Solutions: The hands and wrists can become overworked with holiday errands. To strengthen the muscles of the hands and wrists and to prevent forearm and elbow injuries use stress balls or tennis balls. Squeeze and release 10 times on each hand.
Another great way to keep your wrists healthy is to stretch your wrist flexors and extensors. These stretches are easy and can be done anywhere. Just extend one forearm with the palm pointed down and with the other hand gently press into the back of the hand to feel a stretch in the top of the forearm. Then reverse your position so your palm faces the ceiling and use your hand to gently pull your fingers back. Hold each stretch for 15-30 seconds, repeat 3 times on each arm.
Tennis elbow:
Also called lateral epicondylitis, is the inflammation of the tendon fibres that attach to the lateral epicondyle (outside bone) of the elbow. The tendons involved are responsible for attaching the muscles of the forearm that extend (lift) the wrist and hand to the elbow. This condition is often the result of overuse of the forearm muscles and are usually worsened by gripping and lifting objects.
At our clinic, we treat this condition in two ways:
Laser therapy can help to hasten the recovery of both tennis by improving circulation to the area (angiogenesis), improving lymphatic drainage and increasing the production of serotonin and endorphins to manage pain. In addition to relieving the pain and inflammation of tennis and golfer’s elbow, laser therapy also increases cellular activity, thus facilitating the repair and improving the strength of the repaired tendons.
2. Active Release Therapy (ART): ART is a hands on soft tissue treatment which treats the underlying causes of Cumulative Trauma Disorders. The goal of ART is to:
Restore optimal texture and motion.
Restore the function of the soft tissue.
Release any entrapped nerves or blood vessels.
This is accomplished through the removal of adhesions in the soft tissues through the application of specific ART motions.
For more information, please visit us at www.grandechiro.com or call 604-990-6676.
(Please note: Individual patients results varies)
Raking is a pain in more ways than one!
10 Health Tips for Autumn Leaves Clean-Up:
You can ease the strain and pain of raking — fall’s most taxing task by taking the following precautions to minimize your risk of sustaining an injury:
Avoid twisting your body while raking. Use your legs to shift your weight rather than twisting your back. Throwing leaves over the shoulder or to the side while raking involves twisting movements that can overly strain the muscles in the back.
Use a properly-sized rake for your height and strength.
Wear gloves to help prevent blisters on the hands.
Bend at the knees, rather than the waist, to pick up items.
Do some form of light exercise for ten minutes to warm up the muscles prior to raking.
Try to vary your movements as much as you can to avoid overuse of muscle groups.
Wear shoes with skid-resistant soles to minimize the risk of falling. Sturdy shoes can also reduce the risk of injuries to your feet.
Don’t overdo. Raking is an aerobic activity - you may need to take frequent breaks or slow your pace if you are an infrequent exerciser. (It’s better to live with the leaves tomorrow than with a sore back!)
As with any form of exercise, be sure to drink plenty of fluids to combat dehydration.
When you’re done, gentle muscle stretching can help relieve tension in the muscles. A hot bath can relax muscles.
Unless this is your first time on my blog you will know that I have been writing about tech-driven maladies in our society. Now there is actually a name to what I have been saying for a long time is one of our main causes to our necks-texting. Look around and you will see (especially younger people) with their heads in a forward head posture texting all over the place. They have their heads down and forward and both thumbs are going at rocket speed.
