What Causes Pain

The body is a three dimensional web of organs held together by the fascia. Injury, illness, arthritis, poor alignment, the reasons to seek relief are numerous. While myofascial release techniques are best implemented by a practitioner, some home exercises can also be effective. Here are a few myofascial release techniques that be done alone using a specific sport medicine foam roll and the weight of your body.

General GuidelinesAllow one to two minutes per position. When you reach a trigger point, focus on steady breathing and hold on it for thirty to forty seconds until the pain has decreased by roughly seventy-five percent. Try to keep abdominal and core muscles ridged to support the lower lumbar, pelvis and hips. Practice the exercises one to two times daily until results are achieved.

Plantar Fascia-The band of connective tissue that connects the toes to the Achilles tendon is the plantar fascia. Using a ball and your body weight, place your shoeless foot on top of the ball and roll the back and forth along the length of the plantar fascia. Balance yourself with a hand against a wall if necessary.

Gastrocnemius/SoleusOn the back of the calf, this is the tissue that runs from the sides of the knee and runs into the Achilles tendon. Using a roll, sit on the ground with legs straight, calves on top of the roller, and arms planted behind to elevate the buttocks off the ground. Roll back and forth, keeping knees locked and focus pressure on the lateral heads of the gastrocnemius muscle. To increase pressure, cross one leg over the other or pull the toes in toward the shins.

Triceps-These extend from the upper arm bone (superior humerus) and scapulae to the ulna and lower arm bone. Lying on your side, extend your arm above your head and place the roller against the back of your upper arm. Roll over the entire surface of the upper arm. For longer range motion, slide your torso along the ground.

Iliotibial Band Release-Lie on your side with the foam roll under your lower hip. Bottom leg should be raised off the floor, head in a neutral position and ears aligned with shoulders. Roll from just below the hip joint to the knee, along the outside thigh. This one can be painful and calls for moderation.

Wrist Flexors-The wrist flexor muscles enter the palm of the hand and underside of the fingers locations on the ulna, radius and humerus. Sitting on a bench with the tennis ball in one hand, press it against the opposite forearm and roll it back and forth in small sections. For additional pressure, extend the hand to stretch the wrist flexors.

Infraspinatus and Teres Minor-This runs from the scapula to the humerus. Lying on floor with upper arm flat and lower arm at ninety degrees to it, pin the ball between your shoulder blade and the floor. Move your lower arm back and forth while keeping the elbow in place. This will internally and externally rotate the shoulder.

When choosing a roller, keep in mind that an excess of pressure can lead to fatigue of the nearby supporting musculature. Before beginning these techniques, be sure to consult a physician about pre-existing medical conditions such as pregnancy, illness or recent injury or surgery. If sharp pain or severe bruising occur, discontinue exercises.

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Everyone experiences muscle pain from time to time during their lifetime, but myofascial pain (MP) is chronic muscular pain that worsens with time. There are trigger points in every muscle, and this pain centers around them. When these points are touched, the patient feels pain and that pain can spread throughout the entire muscle.

It is not uncommon for MP to be in the lower back, neck, jaw, head, pelvis, legs or arms. There will be a deep aching in the muscle, pain that worsens, stiffness in the muscle or surrounding joints, knots in the muscle and the inability to sleep at night.

There are several different types of treatment that doctors use for MP. The three main treatments are trigger point injections, physical therapy and medications. There is no evidence that proves that one treatment is more effective than the other.

Doctors can do trigger point injections by inserting a needle into the trigger point in the muscle. Sometimes it is necessary to insert the needle several times in and around the trigger point before the patient experiences relief. In some cases the doctor will inject a numbing medication or a corticosteroid into the painful trigger point.

Physical therapists are able to work with a patient and devise a plan that will help relieve the muscular pain. Stretching is one of the methods they use. The therapist will teach you stretching exercises that can help relax the muscle and ease the pain. If you experience pain while doing the exercises, the therapist may spray a local numbing medication over the area.

Another treatment physical therapists like to use is massage. By massaging alongside of the painful muscles and pressing firmly on the trigger points, they are able to relax the muscle and relieve the tension inside of it.

Finding out the cause of the muscle pain is an important part of the physical therapist’s treatment. By knowing the cause, the patient can work to correct it and, thus, avoid having the problem again. Sometimes it is something as simple as incorrect posture that is causing pain in a back muscle. The patient would then need to work at correcting his posture.

Many times medications are used in the treatment of MP. There are two main medications that doctors prefer. For some people NSAIDS or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs work well. These can be purchased over the counter in forms such as naproxen or ibuprofeno or in more concentrated form with a doctor’s prescription.

There are simple treatments that you can do for yourself at home that will help relieve the pain caused by MP. Whenever your pain lessons a bit, do gentle exercises. The doctor or physical therapist can tell you which exercises will benefit you the most.

Pain will increase when the patient is under stress or is tense for some reason. Relaxing techniques and anything that helps take their mind off of the pain will bring a certain degree of relief. Some things that may help are talking on the phone to a friend, writing what they are feeling in a journal and taking the time to relax each muscle.

Any persisting muscular pain may be myofascial pain, and a doctor should be seen. Besides what the doctor recommends, do the proper exercises and relaxing techniques. There is relief from this type of pain, and it is not life threatening.

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The Achilles Tendon: Injuries & Treatment

The largest tendon is the Achilles tendon. It connects the calcaneous (heel bone) to the muscles in the back of the calf. This tendon must be able to tolerate a lot of force during exercises, sports and pivoting activities.

There are two types of injury to which the Achilles tendon is particularly susceptible:

#1 Achilles tendonitis is inflammation caused by overuse.

#2 The Achilles tendon can be torn during strenuous activity.

Achilles Tendonitis Information

When you suddenly increase the intensity of your training or change to a new kind of training without completely conditioning your body to it, you may be subject to Achilles tendonitis. You may be particularly prone to it if you add sudden vigorous activity like uphill running to your training schedule. Additionally, if you take a long break from training and then start right back up at your peak level, you may cause Achilles tendonitis.

This may manifest as mild pain following exercise that gradually becomes worse. You may experience mild stiffness, swelling, and tenderness upon arising. These symptoms may improve as you move around during the day. You may feel very severe pain in the tendon several hours after you have completed your exercise routines.

In the case of a torn Achilles tendon surgical repair may be indicated. Toughened, fibrous tissue and tears can be removed with surgery. Following surgery, rehabilitation will speed recovery and help avert future ankle weakness.

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More Information About A Torn Achilles Tendon

During strenuous activity, it is quite possible to tear the Achilles tendon. This is especially likely to happen while participating in sports. When the Achilles tendon tears, you may actually hear an audible snapping or cracking sound. You may have a partial or complete tear. This injury usually occurs just above the heel bone.

If this happens, you may find that you are not able to bend your foot into a downward position or even to walk normally. This type of injury is very painful and causes a lot of swelling around the heel.

A complete rupture is usually treated with surgery. After surgery, your doctor will have you wear a walking boot or a cast to stabilize your ankle. You will need to do this for about three months.

Torn ligaments can be treated non-surgically by using a below-knee cast; however, this is not as effective as surgical treatment. It takes longer, and the healing is not as complete. You are more likely to have problems in the future when you allow the tendon to heal naturally.

With surgery, there is a much better chance of recovering fully. This is why athletes prefer to have the surgery. It allows them to return to their former level of activity with confidence after an Achilles tendon injury.

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