When sciatica type symptoms get the better of you and nothing you do seems to make it better, here is something to think about from my checklist for corrective actions and treatments Part 1. Correct structural asymmetries with a heel lift, butt lift, foot orthotics, and make changes in misfitting furniture. This is more important […]
When “sciatic” type of symptoms won’t go away, what else can be considered as causes? Travell and Simons emphatically state that “Sciatica is a symptom, not a diagnosis; it’s cause should be identified.” (Vol II, p. 173) Here’s a list of things you can check. Structural asymmetries: Anything that makes one hip higher will cause […]
This is a series on arm and hand pain. If you missed the beginning, go back to the “Checklist of Causes.” Repetitive motions have long been a problem for musicians, people who do their jobs primarily with their hands like surgeons, electricians, massage therapists and assembly line workers and for those who work on computers. […]
Knowledge is power. The better you understand the muscles of your knee the more empowered you will be to keep them out of pain. The last post discussed the quadriceps in the front of the thigh. The “hamstrings” are in the back of the thigh. Guys refer to them affectionately as “hammies” at the gym. […]
According to Travell & Simons in their Trigger Point Manual, “In patients with chronic myofascial pain, attention to perpetuating factors often spells the difference between sucessful and failed therapy.” Perpetuating factors in the case of Krystal S. were an important consideration in reducing the need for continued treatment for restless leg syndrome at my Neuromuscular […]
When muscle tension and hyperactivity from Trigger Points are the cause of RLS, Neuromuscular Therapy is very successful in relieving symptoms and sometimes eliminating this disturbing condition. When an initial series of appointments works, but symptoms return, underlying or perpetuating factors need to be discovered. Treatment in the case of Krystal S. in my Neuromuscular […]
So how do I think about RLS? What jumps out at me is the “restless” part. The muscles are hyperactive. What can cause that? Well, I’m a Neuromuscular Therapist and when you’re a hammer everything looks like a nail, so I go right to Trigger Points! Trigger points are hyperactive. They are working 24/7. They […]
A young woman in her thirties found my Neuromuscular Therapy center Southwest of Boston on the internet, desperate to find a treatment for the wide-ranging RLS pains and other symptoms that had disrupted her life. Over the previous seven years Krystal had been to doctors who had variously tested for Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia and Restless […]
Pain from a curvature of the spine caused by LLLI (Lower Limb Length Inequality) is a common condition usually overlooked in medical evaluations. Having LLLI doesn’t always cause a problem, but when Trigger Points have formed, even one-eighth inch difference in the length of the legs can perpetuate pain if left uncorrected. (MDs Travell and […]
In the case of Melinda W., I found a scoliosis and lower limb length inequality (LLLI) that were tilting her shoulders, causing tension in the jaw (TMJ) and neck musculature and giving her chronic headaches. I recommended trying a heel lift to level her out, and she scheduled a TMJ evaluation at a major Boston […]