Archives for May 2017

Studies Show that Massage Therapy Helps Depressive Symptoms

It is not uncommon for someone to suffer from depression and not even know it. If your situation at work or home is especially difficult, this could be the case for you. 80% of individuals affected by depression do not receive any treatment. Patients diagnosed with depression increases by about 20% per year.

There is good news! According to a study of the treatment effects of massage on depressed people, “massage therapy is significantly associated with alleviation of depressive symptoms.”

While some people think of a massage as a treat to relax, the value of massage and effects on mental health are significant. As one noted Science writer, Paul Ingraham, explains, “The emotional value of touch and the effects on mood and mental health are so profound that patients really just cannot lose — good quality massage therapy is a worthwhile service for anyone who can afford it.”

Massage therapy does not cure depression. However, it can be an effective tool to add to the toolkit when approaching depression holistically.

Sources:

http://www.healthline.com/health/depression/statistics-infographic

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/20361919/

https://www.painscience.com/articles/does-massage-work.php

Hot or Cold for Injuries? How to Know Which is Best for You

We all know that treating an injury immediately after it happens can help minimize the pain and damage as well as facilitate recovery. But after rolling your ankle in a soccer game, or hurting your back when lifting your toddler, or tweaking your knee when stepping out of your car, what’s best? Should you ice it to try to control inflammation, or would heat be better to promote circulation?

While it’s difficult to establish a fail-safe rule for when to apply ice or heat, the general directive is to use ice for the first forty-eight to seventy-two hours after an acute injury and then switch to heat.

It Depends. The reality is that many conditions are not necessarily the result of a specific injury. I call these conditions “recurrent acute” and find them to be by far the most common: sciatica that occurs when you drive a car; a back that flares up every time you garden; or tennis elbow from intense computer work. In these cases, consistent and frequent applications of ice may prove very helpful over long periods of time, particularly immediately after experiencing the event that causes problems.

Conversely, back or other muscle spasms caused by overexertion rather than injury may benefit greatly from heat immediately upon the onset of symptoms or immediately after exercise in order to relax the muscles and increase circulation. Also, muscle belly pain not resulting from acute and serious trauma generally responds well to heat, which can break the spasms and release the strain. On the other hand, nerve and tendon pain–regardless of the duration of symptoms, even if you’ve been experiencing them for months–benefit from ice.

What Works for You? The bottom line: different individuals will constitutionally vary greatly in their reactions. Some people are more prone to the types of inflammation exacerbated by heat, while others find their bodies contracting and tightening at the mere mention of ice. Try each option and pay close attention to how your body and mind respond, and let your gut be your guide. Ultimately, what works best for you is, well, what’s best for you.

8 Steps to Preventing a Pain in the Neck at Work: Computer Desk Ergonomics

Many of my clients work in front of a computer for their job and experience common muscle strains in the neck and upper back. They ask me, “What is the correct positioning for me at my computer?” Here, I explain how you can bring your body back into correct balance and reduce tension and muscle pain.

First, we’ll talk about bringing your body into neutral position. Then we’ll discuss the positioning of the computer devices at your workstation.

Neutral Body Position

Use a fully adjustable chair and adjust accordingly, armrests and all.

Hands, wrists, and forearms are straight, in-line, and roughly parallel to the floor. You can also use a keyboard rest for your wrists.
Head is level or bent slightly forward, forward facing, and balanced. Generally it is in-line with the torso.
Shoulders are relaxed and upper arms hang normally at the side of the body.
Elbows stay in close to the body and are bent between 90 and 100 degrees.
Feet are fully supported by the floor or a footrest may be used if the desk height is not adjustable.
Back is fully supported with appropriate lumbar support when sitting vertical or leaning back slightly.
Thighs and hips are supported by a well-padded seat and generally parallel to the floor.
Knees are about the same height as the hips with the feet slightly forward.

TIPS:

If the chair does not have lumbar support you can buy a lumbar pillow.
Sit with your butt against the back of the chair. This will keep you from slouching and rounding your lower and upper back.
Don’t cross your legs. Instead keep both feet on the floor or if you want, cross at your ankles.

Positioning of Computer Devices

Keyboard and Mouse: Positioning these devices is important because no matter how neutral your body starts, it will inevitably morph so you can best see and use the equipment efficiently.

Keyboard/Mouse should be on a tray under your desk so that it can be lined up with your hands at that 90-degree angle.
Keep your shoulders down and your wrists in neutral position when typing or moving a mouse.
If you don’t have a tray then adjust the chair so you are in neutral position to use these devices with ease.

Monitor:

Center Your Monitor. For most workstations, the best position for your monitor is directly in front of you. Putting the monitor off-center (i.e., to the left or right of your body) can cause neck and shoulder pain due to twisting and awkward posture.
Sit Arms Length Away. Your monitor should be about arm’s length away when you’re sitting back in your chair. (Sitting too close or too far from your screen can cause eyestrain.) If you have a large monitor – 20″ or larger – you should sit slightly further back. If the monitor is bigger, position a little bit further.
Position the top of your screen level with your eyes. The ideal viewing height is to have your eyes level with an imaginary line across the screen, about 2″-3″ below the top of the monitor. This can be accomplished in one of two ways – either by lowering your monitor or raising your chair. If your screen is too low, you’ll find yourself tilting your head forward to view the monitor. If it’s too high, you may have to tilt your head back, leading to neck and shoulder pain (a common cause of headaches).
Tilt your monitor slightly upward. Tilt the screen so that the base is slightly closer to you than the top. This enables you to view the entire screen and the display more clearly. Tilting the monitor downward isn’t recommended unless necessary to reduce the glare of overhead lights or if your monitor is too high and can’t be adjusted. Do not tilt too far to cause a glare.

TIPS:
Be aware of neck position. Tuck your chin to be sure you are not tilting your head forward.
If you have trouble seeing what’s on the screen, check your office lighting or sit the monitor closer. It is better to do that than to tilt your head forward to see. Doing this is what causes most neck and shoulder pain.
If you have two monitors, keep them both as centered as possible. If you use one most of the time, center that one and have the other next to it.
If using a laptop, prop it up to the appropriate level and use Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.
Get up every 20-30 minutes to stretch neck, torso, wrist, and legs.

I hope this information is helpful to you and is the beginning of pain-free work days.

Traffic Causing You Stress Too?

This image is oh, so familiar, right? Everyday we deal with traffic in Atlanta. No matter where we are or what time it is in the day, it seems this is what we find when we get on the road.

May is “Mental Health Month” and I realize how important our mentality is to our mood, our thoughts, our relationships, and our bodies. Stress is a dangerous thing with lots of effects, which I’ll probably blog about soon. However, I was thinking about Mental Health while driving to work, and I found myself stressing about the traffic. Then I realized, “I stress about traffic a lot!” It can easily get me going – whether it’s what another driver did or did not do, or all the lights turning red at the wrong time, or just being in a long line of cars. There is nothing I can do about it, but yet I start to get anxious, my neck and shoulders start to tense up and before I know it, I’m rushing around, rubbing my neck and having to take time to myself to regroup.

Whether it’s traffic, work, family, or something else that is causing you stress, there are things you can do about it. Every bad situation doesn’t have to be a stress builder. Below are a few ways that have helped me with “traffic stress” and if you are one of these people, then I hope you will take the time to implement one or more of these to help your day be less stressful.

Leave expectations at home: This is hard for me. I always expect for my carride to be perfect timing and hassle free. I’m not sure why, but I do. When I stopped that expectation and accepted the fact that there will be some red lights, a slow driver here and there, and maybe even missing a turn, I got less angry when they did happen.

Leave a few minutes early: This has probably helped me the most. I’m the type of person that will try and get one last thing done before I leave and end up leaving just in time, or late. This is a plan for disaster because I’m already in a rush. Don’t do that to yourself. Be intentional and think about the drive, not that last chore at the house – it can wait.

Enjoy the ride: Try to keep the car a happy place. Put on your favorite music or Podcast. Listen to some happy music. When I do this, I find myself singing and letting other cars in front of me, because I am in a better mood.

People will understand: You can get anxious about whether or not people will be upset with you because you are late. People (especially in this city), will understand. It has most likely happened to them more than once. And at this point, there is nothing you can do to change what is happening. So try to accept the things you cannot change and let it go.

Therapy for your mind: Two things you can try. One, you can meditate before you leave. Doing this will quiet your mind and give you peace on your drive. You can also get a massage. If you have been stressed and your muscles are tensing up and causing pain, then get a relaxing massage. Massage not only can relax the muscles, but also reduce anxiety, depression, and improve your sleep quality at night, putting you in a better mood.

Be Grateful: Be grateful that even if you arrived late or had a bad traffic experience, that you are alive and safe. That is the most important thing. Take comfort in that and smile because it could have been worse.

So even though life stresses are unavoidable, there are many ways to cope and reduce the effects.

Find your way to LiveFree from stress.

Breathing From The Right Place Reduces Stress

If you’re alive, you have stress. Stress is a natural physical and mental reaction to good and bad experiences that can be beneficial to your health and safety. However, if this stress response becomes chronic, it can affect your mind and body negatively, resulting in high blood pressure, muscle tension, anxiety, headaches, fatigue, and more.

You probably know by now that your Central Nervous System (CNS) controls whether you are in stress (flight or fight response) or relaxation mode. Did you know your CNS also controls breathing? When stressed, breathing becomes shallow, centralizing in the upper chest. This is not what you want for long periods of time. If you’ve ever watched a baby sleep, you’ve noticed their belly going up and down. It’s because they’re in relaxation mode, which results in abdominal breathing. That’s what you seek.

The good news is you can control your breathing, which means you can reduce your stress. Studies have shown that practicing this style of breathing can reduce muscle tension and anxiety levels within 60 seconds. So let’s give it a try:

Sit or lie down.
Place the palm of your hand on your abdomen, between your ribcage and navel.
Close your eyes and start to focus on your breathing.
Begin to inhale through your nose (not your mouth), feel the air flow through your nostrils. Breathe in for a slow count of 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . then exhale to a slow count of 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . .
When you inhale try to allow your belly to expand NOT your chest. Your chest can expand slightly, but your belly should be moving more than your chest.
Note: This can be hard to do in our culture where we are unconsciously tucking in our belly to look thinner. Fight that instinct and let your belly come out.
Do not take deep breaths. When you inhale, your fingertips on your abdomen should only slightly part, this will help to reduce the risk of over breathing. 7. Start by practicing for a few minutes per day. It will become easier over time.
If you feel dizzy, stop the exercise and let your natural breathing rhythm take over; you are probably breathing too deeply and/or too quickly.

So when you feel stressed, stop and do this exercise to calm down to help your body shift into relaxation mode. Follow these steps and you will feel a difference.

Studies Show that Massage Therapy Helps Depressive Symptoms

Hot or Cold for Injuries? How to Know Which is Best for You

8 Steps to Preventing a Pain in the Neck at Work: Computer Desk Ergonomics

Traffic Causing You Stress Too?

Breathing From The Right Place Reduces Stress

Contact

678-856-8030

Tricia@LiveFreeMassage.com

Office Address

Active Life & Health Center

6849 Peachtree-Dunwoody Rd.
Building B-4, Suite 100
Sandy Springs, GA 30328

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