A Stretch A Day

- by Robina Palmer, Physiotherapist, Co-Owner Sun City Physiotherapist

One of the most important ways to avoid injury and to promote overall health is to begin stretching. Stretching is recommended for everyone, whether you are active or not.

Unfortunately, as we age, our muscles become shorter – this increases the need to stretch on a regular basis. When we stretch, we are realigning and lengthening the fibers within the muscle. Stretching improves our range of motion, promotes muscle balance, prepares our body for activity, helps our body recover from activity, decreases joint stresses/compression and minimizes unwanted muscle tightness and knots.

Stretching also promotes circulation and develops body awareness. It enhances performance by improving overall speed, balance, endurance, agility, and strength. And studies have shown that stretching will lead to quicker muscle toning.

Stretching before an activity or a workout is important, but stretching after the activity is more beneficial and crucial. Prior to the activity, gently stretch the muscles that are going to be used. Do not overstretch as this can lead to a less responsive muscle that is more prone to injury.

Stretches after exercise should be held for 20- 30 seconds and repeated 2-3 times each. The stretch should feel strong and uncomfortable, but NOT painful. No bouncing, as this triggers a reflex that causes the muscle to tighten and work against you.

Ideally, you should be stretching daily and performing additional, activity specific stretches before and after exercising.

Stretches feel better and are more effective if your muscles are ‘warm’ prior to stretching. Just moving around is usually enough to get the blood pumping and the muscles warmed and prepared for activity. If you just woke up, or got out of a car after an hour drive you are likely not warmed up enough. Just move around for a bit before you break into your stretching routine.

If you have an injury, dysfunction or problem, your Physiotherapist can develop a stretching routine that is specific for you and your condition. An assessment by your Physiotherapist will usually reveal what muscles need to be stretched and focused on.

This is provided as general information only and is not intended to be relied upon as medical advice. Robina Palmer is a registered Physiotherapist and co-owner of Sun City Physiotherapy. She can be contacted at Sun City Physiotherapy’s downtown, St. Paul Street clinic by calling 250.861.8056, or via email at: rpalmer@suncityphysiotherapy.com

What The Heck? Wry Neck?

- by Kevin Bos, Physiotherapist, Co-Owner Sun City Physiotherapist

You wake up in the morning and can’t turn or tip your head to one side without excruciating pain. It’s puzzling because you don’t recall any predisposing incident. You just may have been victim to the ever so common “wry neck”.

Wry neck is a common term to describe a kinked neck triggered suddenly, predominantly on one side of the neck, and usually precipitated by sleep. In most cases, through the night one gets, shall we say, too comfortable. Your neck relaxes and a particular joint settles into a position that gets it a bit stuck. As the joint settles into an awkward position as you sleep, the muscles gradually notice this and progressively go into spasm as a form of protection.

In some cases you may get woken from the pain and spasm, but in others you may not notice it until you go to move in the morning. In either case, your best plan of action is to get it sorted as soon as possible before the spasm becomes chronic tightness.

I have found quite a bit of success treating this with a manual therapy approach through a technique we call muscle energy. The trick is to get the muscle spasm and guarding down so the joint can return to a neutral position. Muscle energy is essentially a hands on manual technique of contract/relax where you and I push and pull together in specific ways related to cervical joint mechanics to release the muscle and joint restriction in order to restore normal joint motion. With classic wry neck, within a 2-3 sessions, most restrictions resolve.

There are some wry neck cases that are more stubborn. Often in these scenarios, the joint can have a meniscoid entrapment where synovial joint tissue gets caught in the edge of the joint disallowing the surface to rest freely. These are much more difficult to treat in that they may require a more specialized technique called joint manipulation to release the entrapment. Once again, most of these problems resolve within a few sessions.

It’s no fun to look at your friends sideways, the sooner you get it looked at, the sooner you’re back in action.

This is provided as general information only and is not intended to be relied upon as medical advice. Kevin Bos is a registered physiotherapist and Co-Owner of Sun City Physiotherapy. He has a Diploma of Manual and Manipulative Physiotherapy and holds a certificate in Sports Physiotherapy and IMS. He can be contacted at Sun City Physiotherapy’s downtown, St. Paul Street clinic by calling 250.861.8056, or via email at: kbos@suncityphysiotherapy.com

Do It Yourself Without Injuring Yourself

- by Robina Palmer, Physiotherapist, Co-Owner Sun City Physiotherapist

With all the new TV shows about home improvement and do it yourself projects, I have seen an increase in injuries in the clinic ranging from repetitive strain injury, back and neck strains, and muscle spasms. Many of us forget that a Do It Yourself (DIY) project can be strenuous and may involve movement and postures that we don’t normally do in our daily routines.

The best way to prevent unwanted injuries is to plan and be prepared. By being prepared, we eliminate, or at least minimize, the need for rushing – especially when a DIY project exceeds its estimated timeframe. This will allow for adequate rests and, hopefully, a pace that will ensure you are working in manageable chunks. Being prepared will also help to prevent the careless injuries that occur when we start rushing and forget or are unable to accommodate common safety practices. Remember that we often overestimate our abilities and underestimate the amount of work required.

Another way to prevent injury is to know your limitations. Know your tolerance for a particular activity and know when to ask for help. Recognize when you are tired and listen to your body when it starts to ache. This doesn’t mean you have to abandon the project, (although I use that card frequently with my husband) it just means that your body needs a break or a change in activity or posture.

Unfortunately, do it yourself projects aren’t always conducive to role model postures. In fact, they are often quite the challenge to adapt a biomechanically sound position that will minimize the stresses placed on the body. Here are four postures that will help to minimize the forces and stresses placed on the body during home renovations or home improvements projects.

Lying on the ground on your side, back or stomach will allow you to perform tasks at floor level (wiring, leaky pipes, blocked sinks). This position will put you on the same level as your job but will prevent the urge to kneel and crouch over.

If a task is at thigh level, try kneeling on the floor. This will allow you to keep your back straight. Use kneepads or a cushion to protect your knees if the surface is hard. Get up regularly to restore circulation and to avoid cramping. Avoid bending too far forward as this could strain your back. If you are unable to kneel, try sitting on a low chair.

Tasks that are at chest or head level are best addressed in the standing position. Make sure you minimize the need for reaching by being as close to the task as possible. Widen your stance to improve your stability. Move your feet when turning side to side to avoid unnecessary twisting and bending.

Projects that are overhead or high up may be made easier with a ladder. This sounds elementary, but I am often guilty of this. It is so much quicker to stand on tiptoes and strain to reach. What a difference that ladder makes – to actually see what you are doing and to not strain your arm and calf muscles. An extension pole is another way of reaching up high without compromising safety.

Make sure you drink plenty of water to help keep your muscles hydrated. At the end of the day, reward yourself with a hot bath or shower to relax those hard worked muscles. Try some gentle stretches for the back, neck, arms and legs.

Enjoy your masterpiece, or if you are like my husband and me, your work in progress.

This is provided as general information only and is not intended to be relied upon as medical advice. Robina Palmer is a registered Physiotherapist and co-owner of Sun City Physiotherapy. She can be contacted at Sun City Physiotherapy’s downtown, St. Paul Street clinic by calling 250.861.8056, or via email at: rpalmer@suncityphysiotherapy.com