Movement is Medicine:  the Healing Power of Movement

If you're not getting enough motion in your daily routine, your muscles and joints may become stiff, causing unnecessary pain or discomfort.

Besides being a great way to reduce stress, activity has been shown recently to be healthy for your joints.  In the Journal of Physiology (March 2008), a study determined that joint movement has been shown to increase the release of synovial fluid.

This fluid keeps the joint surfaces sliding with minimal friction, providing lubrication for the joints.  Kind of like how motor oil provides lubrication for your car's engine.

This study also showed an increase in one of the major components of this fluid, that occurred with movement.  Specifically, hyaluronic acid had a much greater turnover rate - 8-15 hours (with movement) vs. 17-30 hours in a static joint (lack of movement).

It was concluded that motion may increase the viscosity of synovial fluid to protect the joints during intensive use.  If you are someone doing intense exercise, doing simple movements in between your exercise sessions may keep your joints working properly.

On the other hand, if you are someone very sedentary, the lack of adequate motion may be harmful to your joints.  Muscles and joints that are seldom moved will become stiff over time - move it or lose it!

In the last 6 years, I have done a lot of mobility and dynamic flexibility training, and it has helped me reduce stress, move more efficiently, and allow me to exercise intensely.

Basically.......feel younger than my actual age of forty something.  

Actually, I feel pretty much the same as I did in my late twenties, only my movement is much more efficient.  Its helped me keep active after several injuries to my shoulders and strained muscles from playing lots of softball and lifting weights.

Doing simple movements that take your joints through their various patterns of motion is one way to work on joint health.  Training with Indian clubs is another.  Just adding some walking into your daily routine, will also help.

So if you want to feel better and more youthful,

Get moving!

Brian

A Pain Management Program for Fibromyalgia:

I just put together a new report on the components of a program to help manage fibromyalgia pain. It involves vibration training on a whole body vibration (WBV) platform, gentle movements such as joint mobility work, and using deep breathing and other exercises to help reduce stress.

I also include some natural methods of reducing inflammation in the body - which may be affected by eating certain types of food. In my opinion, the different components will have a synergistic effect, where the combination of some of these is more powerful than only doing one or the other.

I haven't put all this to a test yet, with actual clients, but I think you will find this information interesting none the less. Preliminary studies have shown decent results by using vibration training.

Click here for the fibromyalgia pain management report.

Vitamin D for Pain Management:

A recent newspaper article talked about the health benefits of Vitamin D. You probably know about it's importance in trying to prevent osteoporosis, but did you know that it can help manage pain?

It plays an important role in preventing cancer, heart disease, MS and arthritis. A study from the Mayo clinic looked at vitamin D levels in those with chronic pain. Those with low levels of this vitamin needed almost twice as much pain medication.

Another study from Mayo looked at those with chronic pain syndromes like fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. In that study, 93% were found to be deficient in vitamin D.

Vitamin D is also good for your heart, possibly lowering your risk of heart disease. One of the best ways to increase your vitamin D levels is through exposure to the Sun. Maybe spending a little time in the Sun isn't as bad as you think.

Putting on sunscreen can keep you from making vitamin D. Most of the vitamin D in foods is added as a supplement, so it can be difficult to get your requirements from food alone.

For those with chronic pain conditions, getting a little sunshine might not be such a bad idea.

The Best Exercise for Managing Chronic Pain:


Generally, there is no "best" activity. But remember, some activity is better than none! Choose activities that you enjoy (or at least find tolerable) and locations that are convenient to your work or home. This will make it easier for you to begin participating in them and, more importantly, stick with them over time.

When choosing activities, be mindful of your physical limitations and make adjustments to suit your needs. There are many ways to do this, including reducing the intensity of a movement. For example, if an aerobics DVD requires you to jog in place, try marching in place instead. Or if a treadmill (weight-bearing) is too strenuous on your joints, try a stationary bike or pool instead (non weight-bearing). Minor adjustments like these can make activities more comfortable so you'll be more likely to do them and get more out of them.

If you are considering adding structured exercise to your life, start with aerobic activities (walking, swimming/water aerobics, running, bicycling, etc.) These activities increase your heart rate and breathing rate, as well as your body temperature so you sweat. These are normal responses to exercise. Typically, aerobic activities lead to the greatest benefits for fibromyalgia symptoms. Think about adding flexibility training and strength training later after your body has adapted to the overall increase in activity.

10 things to remember:

• 1. Incorporate lifestyle activity into your daily schedule slowly. If you try to accomplish too much too soon, you are vulnerable to injury, symptom flares or falling short of your goals.
• 2. Beginning an exercise program is not always easy. It takes time to establish a routine and feel comfortable with it.
• 3. Initially you may feel more fatigued and sore following an increase in physical activity, but don't give up! This is normal. Activity-related soreness will diminish over time.
• 4. Your body will adapt, improve and grow if you stimulate it with physical activity.
• 5. If you are doing aerobic activities, you may feel slightly winded or short of breath during your workout. This is normal; hyperventilation or panting is not.
• 6. Every exercise program is highly individualized. What is best for one person may not suit another — chronic pain patients are no exception!
• 7. Refrain from strenuous activity during a symptom flare, but continue to be active. If you experience a symptom flare, reduce your exercise time by half and increase to your pre-flare level over the course of a week.
• 8. Your initial goals should be small and achievable, e.g., being active for five minutes daily, attending a water aerobics class twice a week, scheduling activities on your calendar and doing them when the time comes.
• 9. Your long-range goals can be more lofty (but still achievable), e.g., being active consistently for 30 minutes/3-4 days per week, etc.
• 10. GET MOVING AND DON'T STOP!
• --The University of Michigan

This information comes from my colleagues over at LosetheBackPain.com.

You can find great info there on all types of pain, including Fibromyalgia, sciatica, and neck pain.

Chiropractic and Massage Therapy for Pain Relief:

Chiropractic and skilled massage therapy is a great combination for pain relief. Recently, I've read a few chiropractic magazines which featured articles dealing with soft tissue injuries. These soft tissues would include your muscles and connective tissues. I believe in chiropractic, but I believe that you also need to treat these soft tissues, in most cases.

As a massage therapist and personal trainer, I have spent almost 4 years working in two chiropractic clinics. Skilled massage therapy can be a great adjunct to the chiropractic adjustment. It makes sense that by removing excess tension from the muscles, the adjustment will be easier and likely have longer lasting effects.

There are various forms of massage therapy. Most people may only think of massage as relaxing, something you go to a spa for, or as a way of pampering yourself. Yes, it can definitely be used this way to help relieve stress and increase your circulation. But there are also specific techniques that deal with pain and injuries.

One of these is myofascial release. Myofascial release is a form of therapeutic stretching developed by a physical therapist named John Barnes in the '60's. I have used it many times while working in chiropractic settings with good results. Sometimes MFR and the chiropractic adjustment were all that was done. Other times, it was combined with deep tissue massage for more permanent results.

The two doctors of chiropractic I worked for were both highly skilled - one conducts seminars nationally and the other works with a professional sports team. When I worked with their patients, those patients saw even further benefits than they would have received from just the adjustments. Many times the bones can be misaligned because of the surrounding muscles and connective tissues.

Sometimes these tissues are too tight and pull too much on the bones, and other times they may not be pulling enough - they are too weak. Often these muscles need some strengthening exercises to help support the joints. Many chiropractors use soft tissue therapy to make changes in these tissues, whether its some form of massage or therapeutic stretching.

They may do this themselves or have a massage therapist do this. General relaxation massage is not what is most effective in these cases, but more specific techniques are needed. I have seen many times where someone I was working with or a colleague, got better results than physical therapy did. You should know that obviously I believe in exercise, particularly to help support the joints.

In these cases, often a greater amount of soft tissue therapy was done to get these results. In an article I recently found, a chiropractor talked about having some upper back pain that got relief from the adjustments, but came back here and there. He received a myofascial release treatment to the muscles of his chest, which were too tight, pulling him out of alignment.

The pain left and had not returned. Two things to take from this - one, that skilled soft tissue therapy is often needed along with the chiropractic adjustment, and two, our bodies need to be balanced front to back, side to side, etc. Myofascial release seeks to treat the connective tissue that surrounds the muscles, called fascia.

This fascia can become tight from trauma, inflammation, and chronic poor posture. There's that P -word again. Chiropractic and skilled massage therapy can do a lot to improve your posture, but ultimately you have to retrain yourself to stand and move while properly aligned with gravity. You will also need some proper core training to stabilize your spine.

For more information on myofascial release, click here.

New Device for Back Pain:

I recently came across something new to help with low back pain. This device helps to stretch your spine, removing unnecessary stress.

As you probably know from my articles, I'm big on the importance of good posture, especially when it comes to preventing low back pain.

Poor posture, particularly from prolonged sitting, can wreak havoc on your spine. Your back becomes stiff and your spinal curves get thrown out of whack.

Proper stretching and strengthening of the back and hips and pelvis are necessary for long-term success.

But painful flare-ups can make exercise nearly impossible!

A new device called the True Back helps stretch the spine and takes pressure off the discs. Many back pain sufferers swear by this device.

Knowing a little about posture and back pain, I believe that this device can help many people with back pain. Enough to order one for my father.

A non-exerciser, my dad has spent most of his adult life sitting at a desk, and the result is stiffness and loss of mobility.

Move it or lose it!

Maybe this device can help make his spine more flexible. Until I see what it will do in person, I am not formally recommending this product, but if this sounds interesting, stay tuned as I will provide my opinion.

You still need to work on your mobility and strength for a healthy back.

For a simple home version to help remove pressure from your spine, click here.

Water Therapy and Rehab:

I recently came across a form of water therapy called the Burdenko method. The article talks about how this method and its creator, Russian immigrant Igor Burdenko used a form of water therapy to rehab figure skater Nancy Kerrigan prior to her winning the Silver medal in the '94 Olympics.

You may remember that Kerrigan was assaulted five weeks prior to the Olympics. She credits Burdenko and the water therapy for allowing her to recover quickly. Burdenko uses a combination of water and land therapy for great results.

The Burdenko method has been used with professional athletes, as well as those with severe injuries. When I worked in physical therapy, they had a heated therapy pool that was used with good results, for a variety of injuries.

Many times you think of water exercise for the elderly, but the therapy pool was used by people of all ages, including junior high and high school athletes. It seemed to help speed up the healing process. More than once, I was supervising the exercises of high school football players who were preparing to play each other on Friday night.

In a 12 x 15 foot pool, everyone is pretty close to each other. So while the guys would often exercise in silence, it did seem to help get them healthy, quicker than just traditional land exercise.

In any case, the Burdenko method sounds interesting and I ordered the book to study it further. I may even travel up to Michigan to observe it and get some hands-on info.

I will keep you posted, but water therapy may be something to consider to help increase your mobility and reduce pain, if that is what you need. Maybe water therapy combined with whole body vibration would get better results than either one on their own.

I am starting up my studio soon and will be using whole body vibration along with joint mobility and strength training. Stay tuned.

Don't Chase the Pain:

I attended a seminar with a top physical therapist this weekend, and one of the things he talked about was pain and movement dysfunction. His point was that where it hurts isn't necessarily where the problem is.

For example, low back pain can be coming from other places that refer pain to the low back, such as the muscles of the hips. Rotator cuff problems may be caused by lack of stability for the shoulderblade, and/or lack of mobility for the thoracic spine - the area between the neck and low back.

Something like plantarfasciitis, an inflammation of the arch of the foot, might have to do with triggerpoints in the calf muscles. Triggerpoints are areas of tension in the muscles that can refer pain to other areas. Triggerpoints can serve as a warning sign of muscles that are out of balance or overused.

This seminar looked at movement patterns as a way to predict future injury in an athlete or exercise client. Another point was that lack of pain doesn't mean that everything is alright. If a joint lacks pain but doesn't move properly, it could lead to an injury down the road, as other joints compensate by moving farther than intended.

That the person is injured but doesn't know it yet - an injury waiting to happen. Overall, it was a great weekend with many top trainers, therapists, and coaches.

It all gets down to prevention, trying to prevent something from happening in the first place instead of trying to fix it after it broke down. Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it!

If you are someone dealing with a current or past injury, make sure your doctor or therapist isn't just chasing the pain, instead of searching for the cause.