Conditions we regularly treat.
Most conditions that people come into the practice with are all linked to bad posture.
In therapy we focus on loosening those tight muscles and giving you a few homecare exercises and stretches to maintain the results for longer.
Headaches
o Mostly experienced by those who sit at the desk all day such as accountants and I.T. professionals.
o Tension Headaches
Occur around the head especially in the forehead or at the back of the neck.
Sometimes can feel as if someone has placed a tight band around your head.
o Migraines
Are usually felt on one side of the head and behind the eye.
It can be debilitating for the person and they may need to go into a dark quiet room until the pain subsides.
Tension headache.
Migraine.
Neck and Shoulder Stiffness
o From our jaw/ forward head postures.
In stressful situations we tend to clench our jaw. This overworks your Sternocleidomastoid muscle in the front along with your jaw muscles. This can lead to stiff neck and to tension headaches.
When sitting at our desks all day and looking down at our phones the rest of the time our head move forward and put extra weight on our neck muscle at the back trying to pull our head back into neutral.
Forward head posture.
o Frozen Shoulder
Is when you are unable to move your arm without pain. Your range of movement is limited to close to your body. This can be caused by under-use of the shoulder. In therapy we focus on the group of muscles called the rotator cuff muscles (their function is to stabilize your shoulder) and surround chest muscles to promote movement.
The above conditions usually stem from the upper cross syndrome
o This is where the pectoralis muscles become contracted and pull the shoulders forward. This stretches the rhomboids and the lower part of the trapezius (upper back pain) and they become weak and are not able to stabilize your shoulders back.
o At the same time your front neck muscles become weak and are not able to hold your head up right and so you get the forward tilt of the head. And the muscles of the posterior neck become tight trying to keep your head straight up.
Upper Cross Syndrome.
Lower Back Pain
o Is usually caused by tight gluteus and hamstring muscles. This tightness pulled on your lower back muscles the quadratus lumborum and cause the back pain. In therapy we will focus on loosening these muscle groups for relief. We will then check your posture and may need to work the hip flexors and quads in front of the body.
Lower back pain.
Lower cross Syndrome:
The gluteus maximus muscles and your abdominal muscles become weak from constant sitting. This causes other muscles to work harder to stabilize your hips and therefore cause lower back pain.
Your hip flexors in the front take strain and become tight from being worked the whole day from sitting.
Your erector spinae, quadratus lumborum, latissimus dorsi become tight to help take over the job of the gluteus muscles to stabilize the hips.
Lower Cross Syndrome.