Blog Week 5 - 2 for 1! Acupuncture (WTH?)//Neck Mobility

This week I have been pondering many things, so you’re lucky enough to get TWO ramblings from yours truly. I hope you like it. Feedback is always welcome - good or bad - because this blog is for YOU!

Acupuncture- what the heck?

I use a lot of acupuncture in my practice, not with everyone, but those who try it certainly appreciate the benefits it offers in addition to osteopathy and mobility work.

Medical acupuncture involves choosing points based on anatomy- muscles, nerves, veins, etc. This is the type of acupuncture I use in my practice- I consider what anatomy I would like to influence to help you research your goal. (This is different from Chinese acupuncture which focuses on energy pathways).

What acupuncture can help with- I’ve seen it time and time again (and according to research not just my humble opinion)

1. Reduces pain (Vickers et al., 2017)

2. Back pain, (Lee et al., 2013)

3. Plantar Fasciitis (Dunning et al., 2018)

4. Osteoarthritis (better than manual therapy and exercise alone) (Dunning et al., 2017)

5. Depression, anxiety (Vickers et al., 2017; Zhang et al., 2006)

… And a lot more!

How?? Stay tuned next week and I will explain the physiology of acupuncture.

Neck mobility- lets get it!

Have you ever just sat for a few minutes and thought about how your body was feeling? Not, ouch my back is killing me! I mean sitting or laying and tuning in to the more quiet aches and pains, or subtle restrictions.

We don't notice on a daily basis how we lose capacity. Regardless if it is range of motion, pain or cognitive health, it is a slow burn so to speak. Do a quick check: Turn your head all the way left and all the way right. Do they rotate equally? Can you go farther to one side? Do you have pain? Clicking? Tingling? When you do this motion you should not feel anything, so all of those are signs you need to come into the Rehab Lab :)

You should actually be able to rotate your head all the way so it lines up with your shoulder! I can count on 2 hands the number of people I see on a day to day basic that actually have preserved this range.

Our neck houses many nerves, arteries and veins that supply our neck, shoulders, arms and hands. It doesn't stop there, our neck is connected to our breathing (through the prenic nerve), our digestion (through the vagus nerve) and even our eyesight!!! If you think a pesky tight neck isn't important, take my word for it, it is! 

Modern society is against us. But, as you may know, I am competitive and believe in winning back your body. Your whole body. The amazing thing is, it is a guaranteed fight we will win! Osteopathy is about restoring motion and health to your tissues and this is done through consistent work by your osteopath and consistent work by you- it is a team approach.

This week features an ELDOA decompression. When doing these remember they are forced contractions, this means they should be hard. Start with 20 or 30 seconds and work up to holding the posture for 60 to 90 seconds. Do this posture consistently and you will notice increased range and decreased pain. You are literally reclaiming your joint health.