and positions, like over-splits or contortion-like backbends. While these perceptions contain some truth, they don't fully capture what true hypermobility is or what it means to live with it. It's important to note that many people who are very flexible are not necessarily hypermobile.
What is True Hypermobility?
True hypermobility is a condition where a person's joints have an unusually large range of motion due to the structural properties of their connective tissue, which includes ligaments, tendons, and joint capsules. Hypermobility can be genetic or linked to medical conditions such as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders (HSD).
There are three levels of hypermobility:
Peripheral hypermobility: Affects only the hands and feet
Localised hypermobility: Affects 5 joints or fewer
Generalised hypermobility: The most severe form, affecting 5 or more joints
These levels can be further classified into a spectrum, ranging from asymptomatic (no symptoms) to symptomatic (with symptoms) and syndromic (associated with a syndrome).
Diagnosis and Symptoms of Hypermobility
Tests such as the Beighton Score are commonly used to measure hypermobility, but they can sometimes lead to false positives. Therefore, true hypermobility is ideally diagnosed through genetic and molecular testing.
Common symptoms of true hypermobility include:
Joint and muscle pain
Muscle weakness
Clumsiness
Increased risk of injury
Fatigue
Anxiety
Chronic pain
Easy bruising
Delayed skin healing
One significant challenge for hypermobile individuals is that they often lack control over the range of motion their joints possess. This can lead to a lack of trust in their own body and negatively impact their mental health and quality of life.
True Hypermobility: More Than Just a Party Trick
True hypermobility is more than just a flexible body or a party trick. It's a condition with varying physical implications, from being largely asymptomatic to causing significant pain and challenges. Understanding the complexity of hypermobility is key to supporting those who live with it.
Should Hypermobile People Stretch?
The increased range of motion in hypermobility mostly relates to the joints and ligaments, not necessarily muscle length. While stretching is generally safe for hypermobile individuals, it's important to consider its purpose and approach.
Gentle stretches to relieve tightness after training or sitting for long periods can be beneficial. However, the question remains: Should someone with hypermobility stretch to increase their flexibility even further?
In my view, opening up more range of motion in someone who already has great joint mobility but struggles with control and strength in their movements can be counterproductive and may exacerbate symptoms. Instead, the focus should be on building strength throughout the entire range of motion and learning to control the body within the ranges they have access to. This approach promotes stability and helps build trust in one's body.
A Better Approach: Strength and Stability
The Role of Flexibility Training
Flexibility training can still be valuable for hypermobile individuals, but its goals should shift. Instead of aiming to increase flexibility, the focus should be on:
Building strength and stability
Enhancing control within the existing range of motion
Potentially reducing the range of motion to safer parameters
This shift in focus can help manage symptoms, reduce injury risk, and improve overall quality of life.
If you're struggling with hypermobility and are looking for guidance and support, please reach out to us.
The Unspoken in a Massage
The art of massage is not just about hands-on techniques—it's also about the connection between the client and the therapist. A crucial part of ensuring a beneficial experience is communication. When both parties are clear about expectations, needs, and preferences, the session becomes personalized, effective, and ultimately more rewarding.
Client Perspective: As a client, your therapist cannot always tell exactly how you're feeling or what areas may need extra attention. Whether it's adjusting the pressure, avoiding sensitive areas, or focusing on specific muscle groups, your input is valuable. Open communication also ensures that you feel comfortable and safe throughout the session.
The most imporant take away from this is to “Speak Up”
The most common times for when to speak up:
Pressure: If it's too much or too little. Depending on whats neccesary, some areas may be uncomfortable.
Hitting the spot: If there is a tender area or knot thats been bugging you for a while, and they keep missing it
Talking points: If your therapist talks too much and you need the time to unwind and relax
Cupping marks: Its important to know that cupping leaves marks on your body anywhere from 5 days to 3 weeks.
Music Choice: If the music choice is amping you up or irritating you during treatment
Natural Gasses: Farting is perfectly natural, but if you can’t hold it in, just let your therapist know so they can leave the room for a brief period :)
Oils & Creams: If you don’t like to be lathered in too much oil or if there isn’t enough being used, espeically for the hairier clients.
Hair/Eyelashes: If you don’t want to get your hair ruined or greasy or eyebrows damaged while facing down, we can readjust positions.
Uncomfortable positions: If you are getting uncomforable in a certain position over a period of time
Pet Friendly Studio: If you are allergic or scared of dogs
Whether it's relaxation or recovery, being clear about your goals and comfor helps your therapist create a tailored experience.
Therapist Perspective: From a therapist’s point of view, communication helps in delivering a session that meets the client's expectations. Asking the right questions before and during the session, observing body language, and encouraging feedback allows the therapist to adjust their techniques in real-time.
Key points for therapists:
Check-in regularly: Asking "How’s the pressure?" or "Is this area feeling good?" keeps the session interactive.
Encourage feedback: Let out clients know that we welcome feedback to make adjustments.
Being intuitive, but don’t assume: While body language helps, verbal confirmation is essential to truly understand our client's needs.
A great massage experience comes from the synergy between the client’s needs and the therapist’s skills, and the bridge between the two is communication. Next time you book a session, remember that your voice is just as important as your therapist’s hands in getting the results you want.
Breathe Your Way Through Movement
Breathing, we all do it, but can we do it better?
We are so blessed that there are so many places holding breathwork amongst our northern beaches community. With this trend we are getting positively curious about how to harness the power of breath for better function, better recovery, better movement and even better sleep hygiene.
So what’s all the hype?
We’ve heard of the Ice Man, the famous methods of Wim Hof. The Dutchman who has adapted traditional breathing methods from across different parts of the world. Using them to optimise his immune function and longevity. He’s conquered extreme cold temperatures with only his skin to protect him. We’ve been inspired by the way he’s looked at health, and now everyone has tried his breathing techniques to upgrade their immune function.
There are so many different ways to manipulate our breathing to benefit our performance. Another to be aware of is nasal breathing. Famously, over the last few years James Nester has studied the benefits of nasal breathing and the deficits of mouth breathing. To sum it all up, his studies have shown how much more oxygen efficient we are when nasal breathing. From recovering faster after training, to encouraging nasal breathing to improve sleeping; we can enhance our oxygen efficiency and reduce the rate of inflammation in our cells just from filtering our air intake properly.
So, if you have caught yourself occasionally mouth breathing while concentrating behind your desk, try these methods. There is a likelihood you tend to sleep and train with the same tendencies.
Historically, many breathing traditions have developed ways to create heat in our body, down regulate the nervous system, calm our thoughts, rewire our brain, reduce inflammation and amplify our strength just to name a few. We see a lot of these in yogic type practices like ujjayi pranayama (ocean breath), kumbhaka pranayama (breathing retention), kapalabhati pranayama (fire breathing), nadi shodhana pranayama (alternative nostril breathing) and simhasana (lion’s breath).
What might be holding your breathing back?
How you breath when you run and train - paradoxical / upwardly respirating, upper posterior respirating
Functional deficiencies, such as tightness in your diaphragm, pelvic floor, jaw, intercostals, scalenes and clavicle (front of the neck) or serratus posterior inferior muscles (lower rib muscles)
Physical dysfunction, such as polyps or deviated septum, sleep apnea, asthma
C-Section scarring - inhibiting your pelvic floor from working alongside your diaphragm
Anaemia - iron carries oxygen to your blood cells, hence low iron can correlate to how you might be breathing
illness, allergies, mould exposure
What are some symptoms of poor breathing quality?
Breathing up into the top section of your lungs. For instance, it is quite common for runner to breathe into the upper back when exerted. This changes your running posture, but more importantly your lung capacity.
Mouth breathing, catching your breath.
Feeling fatigued after a night’s sleep or poor recovery after training. You might hold onto tightness or inflammation more easily.
Can massage help?
Not only can massage help release the diaphragm and the tight muscles we overuse for breathing efficiently, it can also help with our understanding of where these muscles lie in our body. Ie our proprioception. When we are receiving a massage we are helping our brain map out where our muscles are around our bodies, just as much as exercise can.
Below are some great techniques for self release you can use at home that will assist your breathing.
How can we actively use this to move better?
There are a few amazing techniques used in pilates and also in singing and wind instrument use that create a much more effective way to support our breathing. They also allow us to stabilise through the rest of our spine. Although with singing and other musicians these techniques are used to project our voice and breath, the way they understand the inner workings of their muscles and lungs is something we can all learn from to enhance how we use our breath during exercise.
To understand how to control where we breath from when we’re active, we have to understand how to harness our techniques when we are relaxed too. This means a functioning diaphragm.
Lets try DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING to start. This simple breathing technique may seem basic, but for a lot of us we are so used to using our upper chest muscles to breath due to closed postures like desk work, we block off the ability to use our diaphragm.
Next stop, isolating an upregulatory breath. A breath pattern we are more commonly used to, but is over used due to the amount we sit. This breathing technique tends to signal to our brain to keep cortisol levels high. It allows us to concentrate for short periods of time, but if used chronically can fatigue us.
Lets try this with simple movement first.
If you found this useful, check out the following sources. Further readings include
Breath, by Dr James Nestor
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3573542/
https://www.yogajournal.com/practice/yoga-sequences/importance-breath-yoga/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/what-is-yogic-breathing#safety
https://www.himalayanyogainstitute.com/9-yogic-breathing-practices-mind-body-balance-healing/
Understanding Deep Neuromuscular Stabilisation (DNS)
As a remedial massage therapist, I've seen firsthand the benefits of incorporating Deep Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) into our practice. DNS is a technique rooted in developmental kinesiology, emphasizing the importance of proper core stability and movement patterns. In this blog, I will explain why focusing on the first stage of developmental kinesiology, particularly exercises like the "dead bug" position, is crucial for overall health and stability.
What is DNS?
Deep Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) is an approach that utilizes the principles of developmental kinesiology. It is based on the understanding that the central nervous system (CNS) governs and controls posture and movement patterns. By mimicking the natural developmental stages that infants go through, DNS aims to restore and optimize these patterns in adults.
DNS AUTRALIA
The Importance of Developmental Kinesiology
Developmental kinesiology refers to the study of movement patterns that develop in humans from birth. The first stage of this development is crucial as it lays the foundation for all future movement and stability. During this stage, infants learn to stabilize their core and coordinate movements, which is essential for proper posture and functional movement later in life.
The Core Mechanics: Understanding the Dead Bug Position
One of the fundamental exercises in DNS is the "dead bug" position. This exercise is not just about strengthening the abdominal muscles but about creating a balanced and coordinated effort among various core components. Here's how it works:
Other variations of the dead bug to help to strength and stability are highlighted below. Use of a bosu ball and resistance bands allow for the joint to be challenged as well as the intrinsic muscles.
Diaphragm Function: The diaphragm, a parachute or dome-shaped muscle, plays a crucial role in stabilizing the core. When you inhale, the diaphragm contracts and moves downward, increasing intra-abdominal pressure.
Pelvic Floor: The pelvic floor muscles provide a supportive base. As the diaphragm pushes down, the pelvic floor offers resistance, helping to stabilize the pelvis and lower spine.
Abdominal Tone and Transversus Abdominis:
The abdominal muscles, particularly the transversus abdominis, wrap around the torso like a corset. When the diaphragm pushes down, the tone of the abdomen spreads, and the transversus abdominis activates to contain this pressure and maintain stability.
In the dead bug position, these elements work together to create a stable core. This exercise involves lying on your back with your arms and legs in the air, mimicking the motion of a dead bug. As you move your limbs, the goal is to maintain a neutral spine and engage the core muscles effectively.
Common Symptoms of Dysfunction in DNS
When there is dysfunction or lack of development in DNS, it can manifest through various symptoms, often related to poor core stability and improper movement patterns. Common symptoms may develop in chronic lower back pain, poor posture, pelvic instability or asymmetry, muscle imbalances, difficulties breathing and also decrease athletic performance. All of which arm overarching factors of the relationship between diaphragm, TA and pelvic floor.
Why is This Important?
Improved Core Stability: A stable core is essential for efficient movement and injury prevention. By focusing on the first stage of developmental kinesiology, we can enhance our body's natural ability to stabilize the spine and pelvis.
Better Posture and Alignment: Proper core engagement helps maintain optimal posture, reducing the strain on the musculoskeletal system. This can alleviate common issues such as lower back pain and postural imbalances.
Enhanced Performance: Whether you are an athlete or someone who enjoys staying active, a strong and stable core improves overall performance. It provides a solid foundation for all movements, from running to lifting.
Injury Prevention: Many injuries stem from poor movement patterns and instability. By training the core to function correctly, we can reduce the risk of injuries, particularly in the lower back and pelvis.
Conclusion
Deep Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) is a powerful tool in the realm of remedial massage therapy. By understanding and incorporating the principles of developmental kinesiology, we can help our clients achieve better core stability, posture, and overall movement quality. Exercises like the dead bug position are not just about building strength but about fostering a harmonious relationship between the diaphragm, pelvic floor, and abdominal muscles. This integrated approach leads to improved health, performance, and injury prevention.
I encourage you to explore DNS further and incorporate these principles into your daily routine. Your body will thank you for it!
The missing link to your recovery?
What's all this hype about mobility training, you might ask? Simply stated, mobility training is essential for keeping your joints healthy, enhancing freedom of movement, and developing strength across necessary ranges. It improves range of motion, boosting performance in various activities from weightlifting to playing with your kids. Flexibility is crucial for all movement, emphasizing the need for adequate mobility for our desired activities.
When we neglect our joints' natural movements, we gradually lose access to certain ranges. For example, not using your arms overhead could reduce shoulder mobility over time. This limitation can lead to compensations, such as your back taking on more than it's supposed to, which can lead to discomfort and fatigue.
Flexibility without strength can increase injury risks. Mobility training is key in building the strength and stability needed for better body control.
But back to massages. While massages are enjoyable, they offer temporary relief if underlying strength imbalances or mobility issues aren't addressed. Mobility training helps fix these root causes, providing a stronger, more stable foundation for your body. It's about healthy, functional joints, not just extreme flexibility.
Regular mobility work is an investment in your future self, keeping joints "well-oiled" and preventing them from becoming "creaky door hinges." This allows for a more active, enjoyable life in a "younger" body.
Mobility exercises can be fun and challenging, especially with friends. It's more than stretching and can be integrated with your current physical activities.
Curious? Try one of our weekly mobility classes or contact us for a personalized approach.
www.recentre.space/mobility
Why should I sit on the floor?
What exactly is Floor time and how is it good for us?
Have you ever observed a child or toddler playing?
They love to be on the floor, in fact they do pretty much everything on the
floor. Think about how many times they squat (like deep squats), lounge, lie down and stand up again during the day.
Now, think about yourself. When was the last time you spent at least 20 minutes sitting or moving
around on the floor? For how long can you hold a posture? How fast can you change positions?
What most of us would experience, as we grow up, is to reduce all the “floor time” that we used to
love and enjoyed so much when kids, and, instead we spend a bigger part of our day either
standing or hunched over behind a desk. And this will obviously impact your posture, muscle mass,
and flexibility.
It is very unfortunate that we don’t spend time seated on the floor more often as it is an excellent
habit and extremely beneficial for our body.
Floor sitting can improve posture, flexibility, core strength, and balance.
Here are some of the many benefits that spending time sitting on the floor has:
Reduce tension in your hips: sitting on a chair for a prolonged period can make your hips stiff
and tight. ( as you probably know by now) When you sit cross-legged on the ground, you open
your hips and stretch your hip flexors.
Increase muscle activity: when your muscles are engaged, they will stay stronger and in the long
term, you will increase overall muscle activity. Many of our chairs and sofas allow us to melt into
them. They DO the work, keeping us upright and allowing us to REST (or collapse). This isn’t
the case when sitting on the ground. Many sitting positions like squatting and kneeling are
considered active rest positions that require our muscles to be engaged.
Maintains natural stability: when adults spend more time seated on the floor, they will reduce the
fall risk in the older years. When seated on the floor you must engage core muscles to stabilise
your trunk and keep you upright.
Increase flexibility: whether cross-legged or sitting with legs extended in front of your, you
stretch your lower body muscles, increasing flexibility. And just by changing positions you will
make sure your hips have more mobility options available.
Better Posture: You will straighten your spine, pull shoulders back and become more
comfortable in this position.
If you sit down, you need to get up: the benefits of sitting on the floor include the time you spend
getting up. In fact, the sitting-rising test in which you get up from the crossed-legged position
without using your hands for assistance is a good marker of longevity.
There are many different ways to start and you should try and decide which one fits better and at
the beginning feels more comfortable:
Sitting in a long sit.
Cross- legged - lotus position
Side sit
Squatting
Either during working time or leisure, like laying on the couch and watching a movie, research has
found that sitting in the same posture for extended periods can cause stress on the body. Here’s
our best advice: try to do an activity on the floor and move around. It might not be so easy at first
but by being consistent with this practice, your body will feel relieved and grateful.
To go for the extra mile, let’s do a little challenge:
Sit crossed- legged on the floor and try to stand up without touching the floor with your hands. You
can use the strategy your body feels most comfortable with - how many ways can you come up with?
Good luck!
Is there a “right” time for a massage?
The Benefits of Massage and Finding Your Ideal Schedule
Similar to exercise or strenuous activity, sometimes after a Recentre massage we discover pleasantly sore muscles.
Frequently asked questions we receive at Recentre include "How often should I get a massage?" and "Will I recover in time for my upcoming marathon/competition/exam week?" Let's explore.
The Benefits of Massage
We know that remedial massage can provide relief from:
Muscle tension, soreness and tightness
Repetitive strain and postural stress
Inflammation and tendonitis
Improved circulation of oxygenated blood
Understandably, many wish they could get frequent massage. So why not daily?
The Body as a Bucket
Think of your body and mind as a bucket. Our self-care routine keeps the bucket filled at a healthy level.
Filling the Bucket:
Work, school and family responsibilities
Exercise
Strenuous activity
Emptying the Bucket:
Quality sleep
Nutritious eating
Hydration
Meditation and breath-work
Sunlight and fresh air
We can gradually expand our capacity for activity and awareness through balanced self-care. However, when our bucket spills over regularly, we reduce the body's ability to adapt. This leads to symptoms of stress, risks of injury or burnout. So where does remedial massage fit in?
Finding Your Ideal Massage Schedule
Each person's ideal schedule will differ. For example, a professional athlete requires more intensive treatment than a weekend warrior. Our massage therapists work with clients, alongside physiotherapists, trainers and other practitioners to customize your sessions.
Example Schedules:
Pre-event: During a taper week before a big competition
Post-exertion: 1-2 days after a marathon, heavy lifting session
Pre-rest: On an intense training day before a lighter day
Rehabilitation: 2-3 days after an acute injury and initial medical visits
Let's Connect
To develop your tailored massage and self-care plan, consult our qualified team at Recentre. Call or book online today so we can chat!
Deskbound? Your next move is your best move!
In today's fast-paced world, many of us find ourselves spending the majority of our days at a desk. Whether it's for work, meals, or relaxation, this sedentary lifestyle can wreak havoc on our bodies, leading to tight necks, lower back pain, and hip discomfort.
At Recentre, we understand the toll desk work can take on your body, and we're here to help you break free from the clutches of poor posture.
The Desk Worker's Dilemma:
Sitting for prolonged hours is more than just a workday routine; it's a lifestyle choice that impacts our overall health. We tend to slouch into positions of comfort, which can lead to various muscle groups being affected.
Muscles Shortened and Tightened:
Chest
Hip Flexors
Quadriceps
Traps
Muscles Lengthened and Weakened:
Upper and Mid-Back
Glutes
Hamstrings
Finding Your Path to Better Posture:
Improving your desk posture doesn't require drastic changes; it's all about incorporating small, effective habits into your daily routine.
Move Frequently - Getting up to walk around is the simplest and most effective way to combat the negative effects of desk work
Set alarms or reminders to change your position every hour during the workday.
Desk-Friendly Exercises: Even with a busy schedule, you can make a significant difference by incorporating stretches, release techniques, and activation exercises into your desk work routine.
These exercises can easily be performed DAILY during meetings, phone calls, or while typing emails.
Don’t wait till the end of the day, where most likely you will only do less than 10 mins of stretching and release work a few times a week.
To help you get started on your journey to better posture, we've prepared a video guide showcasing a range of exercises you can do to break up your day
Need more?
For more in-depth exercises to do at your desk, take a look at
our DESK RELEASE SERIES PLAYLIST
At Recentre, we're committed to not only providing you a massage with purpose, but also empowering you to take charge of your well-being. The desk worker's dilemma is a common challenge, but with small, consistent efforts, you can improve your posture and overall health. Remember, movement is key, and with our guidance, you'll be on your way to a healthier, more comfortable workday.
The team at Recentre is here to support you every step of the way. Don't let desk work dictate your posture – take control and embark on your journey to better health today.
The benefits of braving the ice bath!
If you are still not convinced about getting into the ice bath perhaps the following facts might change your mind!
Deliberate cold exposure such as contrast therapy (alternating between the sauna or hot shower and the ice bath) when done correctly, can positively affect brain and body health.
It has been shown to improve circulation, reduce inflammation, speed up muscle recovery and elevate your mood.
Here is a quick breakdown of what happens during a contrast session and how it benefits your body
Increased Energy and Focus
Deliberate cold exposure - rise in adrenaline (aka epinephrine) and nor adrenaline (aka norepinephrine) in the brain and body, making us feel alert and/or agitated
Cold causes their levels to stay elevated for some time and their ongoing effect after the exposure is to increase your level of energy and focus, which can be applied to other mental and/or physical activities.
Building Resilience & Grit
When you face tough situations in real life, it's like encountering stress. Imagine deliberately subjecting yourself to cold temperatures – this is similar. By doing this, you're challenging yourself on purpose, and it's a kind of stress too. This helps you control the deeper parts of your brain - top down control- that handle automatic reactions. That ‘top-down’ control is the basis of what people refer to when they talk about “resilience and grit.” Importantly, it is a skill that carries over to situations outside of the deliberate cold environment, allowing you to cope better and maintain a calm, clear mind- cold exposure is great training for the mind.
Enhancing Your Mood
Cold exposure causes the prolonged release of dopamine. Dopamine is a powerful molecule capable of elevating mood, enhancing focus, attention, goal-directed behaviour etc. Even short bouts of cold exposure can cause a lasting increase in dopamine and sustained elevation of mood, energy, and focus.
Physical recovery
Cold water can help you recover faster after intense workouts. When you spend a short time (less than 5 minutes) in cold water, like a cold bath, it's good for your muscles. It makes your muscles feel less sore and helps them recover.
It’s better to wait 6 to 8 or more hours until after training, or do it before training UNLESS your goal is simply to recover without adaptation (for instance, when you’re competing and just need recovery)
Feeling the chill - how we cold plunge at Recentre
"How long should I sit in the ice bath?"
This the most common question we are asked by clients doing the cold plunge for the first time.
Our answer? As long as you need to.
There are so many factors that affect how long you may want to or are physically able to stay in the ice bath. These include:
How cold tolerant you are
Your stress levels - it often feels harder to sit in the ice bath if you have had a big training week, it was a challenging day in the office or you had a less than good night's sleep. Often you won't realised you're feeling stressed until you add ice....
Fear or anxiety about your ability to 'do' the ice bath - it's natural to feel a little anxious about putting yourself into an uncomfortable situation voluntarily.
There is no "correct" way to do your contrast session - everyone has a favourite combination that works for them. Here are a few of our current favourites:
The Boss - Warm up in the sauna then into the ice bath. Plunge straight under for ten seconds. Settle in for a minute then reset with another full submersion. Once or twice and you're done.
The Soul Destroyer - Rinse off in the shower then its straight in and under, and then chill for 4-6 minutes. Head to the sauna for 30-40 minutes then its back to the ice bath for another endurance plunge. Finish COLD!
Easy Does it - Start with a soothing long sauna for 40 minutes then head over to the ice bath. Don't linger too long in the shower - just take a deep breath and get into the ice! Two minutes and you're done! Whilst clients have been known to sneak back into the sauna*, we encourage you to let yourself feel the chill for a bit and let your body do the work regulate your temperature.
* We do not judge these people :-)
Take a look at how Jesse, one of our regular Recovery members likes to do the plunge.
Carpal Tunnel syndrome - Cracking the Code of Wrist Pain
Do you experience wrist and forearm pain or tingling sensations? It might not be carpal tunnel, but let's explore ways to gauge your symptoms and their severity. In this blog, we'll cover self-assessment methods, when to seek professional help, and who to consult. Plus, we'll share isolated stretching, strengthening, and movement tips to combat discomfort and relieve stress from your hands up to your neck. Try these helpful techniques to help relieve pain.
Understanding Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Symptoms, Causes, and Relief
What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition where the neural, vascular, muscular, and skeletal structures at the wrist become constricted. The carpal bones, forming a dome between the base of the thumb and pinky, house a critical highway for arteries and nerve complexes. When this tunnel narrows, it restricts blood flow and compresses nerves, leading to symptoms like tingling, numbness, weakness, throbbing, and achiness.
Assessing Carpal Tunnel Tightness
A simple test involves extending one arm to shoulder height with the palm up and then flexing the wrist downward. If you experience pinching, pulling, or stretching along the arm, it may indicate a positive result for carpal tunnel tightness. Another test involves bending both arms at shoulder height for 90 seconds; if pain is elicited and the arms drop, it could indicate referral pain, indicating higher nerve blockage.
Severity and When to Seek Help
Ignoring carpal tunnel symptoms can lead to worsening discomfort, affecting your ability to sleep and recover. Seeking professional assistance, such as massage, physiotherapy, chiropractic, or osteopathic care, is vital to prevent long-term issues. Surgery might be considered if symptoms persist despite committed manual treatment.
Understanding the Median Nerve
The median nerve plays a significant role in carpal tunnel syndrome. Originating from the neck and extending down to the thumb, index, and middle fingers, it activates muscle fibers. Compression of this nerve can cause referral pain anywhere from the neck to the thumb, impacting the wrist and hand.
Lifestyle Factors and Prevention
Certain lifestyle factors can exacerbate carpal tunnel symptoms. Increased workload, pregnancy, or changes in exercise routines can contribute to discomfort. To mitigate these factors, regular stretching, releasing, and strengthening exercises are crucial. Focusing on movement and avoiding prolonged static positions can help reduce stress on the wrist and neck.
Simple Home Practices Incorporate these practices into your routine to alleviate carpal tunnel discomfort:
Nerve Flossing: Gently bend and stretch the wrist for 90 seconds to reduce nerve rigidity.
Neck and Shoulder Stretching: Relax the front of the neck and shoulders to open up the arm's front line.
Forearm Stretching: Stretch the flexors and extensors of the forearm to release tension.
Back of Shoulder Strengthening: Strengthening these muscles can counteract the effects of static positions.
Mindful Movement: Incorporate regular movement to prevent stiffness and tension buildup.
Conclusion
Understanding carpal tunnel syndrome and its impact on the body is essential to find relief and prevent long-term issues. Regular self-assessment, professional help when necessary, and mindful lifestyle adjustments can alleviate discomfort and restore comfort and functionality to your wrists and hands. Take charge of your well-being and invest in your health to enjoy a pain-free life.