Blog

Headaches are an unfortunate part of life for many people. They know no race or gender, and no matter who you are or how healthy you are, you’re at risk of having them. There are some people who experience headaches quite frequently, and others who very rarely have one. If you’re getting headaches on a regular basis, it’s worth your time to find out why and what you can do about it. Did you know there are different types of headaches, and different causes and treatments for each? Let’s take a look, so you can start to determine what’s the best plan of care for you. Tension headaches This type is very common and it’s likely that you’ve experienced this at one point or another. Tension headaches are often described as a dull pain throughout the head, generally located at the forehead, behind the eyes, at the base of the neck, and even in the jaws and cheeks. They usually last from 30 minutes to several hours and shouldn’t affect daily life too much, although you may need to make some adjustments. Tension headaches are often attributed to a decrease in blood flow to the head due to increased muscular tension and restriction through the neck, head, face, and jaw; usually triggered by stress, anxiety, dehydration, lack of movement, poor sleep, abnormal posture, and eye strain. Some gentle to moderate pressure massage along with stretching and mobilizations will often ease the tension and give you relief. If you can’t get in for a massage with us right then, you can massage the muscles of your neck, shoulders, and face yourself, or have a friend or family member help. Light exercise and stretching can help improve blood flow to the head and neck, and over the counter pain medications and anti-inflammatories can provide relief for some. If you find that you’re experiencing tension headaches often, regular massage sessions can help to decrease the frequency. Migraines Many claim to experience frequent migraines, but these are often confused with severe tension headaches. The differentiating factor is the presence or lack of neurological symptoms. While tension headaches, especially when severe, can be debilitating and very painful, they come without the neurological symptoms associated with a migraine. A migraine not only causes severe pain in the head, neck, and face, but is often accompanied by an abnormal sensitivity to light, sound, and smell, along with nausea and vomiting. About a third of migraine sufferers experience an aura (visual and sensory disturbance) prior to an incident which can last anywhere from 5 to 60 minutes. Auras include seeing zig-zag lines, flickering lights, spots, or partial loss of vision. Migraines can last a few hours to a few days and can be quite debilitating. Triggers of a migraine can span from stress, dehydration, sleep disruption, hormone imbalances, and even certain foods. Some find relief with over the counter medications, while others may require prescription level drugs. For many, a dark, quiet room and a few hours of sleep is often the only way to find relief. If you’re having frequent migraines, a visit with your doctor may be necessary. While regular massages have been shown to decrease the frequency of migraines, a massage to the head and neck is not advised while you’re in the midst of one. Instead, if you want to get a massage while you have an active migraine, the massage will be focused on your legs, feet, arms, and hands to counter the abnormal blood flow causing the migraine. Cluster Headaches This type is defined as severe, recurrent headaches that are experienced as an intense burning or piercing pain on one side of the head and behind or around one eye. Other symptoms associated with cluster headaches are eyes watering, swollen eyelids, runny nose, and restlessness or agitation. There is generally no warning and it may feel like the headache attacks out of nowhere, peaks within 10-15 minutes, and then is gone within 2-3 hours. Unlike several other types of headaches, cluster headaches are the only one that is far more prevalent in men than in women. Most of the time these attacks occur quickly and in clusters, anywhere from 3-8 times a day over a period of several weeks. What causes cluster headaches is unclear, however they seem to be triggered by smoking, alcohol consumption, strong smells, and may be linked to a genetic predisposition or previous head trauma. Over the counter and prescription medications are often the go-to treatment, but regular massage may also help prevent the frequency of these attacks. Exertional Headaches These headaches are triggered by sudden, strenuous, physical exercise like running, jumping, weightlifting, and even sudden severe bouts of coughing or sneezing. These are generally over as quickly as they come on, however they can last for several hours or even a few days at times. Exertional headaches are felt as a throbbing pain through the head and tend to be present in those with a family history of migraines. These headaches are usually extinguished with rest, over the counter medications, and massage. However, taking plenty of time to warm up prior to exercise can help to prevent them. Sinus Headaches This type of headache is common and occurs due to inflammation of the sinus cavities of the head. The pain is often felt in the forehead, around and behind the eyes, and along the cheeks. Because of the location of the pain, many people may confuse tension and sinus headaches, but they are quite different. Sinus headaches specifically will often be accompanied by congestion or a runny nose, along with tenderness over the sinus cavities, just above and below the eyes. Over the counter anti-inflammatories are a common treatment, as are massage therapy and steam treatments. If a sinus headache persists, especially with congestion and significant tenderness, you may need to see your doctor to rule out an infection or other condition. Cervicogenic Headaches This term encompasses any headache caused by an abnormality within the neck. Oftentimes this is due to some ligament laxity or misalignment of the cervical (neck) vertebrae causing pressure on the nerves and blood vessels that travel to the head. These are often felt along one side of the head and follow a pretty distinct pattern from the base of the skull, wrapping over the top of the head, and ending just above or behind the eye. These seem to be more common in those who have a history of whiplash or other neck injuries and are often triggered by abnormal posture. Massage and retraction exercises can allow the proper movement of the vertebrae, reducing the pressure on those nerves and blood vessels, and alleviating the pain. Whether you deal with one of these types of headaches on a regular basis or find yourself needing relief in the midst of them, we’re here to bring you comfort and relief.

Did you know that shoulder injuries are one of the most common injuries seen in an orthopedic practice? The shoulders have a wide range of motions, able to easily flow in and out of all planes of movement. This high mobility comes with a drawback though; it makes them much more prone to injury. Whether it’s for your job, home upkeep, or a hobby, repetitive movements of the shoulder can greatly increase your chances of hurting it. So, here are 5 tips to avoid those shoulder injuries. #1 Check your posture While a healthy, balanced posture is important for the proper movement of your neck and back, it’s also important for your shoulder health. When you slouch forward, you’re not just pulling the shoulder joints forward as you round your back, but also rotating them inward. This can create imbalances throughout the upper back, chest, and shoulders, putting extra strain through several of the structures that, over time, can lead to abnormal patterns of movement, making you more prone to injury. #2 Always warm up This may seem like a no brainer to some, but so many ignore this important step. And it’s important to remember, warmups aren’t just for workouts. If you have a physically demanding job or you’re going to be jumping into some activity your body isn’t used to, don’t skip this step. Take a few minutes to do some shoulder movements, stretches, and targeted warm-up exercises, preparing your shoulders and arms. It improves circulation, eliminates joint stiffness, and prepares your muscles for the movements ahead. #3 Strengthen your shoulders There are many shoulder injuries caused by weaknesses in specific muscles, so strengthening them can help you avoid injury. Oftentimes, through work or habitual motions we tend to do just a few movements within a certain plane and neglect others. Consider what motions you perform on a regular basis, and try to add in the other planes of movement. For example, if you’re constantly reaching in front of you and keeping your arms in toward your sides, try adding in some controlled movements and exercises that take your arms back, out to the side, and rotating outward. This can help balance out the strength in your shoulder, preventing many common injuries. #4 Avoid sudden heavy loads Let’s face it, when stuff needs to get done, it needs to get done. You may be impatient when it comes to relying on others for help, but trying to go into beast mode to take care of some heavy lifting by yourself is just asking for an injury. You have nothing to prove to yourself or anybody else, so ask for help. If you have to do things on your own, use levers, pulleys, or wheels to help. Be sure to stabilize well first, keep your elbows in toward your sides (the most stable positioning for your shoulder), and go slow. #5 Eat healthy foods Healthy eating is one of the most important aspects in your overall health, and your muscles and joints most definitely benefit from some specific nutrients. Protein rich foods like meats and legumes help your muscles recover and stay strong. Turmeric, ginger, and garlic are well-known for their anti-inflammatory properties. And calcium rich foods like milk, spinach, greens, and sweet potatoes can keep your bones strong. All of these work together to keep your muscles and joints working well, decreasing your chances of injury. And even if an unavoidable injury does happen, keeping your body well-nourished may speed up and enhance your recovery efforts. So as you go about your daily routine, consider adding in some of these tips to keep your body healthy and injury free!

Have you ever had pain, stiffness, grinding, clicking, or locking of your jaw? These are most often clear signs of TMJ (temporomandibular joint) Dysfunction. This is a common condition, affecting over 10 million people! The severity of the condition varies greatly, with some people experiencing only mild symptoms on occasion, while others suffer a great deal daily. Whether you’ve dealt with this for a long time or you’re just noticing your symptoms getting worse, now’s the time to take care of it. That grinding, clicking, pain, and locking are all signs that the joint isn’t moving and functioning properly, meaning damage is likely being done, and without intervention that damage may very well be irreparable. What causes this kind of dysfunction? Most often, it’s due to clenching of the jaw and/or grinding of the teeth. Tightening the muscles around the jaw is a common reaction to stress. This can happen as our bodies try to recover from a busy day as we sleep, or throughout the day as we deal with even mild stressors. Conventional care that most people talk about is usually limited to night guards, devices worn through the night to prevent grinding of the teeth. However, the problem with these is that they often don’t address the overall problem. A night guard protects the teeth so they don’t wear down so much over time, and/or helps to realign the jaw to prevent an abnormal position of the joint as you sleep, but none of this addresses the clenching, the tightening of the muscles in that area that are at the root of the problem. One thing that may help...you guessed it, massage therapy. Studies have shown that TMJ facial massage can help with the symptoms and pain associated with TMJ Dysfunction. The focus of this type of massage is on releasing muscle tension and restrictions throughout the musculature of the jaw, face, neck, chest, and upper shoulders. That clenching of the jaw doesn’t just affect the TM joint, but rather all the muscles positioned throughout the head, neck, and shoulders that affect and are affected by that area. It’s important to work with them all to address the problem and prevent others. If you have any form of TMJ Dysfunction, you’ve probably felt the neck tension and headaches that can come along with it. You don’t have to live with the pain. We can help treat the condition at the source. Book your appointment and get relief now!

When seeking answers for low back, hip, and leg pain, you may have heard the term Sciatica. This condition occurs when the sciatic nerve (the largest nerve in the body) is irritated or inflamed, causing pain, tingling, and/or numbness felt along part or all of the nerve path; most often starting in the low back or the buttock and traveling down the outer leg, even all the way down to the foot in some cases. This irritation of the Sciatic nerve is actually quite common, and is often attributed to one of two causes, Piriformis Syndrome or a spinal abnormality in the low back; with a pretty even 50/50 split between the two. Piriformis syndrome is when your piriformis muscle, a small muscle located deep in the buttock that starts at the lower spine and connects to the upper surface of the thighbone, irritates your sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve runs directly under this muscle, and in some people, it actually runs right through the muscle itself. The upper portion of the nerve, as it comes out of the spinal cord, is also prone to irritation from the spine. This could be due to stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal) or a disc issue such as a herniated or bulging disc. Any of these spinal conditions could result in pressure on the Sciatic nerve creating pain and irritation felt in the hip and leg. When it comes to treating Sciatica, the key is for your healthcare provider to understand the cause of it first, because treatment plans will differ tremendously. While imaging tests may help, most often you’ll start with simple mobilizations, stretches, and exercises to see what exactly helps your pain or makes it worse. This can confirm which problem is the root cause of the issue. Then a treatment plan will be developed which may include things such as hot or cold therapies, massage therapy , low back and hip stretches, low back and hip exercises, spinal mobilizations, posture and movement re-education, pain medications, and even injections or other more invasive forms of treatment. While differentiating and diagnosing sciatica and piriformis syndrome may be difficult, paying close attention to what you feel and being honest with your healthcare providers can make all the difference in the world.

While the mechanisms of immunity are complex and no one thing is going to suddenly make it work perfectly, there are lifestyle habits that create the balance the body needs for the immune system to function at its best. Let’s take a look at 4 things you can start implementing every day to drastically improve your overall health, including your immune function. #1 Hydrate While drinking water isn’t going to fight off germs, it is going to improve your body’s ability to do so. Without proper hydration, your body’s cells can’t do what they need to do to keep the body working as it should. Dehydration can have negative consequences on a variety of systems including digestion 1 , which is closely tied to immune function. A general rule of thumb is that you should be drinking half your bodyweight in ounces each day. That means that if you’re a 180 pound person, you should be taking in about 90 ounces of water a day. Pure water is better than juices and sodas, and don’t forget that soups and fresh fruits and vegetables provide quite a bit of water as well. If your urine is a clear, pale yellow, you’re most likely properly hydrated. #2 Get Plenty of Sleep There’s a reason you sleep a lot when you’re sick; your body needs rest in order to fight off that sickness. Even if you’re not actively experiencing symptoms of an illness, that doesn’t mean your body’s not fighting all kinds of battles under the surface. You’re regularly exposed to a plethora of pathogens and your body has an incredible ability to fend off most of them without you ever knowing it. But in order to do, your body has to be well rested. If you’re getting less than 6 hours of sleep per night, you’re more prone to illnesses like the common cold 2 . #3 Eat More Whole Foods Whole foods like fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes all contain a wide variety of important vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants that ward off inflammation and help your immune system function at its best 3 . The fiber in these is also crucial for your gut microbiome, a major factor in your immune system, so eat up. #4 Lower Your Stress Numerous studies have shown that long-term stress created activity within the body that ravaged the immune system 4 . In fact, these studies indicate that duration of stress, not severity, is the key factor. That means making the effort to keep your stress levels as low as possible, so be sure you’re committing to regular self-care, taking breaks when needed, and allowing your body and mind to get away from it all. While we’re all going to get sick now and then, keeping your immune system working at its best is going to make that an uncommon occurrence and help you to fight off anything you do catch much faster and easier. So, if you don’t already, start implementing these positive lifestyle changes and take better care of your body today. Sources 1 Popkin BM, D'Anci KE, Rosenberg IH. Water, hydration, and health. Nutr Rev. 2010 Aug;68(8):439-58. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2010.00304.x. PMID: 20646222; PMCID: PMC2908954. 2 Prather AA, Janicki-Deverts D, Hall MH, Cohen S. Behaviorally Assessed Sleep and Susceptibility to the Common Cold. Sleep. 2015 Sep 1;38(9):1353-9. doi: 10.5665/sleep.4968. PMID: 26118561; PMCID: PMC4531403. 3 Serafini M, Peluso I. Functional Foods for Health: The Interrelated Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Role of Fruits, Vegetables, Herbs, Spices and Cocoa in Humans. Curr Pharm Des. 2016;22(44):6701-6715. doi: 10.2174/1381612823666161123094235. PMID: 27881064; PMCID: PMC5427773. 4 Suzanne C. Segerstrom, Gregory E. Miller Psychological Stress and the Human Immune System: A Meta-Analytic Study of 30 Years of Inquiry Psychological Bulletin 2004, Vol. 130, No. 4, 601–630 https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/bul-1304601.pdf