It’s 3 o’clock in the afternoon and you’ve been sitting at your desk all day.  You try to figure out how you can keep your energy level up for the last few hours, but you are fading fast.  You debate running to get yet another cup of coffee to stay alert, but what you really want to do is curl up in the corner of your cubicle and take a nap! This is the time to do some “desk stretches” to revive your energy, and without the caffeine!

We often find ourselves tense, after hours of sitting at our desks in front of a computer.  Our wrists start to hurt, our necks are sore, we slump over in our chairs, and our shoulders and upper backs feel tight.

Here are some stretches to do at your desk to reduce tension. Try them now:

• Shoulder Stretch
  Lift your shoulders up to your ears until you feel a slight tension in your neck and shoulders. Hold for 3-5 seconds and relax shoulders. Do this 2-3 times.
• Neck Stretch
  Tilt your head to one side, trying to touch your ear to your shoulder. Hold the stretch for 10-20 seconds and then return to normal. Repeat the stretch on the other side.
• Spine Stretch
  Raise arms over your head. Stretch your right hand to the ceiling and hold for 3-5 seconds, while you exhale. Relax. Repeat with the left hand.
• Lower Back Stretch
  Place your hands on the edge of your desk and roll your chair back. Lower your head between your outstretched arms, and round your back while you exhale. Inhale, raise your head and arch your back in the other direction.

Do these exercises whenever you first notice the tension or stress from impending deadlines or long periods of sitting. While they’ll never take the place of your chiropractic adjustments, they’ll help keep you alert so you don’t need to resort to quick caffeine or sugar fixes and the crash that accompanies them.  Stretching helps maintain your range of motion, increases your circulation and can take away the pain and stress caused by long periods in one position.

Stretching may seem like a small thing that you can do throughout the day but it makes a positive change in your attitude and sense of wellbeing.  If you start stretching and notice significant tightness throughout your muscles, getting a chiropractic adjustment can help you jumpstart your flexibility, help your body work more efficiently, reduce fatigue and help you feel restored.

It usually starts out as a nagging bite on the bottom of your heel during a run or a workout.  Is there a pebble in your shoe?  You tell yourself that maybe it won’t be there next time.   But then it starts to hurt when you get out of bed in the morning.  You feel pain every time you walk or stand.  It is now almost impossible to run normally and the thought of jumping is cringe worthy.

You may be experiencing plantar fasciitis, commonly called a heel spur.  Technically it is the inflammation of the muscle and tendon on the bottom of the foot.  The plantar fascia is a thick band of connective tissue that runs from the front of the heel bone to the ball of the foot and acts to support the arch of the foot.  When this inflames, it is called plantar fasciitis.

Causes of Plantar Fasciitis

When the foot is on the ground the full weight of the body is concentrated on the plantar fascia. This force stretches the plantar fascia as the arch of the foot tries to flatten from the weight of your body.  The force increases with walking, running, or jumping.  This leads to stress on the plantar fascia where it attaches to the heel bone. Small tears of the fascia can result and scar tissue is formed causing increased tightness in the plantar fascia.  The scar tissue along with the increased tightness leads to chronic inflammation and pain.  If you have “flat feet” and over pronate this will put more stress on the tissue and cause repetitive injury to the plantar fascia.

Symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis

The symptoms of plantar fasciitis include pain along the arch of the foot, and can be more concentrated towards the heel of the foot.  The pain is worse when weight is placed on the foot. This is usually most pronounced in the morning when the foot is first placed on the floor.  Prolonged standing can also increase the painful symptoms. It may feel better after activity but most patients report increased pain by the end of the day. Pressing on this part of the heel causes tenderness. Pulling the toes back toward the face can be very painful.

Diagnosis

If you have one of these symptoms, visit Bryn Mawr Wellness, to have your foot examined.  Since there are several conditions that can cause heel pain, plantar fasciitis must be distinguished from these conditions.  Diagnosis of plantar fasciitis is generally made during the history intake and physical examination.  We can thoroughly examine your foot and in some cases, your gait to determine how the foot distributes your weight and pressure to see if you over pronate (flat feet) or over-supinate (high arches).  Either of these findings, in combination with some faulty biomechanics, can predispose people to having plantar fasciitis.  At Bryn Mawr Wellness, we can not only treat your heel pain, but give you exercises and shoe recommendations so that it does not return.

Treatment of Plantar Fasciitis

We use a multi-disciplinary approach to treating plantar fasciitis at Bryn Mawr Wellness.  We combine Active Release Techniques and the Graston Technique to break up the scar tissue formed during the injury and help decrease the inflammation.  Often we discuss proper footwear and the option of orthotics to help stabilize the arch of the foot.   Patients with plantar fasciitis will also be provided with stretches and exercises to strengthen the foot and prevent further injury.

This has been a winter not too many people will forget any time soon.  When we’re old-timers we can talk wistfully of the storms we’ve encountered.  Our kids will remember this as the winter when the snow was up to their chest.  But for right now, it’s less a winter wonderland and more of a frustrating burden.  One small part of this burden is snow removal.  Shoveling injuries are one of the most common injuries that crop up after a snowstorm.  With a little forethought and patience, you could save yourself some pain.

Warm Up!

Think of it as exercising.  If you’re snowbound, then it may be the only cardio you’re due to get for a few days, so treat it as such.  Get some blood flowing by marching in place, jumping jacks, etc.  After about five minutes your muscles will be primed.  Now you can start stretching.  Focus on the lower back and hamstrings, which will help with the actual lifting.  Limbering up the arms by doing big circles for about a minute will get the blood flowing all the way to the fingertips.  Also, make sure you are properly hydrated.  That will make it easier for the heart to pump blood through your muscles.  Finally, layer up your clothing to keep in the heat.

Choose Your Weapon

Now if you had a snow blower or had a plow service, you wouldn’t have read this far, so let’s assume shovels are your available “weapon” you’ll be using to attack the snow.  The ergonomic shovels with the curved handles take a bit of pressure off the knees since you won’t have to bend down so low.   The straight handle shovels will certainly get the job done, you will just have to work harder.

Ergonomics

Now you are face to face with old man winter.  Here is the proper technique:

• Face your target.  Have your chest and hips squared up to the pile you are lifting
• Bend at the hips, not the lower back, keeping the chest pushed forward
• Then bend knees and lift with your legs
• Don’t lift too much.  Remember, small bites.  If you must take a big scoop, make sure your hand is as far down as it can go for leverage
• Pivot your whole body to where you want the snow to go.  Don’t twist your back
• Walk to the new location and twist the shovel to let the snow drop.  No throwing snow!

Easy Does It

Small frequent episodes of snow removal are preferable than a marathon event.  Make sure you take breaks every 15-20 minutes.  If there is ice, make sure to throw down some salt or kitty litter for traction.  Speaking of traction, good boots with sturdy tread will cut down on your chance of slipping.

Even with perfect form, you may still encounter soreness or stiffness.  This could be due to age, fitness level, preexisting conditions, or any number of other factors.  If you do find yourself in discomfort after shoveling, making an appointment with a chiropractor can help limit the damage done, and get you ready for the next storm.

Remember: make sure to rehydrate before your treat yourself to hot cocoa.  Following these tips will make your snow day more pleasurable.

Why Your Desk Job is Killing Your Tennis/Golf Game

Many of my patients love to describe themselves as people who work hard and play hard.  What many of them don’t put together is one can be directly related to the other, especially those who sit at a computer for several hours at a stretch.  Those marathon sessions at the office tend to manifest themselves negatively on the tennis courts, the golf course, and any sport that require a swing.

Why HR Departments “Preach” About Posture

Proper ergonomics are preached from every HR director in America.  Good posture can keep you productive and out of pain while you toil at your CPU.   However, just like at the gym, it’s tough to keep your form perfect for a whole day.  It goes something like this:

1. The eager worker with his/her head held high arrives at 9 am focused on his/her to do list.
2. Same worker looks like a Cro-Magnon drawing on a cave wall by 5 pm.

How Computers Turn Us Into Cavemen

What tends to happen in front of a computer at that point, is that the head drifts forward, the shoulders hunch forward, and more weight is put on the elbows or on the mouse hand.  This can cause muscles to shorten and tighten.[1]  This isn’t a great position for anyone especially if you’d like to use you upper extremities in any meaningful way when you’re out of the office.

Weekend Warriors: The Ideal World vs. The Office World

Long uninterrupted hours in front of the computer can cause a problem over time.  It has to do with the nerves of your arms.

The nerves exit the spinal cord at the neck and travel through your neck muscles to your shoulders, elbow, forearms and then through your palm side of your wrist (aka carpal tunnel) and finally to your hands and fingers.

It’s Important to Know…

In an Ideal World the nerves would have plenty of room to maneuver and breathe throughout their entire commute from the neck to the fingers.  But many of us have known for some time that the Office World is NOT the Ideal World.  In fact the office lifestyle can be damaging to one’s tennis or golf game because it causes a decrease in a person’s range of motion.  On top of this, the stroke or swing may not be as fluid, as fast, or as powerful.  Chiropractic medicine is designed for restoring and increasing one’s range of motion. You may not be able to leave your job, but chiropractic options can allow you to counteract the damage your job may do to your body and your lifestyle.

Nerves interconnect our entire bodies, making their path through the spine, under muscles, and around joints.  Unfortunately, the posture of our cave-dwelling predecessors can create several roadblocks, which can compress or entrap some of our nerves.  This in turn causes pain, tingling or numbness.

The Solution aka Fighting the Caveman or Cavewoman Within

So what is a weekend warrior to do?  The best thing to do would be to quit your job.  That may not be a viable option for most people.  Other options are to be as diligent on your ergonomics and posture as you are on your swing technique.   Stretching throughout the workday may help undo some of the negative aspects of the human-computer interface.  Getting some movement in the neck and shoulders may help remind your muscle memory of what “normal” is.

If you’re experiencing pain, your body is telling you something.  Listen to it!  The road to recovery is possible with the right steps.  Consulting a chiropractor, who specializes in the relationship between the nerves, muscles, and joints could put you on the road to recovery.  In many cases, patients see an improvement in their performance as well as a relief of their symptoms.