INERTIA: A Therapist's Thoughts

One of my collegues, Becky Kohl, forwarded me a link to a blog article about forward head posture posted by Dr. Mark Wiley. I checked it out and thought it was full of useful, easy-to-use information about a very common problem. I would say a large majority of people that I see, myself included at times, struggle with forward head posture. I believe it has become more pervasive the more we are attached to our computers, electronic devices and smartphones. 

Check it out for yourself here. 

Thank you, Becky, for sharing!

In the information age, I have found that more often than not patients will come in to therapy having already researched their diagnoses, injuries or ailments on the Internet. This can be both good and bad. It's good if people are more informed and educated.  It's bad if the information comes from an unreliable source.  

I recently asked a reference librarian for an opinion on the most reputable online medical reference sites and this is what I received. I have used many of these sites personally and professionally and agree that it is an excellent and reliable list.  

National Library of Medicine/National Institutes of Health
WebMD
Merck Manuals Online Medical Library

Just remember, information gleemed from a Web site is never a substitution for a diagnosis and treatment from a physician or other qualified healthcare provider. Use with caution and happy surfing!

In therapy, I often recommend that a patient use ice when recovering from various types of injuries, especially a recent or acute injury.  The acronym RICE is often cited for treatment of an acute injury: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. 

Ice is an excellent natural anti-inflammatory as it helps to constrict blood vessels and reduces blood flow to the injured area thereby reducing the swelling that soon follows acute injury.  As a general rule, place on the area for 10 to 15 minutes.  For more chronic injuries that flare up after activity, ice after the activity, not before.

My patients often ask the question, "What's the best way to ice at home?"  Or, "What's the best way to make an ice pack?"  Here a couple of good options for use at home.

 

1. Buy a big bag of frozen peas and use them, mark them as ICE so you don't eat them!
2. Use the ice massage method — Freeze water in dixie cups and then rip off the top edge of the cup, rub the ice directly on the skin but keep it moving constantly for 5 to 10 minutes at the most; this works particularly well for small areas that are closer to the surface
3. Make your own reusable gel ice pack with the following recipe: Mix three parts water to one part rubbing alcohol and freeze in a plastic locking bag

Eccentrics are a type of exercise or more specifically a type of muscle contraction. I use eccentrics in therapy with my patients but have found more people seem to be "aware" of them without a complete understanding of them.

Simply put, an eccentric muscle contraction is when a muscle is generating force while it is lengthening. Conversely, a concentric contraction occurs when the muscle generates force while shortening. For example, with a biceps curl, during the upward movement of the curl the biceps contracts in a concentric fashion and the downward or lowering motion of the curl is eccentric.

Eccentrics are commonly used to help with recovery and rehab of tendinitis and muscle strains. In the case of Achilles tendinitis, one might use eccentric heel raises during the rehab. Eccentric heel raises could be done by doing heel raises on two feet and then lowering back down on one foot which is the eccentric phase of the exercise.