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Why Past Injuries Affect Present Treatment (and Future Wellness
It’s common to experience injuries during our lives. It is a natural part of learning about our limits while we inhabit our physical bodies. It may take a fall on the sidewalk to learn that I shouldn’t try to run full speed on it if it’s covered in ice. Perhaps I should wait for the baking sheet to cool down before I grab it with my bare hands. As unfortunate and painful as these lessons may be, they are necessary parts of our growth. We remember these instances so that we can be better prepared…
Let’s Talk Headaches & Trigger Points
Headaches can arise for a variety of reasons – dehydration, stress, hunger, lack of sleep, and many others. Headaches are one of the ways that our body registers to our mind that something needs attention and focused care. Sometimes when we get a headache, we try to determine the reason. And one of those reasons that we might not have been taught, it seems, is the trigger point.
Trigger points are hyperirritable nodules in our muscles or fascia (connective tissue throughout our bodies) that for…
Stress is not good for our health OR our immunity
Did you know that experts estimate that upwards of ninety percent of all disease is stress-related? Perhaps nothing depletes us or ages us more quickly, than chronically high stress levels. And it's terrible for our immune system.
In modern day lifestyle, most of us experience elevated levels of stress on a daily basis. Stress activates our body’s sympathetic nervous system’s response of “fight, flight or freeze.” This response is our body’s primitive, autonomic, innate response that prep…
Muscle of the Month: Sternocleidomastoid
By: EriK Cannard, LMT
Sternocleidomastoid is unquestionably my favorite muscle. Not only does it have a fantastic name, its unique position in the body means it has significant effects on our daily lives. Originating at the top of the breastbone and collarbone near the midline, it attaches just behind the ear making it a major muscle in the front of the neck and one of the strongest rotators of the head. People often see their own sternocleidomastoid in the mirror but don't eve…
Check in with Your Body
By: Nicolette Wood
It is well known that regular massage therapy is good for increasing relaxation, decreasing muscle tension and generally improving ones well-being. In addition to the physical benefits, massage therapy can also contribute to body awareness. Sometimes the daily grind of life prevents us from noticing our bodies’ indications that a treatment may be in order. Busy schedules and life responsibilities can allow you to ignore that trigge…
Reset, Revive and Resource Yourself in Just 1-minute
By: Tamra Holder, LMT
If you sit at a computer regularly for long periods, you’ve probably felt it, that pain in your upper back, shoulders and neck from the posture you’ve sunk into while your eyes are locked into the narrow focus obliged by a computer screen. Well, you are not alone, this happens to most everyone, but you do not have to submit to this painful state of being. Freedom from suffering in relationship to your computer can be yours…
Repetitive Use Injuries
By: Erin Rose Turner, LMT
Here are some thoughts I've compiled from a few years of listening, observing and working with the healing of "Repetitive Use Injuries" and their related actions because, any time we bring a new and consistent posture/movement into our daily lives, it's a good idea to consider a few important points:
1. Diversity of use keeps the whole joint active and lubricated. Change up the way you hold and move things.
2. When putting pressure in toward a joi…
Quadratus Lumborum
By: Erik Cannard, LMT
Here in the Pacific Northwest, the early days of spring and their occasional sun-breaks are the perfect time to head outside and get as much gardening done as possible. I tend to see a lot of people developing low back and hip pain from overwork during this time. The longer lasting of these aches and pains can often be traced to one muscle in particular, Quadratus Lumborum (QL). QL is a roughly rectangular muscle that attaches to the tiny 12th rib, the side…