MAKING PAIN WORSE

"Fear is the mind killer," is a quote from the scifi movie DUNE. I would also say "Fear is the pain magnifier."

When faced with pain its natural for it to bother us. It reminds us something is wrong with our body. So, if you have muscle pain from working out or doing an unusual activity, don't fear it. If you do, it can actually make the pain worse because your muscles begin to tense up.

Therefore, take some time to rust and relax. Get into a comfortable position and listen to some soothing music. You'll find the pain will often not get worse. It may actually lessen.

And, by the way, get a massage. Its great for getting rid of that pesky muscle pain and tension.

-Its a Pain in the Neck!-

We all have had at least one. Some of us have had many, but headaches are always a nuisance.
While some of these headaches may actually occur within the realm of the head, most are related to problems relating the neck and upper back. Pain in these areas can sometimes be refereed to the head fooling you into thinking your head really hurts.
Caution: Severe, long lasting headaches with symptoms of nausea, fatigue or dizziness may be the result of a serious medical condition. So, if your headache is unusual you need to check with a physician. However, if you have had such symptoms in the past and you physician con find nothing wrong, try getting a massage. This can relieve the headache and often clear up the problem causing it.

-Fighting P.A.D.-

"Peripheral Artery Disease (P.A.D.) not only comes with double the risk of heart attack and stroke, but sometimes it comes with symptoms-pain or cramping in the legs. And that can tempt you to walk less . . . [Y]ou can help beat the pain with a structured walking plan. And walking can help lower the risk of heart attack and stroke and reduce stress."*

The Plan

1. Schedule walks 3 to 5 times a week (no more than 2 days in between).
2. Set real goals and stick to them. Start with 35 minutes. When you feel less pain, add 5 minutes until you're up to 50 minutes.
3. Stop when you start feeling pain. But get going as soon as the pain goes away.
4. Don't skimp on stretching-warm ups and cool downs.
5. Believe you will feel better. It may be hard at first, but with time you should be able to walk more and hurt less.*

1. 
   

No matter what keep moving 'cause if you don't move it, you loose it. "Nutt Said"

* "The Inside Story." Bristol-Myers Squibb/Sanofi Pharmaceutical Partnership, Issue One 2010, p. 1.

-Less Pain, More Gain-

"The Challenging part of working with pain from muscle tension is to figure out the right technique, pressure and rhythm for each situation. Deep pressure into the tender belly of a muscle needs to be slow enough to give clients time to tune into the area so they can relax under the pressure."*

Mary Kathleen Rose

When you are getting a deep-tissue massage please remember "less pain equals more gain." If you are squirming around, gritting your teeth, or are extremely uncomfortable due to the massage being so painful., ask the therapist to back off just a little. You'll get better results. So, save the "no pain, no gain" scenario for the gym where it belongs. "Nuff Said"

*Rose, Mary Kathleen and Foster, Mary Ann. "talk about touch." Massage & Bodywork, September/October 2010, PP. 27-29.

PAIN-SPASM-PAIN CYCLE

When you injure soft tissue the muscles in the injured area contract to help support and protect the injured tissue. Other metabolic reactions also occur helping to slow the flow of blood in the area causing the build up of carbon dioxide and metabolic waste. The result is pain. The body then reacts to the pain as if it has being reinsured. Thus, the pain-spasm-pain cycle begins. The initial injury causes the blood to slow building up waste material in the area. This causes new pain which causes the continued slowing of the blood in the area and on, and on, and on. So, even though you may start out with a simple bump, bruise or strain, it can turn into a fairly painful, long lasting injury.
Massage therapy from a professional therapist can help put an end to this vicious cycle. A good therapist can increase the flow of blood in the injured area and help build up pliable, pain free scar tissue to get you feeling better and back to your regular routine.