Three dimensional stretching... part one.
Too often we think about muscles as being only one dimensional and working in only one direction. We are taught the origins and insertions of them, their actions and innervations, but we lose sight of what they actually are… muscles are not strings that tighten, but instead able to move in three dimensions. When we stretch a muscle group in only one plane, we forget that there is an x, a y and z axis that are left unstretched. Is it any wonder why we can’t see any changes with the stretches we give our patients?
So let’s start with the muscles themselves.Muscles are comprised of myofilaments, and are ordered into strands called fascicles. (fascicles are derived from Latin faces, which was a bundle of iron rods, bound by ribbon, used as a sign of absolute power, and can still be seen outside US government buildings, and the rise of the word fascist)
The point of this entry is not to wow you with trivia about muscles, but instead to get you to think about muscles in a different way: Simply put, muscle tissue is not singly dimensional, and therefore shouldn’t be stretched in only one plane.
This is especially true with muscles that have the suffix “-ceps” in them… triceps, biceps, quadriceps… their very name tells you that there is more than one head attachment which requires a different plane to work in. This is also the case where there is a “major” or “minor” ending, as well.
When showing stretching to my patients, I often describe these planes as around each axis, where each plane needs to be stretched around.
Perhaps nowhere in the body is the concept of 3 dimensional muscles better found than that of the iliopsoas muscles, which most people refer to simply as the “psoas”. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
The iliacus inserts around the entire rim of the pelvis, forming a nearly 90 degree angle from one insertion point to another! The psoas major and minor attach to the lumbar vertebrae, and to the discs at each level, with each head requiring a different plane of stretching to address altogether.
This stretch is the most important first point of addressing lumbar stenosis, outlined on the website.
Neck pain is a bigger problem than you think.
Neck pain is super common, and still, most people simply carry on with their activities of daily living. However, about 5 to 10 percent of people develop debilitating symptoms. Unfortunately, even among people who have disabling pain, the majority find their neck pain to be stubborn and recurrent to some degree.
The renewed interest in neck disorders has spurred some really interesting studies. In the March/April 08 issue of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT), Canadian scientists have shown that arthritis in the neck might affect balance. This may mean that cases of poor balance or repeated falls among the elderly, treatment of the cervical spine might have value. This could represent a "top down" strategy, which is a bit different from the "bottom up" approach to balance training more commonly utilized in rehabilitation.
In the February 08 issue of JMPT, another study by both New Zealand and Canadian researchers suggested adjusting of the neck can relax muscles in the arms and could be useful in relaxation of the whole body. This implies ANYTHING causing tightness in the neck joints also might cause muscle pain in the arms or elsewhere. Because adjusting and manual therapy are great treatments for neck problems, your Seattle chiropractor should be among the first providers consulted for this type of pain.
So, how fast can a patient with neck pain expect to feel better with chiropractic care? By chance, in the same March issue of JMPT, British authors studied which neck symptoms might respond the quickest to "hands-on" treatment. Overall, considering all possible neck area complaints, about 70 percent of patients reported immediate favorable responses to manipulation. However, if patients complained about more specific things like headaches, shoulder or arm pain, reduced arm or neck movement, neck pain, or upper or middle back pain, the percentage of those who reported immediate improvement in pain rose to an incredible 95 percent! Woo Hoo!
If you're experiencing neck pain and haven't scheduled an appointment with a chiropractor, DO IT.