Thursday, August 30, 2012

Think about Posture and get Healthier

http://www.triplicate.com/Opinion/Columns/House-Calls-Think-about-posture-and-get-healthier

House Calls: Think about posture and get healthier

Written by Kristine Vargas

House Calls runs every other Saturday. Today’s column is written by Kristine Vargas, a physical therapy student at Sutter Coast Hospital.

Summer is here, and school is out. This may be the perfect time to address some of those aches and pains you have.

Most of us don’t realize how our posture could be causing us pain whether we’re fishing, running, swimming, window shopping, working at our desk or just sitting in front of the television.

Your spine has three natural curves, a cervical curve (your neck), a thoracic curve (your mid-back), and a lumbar curve (your low-back). Proper posture helps maintain these curves. Poor posture can cause extra stress on joints, leading to fatigue and pain in your neck, shoulders, back, and hips. This can also contribute to headaches, numbness and tingling in arms, wrists, and hands in people of all ages.

Standing

Look in the mirror. Make sure your head isn’t tilted and isn’t too forward or backward, ears line up with your shoulders.

Relax your shoulders, keeping them down and back. Your knees should not be locked; feet shoulder-width apart and weight evenly spread through your feet. Pull in your belly button and buttocks in order to engage important muscles that support your spine.

Sitting

Have a friend or co-worker take a picture of you at your desk. Your feet should lay flat on the floor, with your knees level with your hips.

Again, your head should be straight and your belly button should be engaged. Arm rests should be moved up or down to allow shoulder’s to stay relaxed as opposed to shrugging. Your back should be firmly against a back rest, but still be able to look at a computer screen without tilting your head.

You may benefit from an ergonomic assessment of your work station. This can usually be set up through your human resources department or a physical therapist.

Keep moving

Sometimes we can’t avoid sitting or standing for long periods of time. Take frequent breaks, a minute every half an hour, to stretch out your arms and legs. If you’re sitting a lot, try to take a brief walk every hour.

Good posture takes practice! It may feel unnatural at first if your body is used to poor posture, but leave little reminders for yourself to use proper posture at the computer, the sink, or in the car.

If you continue to have issues with pain, numbness and tingling it may be worth your while to see a physical therapist.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

For more information, go online to mayoclinic.com/health/back-pain/LB00002_D

Email suggestions for future House Calls columns to Beth Liles at Sutter Coast Hospital,

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Scapular Dyskinesis & SICK Scapula

All,

The Spinal Q Rehab Jacket is Prescribed A LOT for Scapular Malfunction, often referred to as: SCAPULAR DYSKINESIS, and sometimes Also called a SICK SCAPULA.

Many common pathologies that have Scapular Dyskinesis or a SICK scapula include: Rotator Cuff Repairs, SLAP Tears, Impingement, and various other shoulder ailments.

Below is a Short summary of various forms of Scapular Malfunction.

Scapular Dyskinesis

View of the right shoulder from a postero-lateral angle

Abnormal movement of the shoulder blade (scapula) is known as scapular dyskinesis. This occurs in a variety of shoulder problems. It is an important sign of an underlying shoulder disorder and a guide to shoulder rehabilitation.

In the clinical situation 3 types of scapula dyskinesis can be identified, although there is some overlap between the 3 types.

Type 1 - Infero-medial scapula border prominence

This becomes more evident in the cocking position of overhead sports. It is often associated with tightness at the anterior side of the shoulder (in flexibility of the pectoralis major/ minor muscles) and weakness of the lower trapezius and serratus anterior muscles. posterior tipping of the scapula is responsible for functional narrowing of the subacromial space during the overhead motion, leading to pain in the abduction/externally rotated position. This is often noticed in the early stages of shoulder disorders.

Type 2 - medial border prominence

This pattern is winging of the entire medial border of the scapula at rest. It becomes more prominent in the cocking position and after repetitive elevation of the upper extremity. It is caused by fatigue of the scapula stabilizing muscles (trapezius and rhomboids).

Type 3 - supero-medial border prominence

This type of dyskinesis is displayed as a prominence of the superior medialborder of the scapula and often associated with impingement and rotator cuff injury.

The "SICK scapula"

The term SICK scapula was introduced to describe the pathological state of the scapula characterised by:

Scapula malposition
Inferior medial border prominence
Coracoid pain and malposition
Kinesis abnormalities of the scapula

This syndrome is characterised by a drooping of the shoulder and is often seen in overhead athletes. It is thought to contribute to the development of shoulder injuries. In most overhead athletes, abnormal positioning of the scapula can be detected. Although it seems that the affected shoulder has a lower position compared with the healthy side, actually there is scapula malposition consisting of forward tilting and protraction. According to Kibler, this clinical picture is associated with anterior coracoid pain, posterosuperior localised pain and pain at the superolateral side of the shoulder (subacromial space and acromioclavicular joint). The anterior localised pain can be confused with other causes of anteriorshoulder pain, such as instability or a SLAP lesion. The pain at the posterior side is caused by insertional pain over the scapula and is due to chronic over tension by the abducted and protracted scapula.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

FW: The Ultimate Guide to Good Posture: Office Edition

http://healthland.time.com/2012/08/17/the-ultimate-guide-to-good-posture-office-edition/

The Ultimate Guide to Good Posture: Office Edition

Greatist is the fastest-growing fitness, health and happiness start-up. Check out more tips, expert opinion and fun times at Greatist.com.

Read other related stories about this:

Friday, August 10, 2012

FW: Beauty Pageants in the 50's were graded on POSTURE

http://keranews.org/post/you-think-beauty-skin-deep-youre-not-chiropractor

You Think Beauty Is Skin Deep? You're Not A Chiropractor

Credit Wallace Kirkland / Time

Contestants Marianne Baba (left), Lois Conway and Ruth Swenson stand next to plates of their X-Rays during a chiropractor-judged beauty contest.

When the nation's chiropractors descended on Chicago for a weeklong convention in May 1956, they threw a beauty contest.

The judges crowned Lois Conway, 18, Miss Correct Posture. Second place went to Marianne Caba, 16, according to an account in the Chicago Tribune. Ruth Swenson, 26, came in third.

But this was no ordinary pageant.

"All three were picked not only by their apparent beauty, and their X-rays, but also by their standing posture," the Tribune reported. "Each girl stood on a pair of scales — one foot to each — and the winning trio each registered exactly half her weight on each scale, confirming the correct standing posture."

At the time, contests like this were pretty common. They were held to burnish the reputation of the profession. "Basically, chiropractic had a PR problem. We were unlicensed in those days," Dr. P. Reginald Hug, a past president of the Association for the History of Chiropractic, tells Shots. "We were the new kids on the block and medicine didn't like us."

By crowning posture queens, the chiropractors could build goodwill without making waves with traditional doctors. "It was a way to get PR that was kind of middle of the road," he says. The message, he says, was that good posture leads to good health. And chiropractors were the people to get you on the right path.

Hug, a retired chiropractor in Birmingham, Ala., has written about the contests in Alabama and elsewhere.

Hug says the contests date to the 1920s, but they became the rage during the '50s and '60s. Contestants were typically judged on beauty and poise, posture, and X-rays to evaluate their spinal structure. "In those days, nobody was concerned about radiation," Hug says.

Physical fitness tests were added to many contests after 1963, when President Kennedy's Council on Physical Fitness drummed up interest in regular exercise.

There were some contests for men, too. But they weren't as popular and didn't last very long, Hug says, adding, "The guys always slouched."

In 1967, the reigning World Posture Fitness Queen appeared on CBS's game show To Tell The Truth. Hug says other winners snagged national TV appearances, too.

But the pageants began to wane as chiropractors achieved their licensure goals. The last big contest was held in Chattanooga, Tenn., in 1969. "Their time had come and gone," Hug says.

Hat tip to Retronaut, where you can find even more photos from the Chicago contest in 1956.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

FW: sitting is bad for your health

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1205/S00026/sitting-is-bad-for-your-health-say-chiropractors.htm

Sitting is Bad for Your Health Say Chiropractors

Tuesday, 8 May 2012, 9:36 am
Press Release: NZ Chiropractors Association

Media Release

Date: 8th May 2012

Sitting is Bad for Your Health Say Australasian Chiropractors

Sitting for too long and with bad posture is bad for your health the country’s chiropractors advised today. They point out that increased computer use at work and home means that over half of your day is spent sitting and that our sitting habits can have significant impact on our overall health .

The New Zealand Chiropractors’ Association (NZCA) is joining with the Chiropractors Association of Australia (CAA) to focus on a Sit Right campaign during May.

Dr Hayden Thomas, chiropractor and spokesperson for the New Zealand Chiropractors’ Association explains: `We know that the body will adapt to cater to what you do most often, so as your body adapts to constant sitting it makes you less skilled at basic functions like standing, walking, running and jumping .’

But Dr Thomas warns: `Sitting all day can result in muscle stiffness, poor balance and mobility, as well as pain in your lower back, neck and hip. Research has shown that excessive sitting can be lethal . The aim of this campaign initiated by our colleagues in Australia is to highlight the problems associated with bad posture. Many people don’t realize that when you sit for extended periods in the wrong position this posture can stay with you even when you stand or walk around .’

As part of the Sit Right campaign The Chiropractors’ Association of Australia has developed a Sit Right Widget as a simple tool to prompt computer users to take more regular breaks. The default setting is to prompt for a break every hour, although users can change these settings for 20 minute or 40 minute intervals after consulting their local chiropractic healthcare professional.

-Ends-

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Monday, May 7, 2012

health Tip: Work on good posture

http://gma.yahoo.com/health-tip-good-posture-110408715.html

Health Tip: Work on Good Posture

(HealthDay News) -- If you have lower back pain, sitting at an office desk all day can aggravate your symptoms.

The University of Michigan Health System offers these suggestions for managing back pain at work:

· * Make sure your feet are flat on the floor, either by adjusting the seat or using a footrest.

· * If your chair doesn't offer sufficient lower back support, place a rolled towel or small cushion behind you.

· * Make sure your reading materials are at eye level.

· * Set up your desk so all supplies are easily reached; don't lean, bend or twist at the waist.

· * Take regular breaks to stand up, stretch and move around.

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Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Weakening of bones can lead to Spinal Fractures

http://www.kentucky.com/2012/04/29/2169363/weakening-of-bones-can-lead-to.html

Weakening of bones can lead to spinal fractures

By John Vaughan — Special to the Herald-Leader

Posted: 7:30pm on Apr 29, 2012; Modified: 7:32pm on Apr 29, 2012

Dr. John Vaughn, Central Baptist SUBMITTED

As people age, it's not unusual for the bones of the skeleton to lose calcium and become thinner and weaker. This loss of calcium can approach dangerous levels and make the bones susceptible to fractures — a condition known as osteoporosis.

This disease, seen in both sexes, is much more common in women after menopause. A common way to diagnose osteoporosis is a bone density test, which uses X-ray to measure the thickness and strength of the bone.

Fractures due to osteoporosis can be seen in many different bones. The vertebrae are the bones that make up the spine and they are common sites of fractures due to osteoporosis. These fractures are called vertebral compression fractures.

The adage "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is especially true with osteoporosis. Lifestyle choices can reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis and subsequent vertebral compression fractures. These include low impact exercise, a proper diet with appropriate amounts of calcium and vitamin D, and not smoking. If osteoporosis develops, there are a variety of medicines that primary-care physicians can use to treat the condition and lessen the risk of fractures.

New vertebral compression fractures develop frequently without a history of trauma or injury. An elderly person will often report a sudden "pop" in their back and develop severe pain. Vertebral compression fractures are diagnosed with an X-ray. Sometimes a magnetic resonance image (MRI) is also necessary.

New or acute vertebral compression fractures can be treated using non-surgical and surgical methods. If the fracture is mild and the pain and disability are tolerable for the patient, treatment without surgery is an option. Short-term analgesics (pain medicine), activity modification, bracing, and time for healing can help.

If patients have moderate to severe pain and disability associated with new vertebral compression fractures, there is a surgical treatment option. Kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive surgery usually done on an outpatient basis. The kyphoplasty procedure involves inserting a small balloon into the affected compressed vertebra and inflating the balloon to expand the vertebra. Liquid bone cement that quickly hardens is then injected into the vertebra and stabilizes it. In a large majority of patients, kyphoplasty will relieve the pain and return the patient to normal function.

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Thursday, April 26, 2012

Correct your posture to prevent Back Pain

http://dailymail.com/foodandliving/201204230148

Correct your posture to prevent back pain

by Hugh C. Murray

For the Daily Mail

Correct posture is most important first step in reducing, preventing and abolishing neck and back pain.

The most important factor in the full recovery and prevention of future back problems and flare-ups is simply good posture!

The most common back problem that a healthcare provider will see is a movement or displacement of an inter-vertebral disc, and the leading problem of this displacement is poor posture.

Consider that most of the activities we perform in a typical day are flexion oriented -- or bending forward. Look around; people are sitting with poor posture, bending forward and protruding their head to get a better look at what they are reading, or slouching as they are sitting at the computer or watching television. Correcting poor posture habits is the key to a pain-free life.

Fortunately, correcting your posture is a fairly easy endeavor.

Start by sitting on the edge of a chair or stool, unsupported. Now slouch; then begin to correct your posture by regaining the hollow or lordosis in your low back, and sit erect. Contract the muscles in your spine; pull your shoulder blades back to reduce the roundness of your shoulders; pull your head back; then retract it to a neutral position so your ears are above your shoulders. This is the correct position.

You should feel a strain in your neck and back muscles while holding this position because this is the extreme of the correct position. What you must do now is relax 10 percent from that extreme, so you no longer feel the strain. This is the position you want to maintain throughout the day.

Ten percent relaxed from the extreme of this position will feel more comfortable, but still awkward. You are likely saying to yourself, "No one sits this way, and I look awkward, as if I am pushing my chest too far out." You may feel this way, but you actually look taller, younger and as though you've lost 10 pounds. This is the posture that you want to maintain throughout the day to reduce the stresses on your neck and back.

Many people in healthcare talk about a strong core that prevents or reduces back pain, but unfortunately, this is not true. We do need strong muscles in our stomach and our back, but just having those strong muscles does not mean we have correct posture or are preventing back pain.

A strong muscle means three things:

You have the strength to get into that position of erect posture
You have the mobility in the joints to achieve that position
You have the endurance.

The part most people lack the most is endurance -- you achieve endurance by practicing endurance. Even a strong core with endurance does not provide the protection that you need. In substituting "strong" and "weak" with "on" and "off," if the muscles are turned "on" they begin to protect the spine and prevent back pain; however, once we become distracted and work on the computer, text a friend, or watch TV, we have a tendency to turn those muscles "off." They then become weak, and no longer offer support.

To maintain this optimum "on" position, a lumbar support is helpful. For example, this support can be found in the newer cars or in some ergonomic office chairs. It is also helpful to place a round lumbar pillow in the small of your back when sitting. If fitted correctly, lumbar support allows you to maintain correct posture even when your mind is distracted, and your muscles are turned "off." Correcting and practicing good posture as a lifelong habit will help you to enjoy a carefree, pain-free life.

Hugh Murray is a physical therapist at CPT Physical Therapy Specialists Inc. in Charleston, a McKenzie Certified Clinic.

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Monday, March 5, 2012

Improve Flexibility by Stretching, helps improve Posture

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/02/21/five-ways-to-improve-flexibility/

Simple stretching can improve circulation, posture and mood as well as decrease joint rigidity and muscle stiffness.

Here are a few common forms of stretching to improve your flexibility:

5 ways to improve flexibility

Published March 05, 2012

NewsCore

Andrew Meade Photography, Inc.

It's difficult to fit proper exercise into our daily routines.

Between work and personal obligations, managing to reach the gym has become reason to celebrate. Leading a life without physical activity can cause anxiety, depression and obesity. Even when we exercise, we often focus exclusively on weightlifting and cardiovascular activities-both of which are extremely important, but we neglect flexibility.

Simple stretching can improve circulation, posture and mood as well as decrease joint rigidity and muscle stiffness. Yoga's recent popularity has helped correct this, but there are still many people throughout the world who would benefit immensely from more active lifestyles that include regular stretching.

Here are a few common forms of stretching to improve your flexibility.

Passive stretching
This is one of the most common forms of stretching — perhaps second only to yawning while extending your arms in your cubicle at work. Passive stretching is what we teach children and teenagers to do before basketball games, karate matches and so on. You stretch a body part into a pose and maintain it with the assistance of another body part. When you hold one arm across your chest and stretch it back with the other, you are working at passive stretching.

Active stretching
This mode of stretching is when you hold a particular position and maintain it exclusively with your muscle strength. Active stretching poses can typically help for about 8 to 10 seconds.

Isometric stretching
This is a form of static stretching that strengthens and lengthens your muscles. The most common way to perform an isometric stretch is to apply resistance with your own limbs. A common example of isometric stretching is when you sit down, stick your left leg out, place the bottom of your right foot on the inside of your left leg, bend forward, touch your left foot with your hands and apply pressure, stretching your leg muscles. The added resistance that you apply helps build muscle strength.

Dynamic stretching
This method of stretching can improve athletic performance and decrease risk of injury. It is different from passive stretching because you do not maintain an elongated and motionless stance for an extended period of time. Rather, you gradually increase tempo and reach as you move your limbs and body never extending beyond your range of motion. This method can include leg lifts, kicks and lunges.

Ballistic stretching
The above stretching techniques can improve your well-being, but you need to be wary of other methods that are now considered risky. Ballistic stretching once experienced popularity but has come under scrutiny by many physical therapists. This form of stretching uses your body's momentum in an effort to extend your range of motion. You usually swing or bounce a limb through its full range of motion. In the past, martial artists and gymnasts who need active flexibility have used this form of stretching. However, many experts argue that ballistic stretching could lead to injury and do not recommend it.

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