~Benefits of Tai Chi

Tai Chi is a great form of relaxing movement that is great for people with pain.  Marnie

Just like judo, karate, and kung fu, Tai -chi is considered a martial art.  It does not involve high energy movements like kicking, punching, and fighting.  It uses slow, steady movements that enhance relaxation, stress reduction, and inner peace while also being physically challenging the body. There are different types of tai chi that can be accommodative to almost anyone.  The most popular types are yang, wu, and tai chi chih.  Yang is physically challenging because the knees are kept bent with a wide stance at the feet during the movements.  Wu is like yang, except the knees are just slightly bent with the feet closer together.  Wu is best for beginners and people with balance problems.  Tai chi chih style focuses on keeping weight distributed evenly between both feet, so it tends to be easier on the body.

The Chinese believe that practicing tai chi can slow the aging process, increase flexibility, strengthen muscles and tendons, and also help treat high blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis, digestive issues, skin diseases, depression and even cancer! However, these claims need to be studied scientifically.  Scientists do know that practicing tai chi improves balance, fear of falling, strength and endurance, aerobic capacity, walking, fibromyalgia, and stress. 

• Balance:  Tai chi helps with balance by shifting weight in legs while the upper body is steadily moving also.  Researchers found that balance improved significantly after only performing tai chi for 8 weeks.
• Fear of falling:  Tai chi aids in increasing self-confidence when it comes to falling with the elderly.  This self-confidence also gives them the added benefit of motivation to continue exercising.  Win win!
• Strength and endurance:  Muscle strength, endurance, and flexibility were all improved in the upper and lower body after practicing tai chi for only 12 weeks.
• Aerobic capacity:  Those who do tai chi have greater aerobic capacity when compared to sedentary people of the same age, even though the movements are slow and steady.
• Walking:  As we age, walking speed seems to slow down.  With tai chi, research showed people actually take more steps!
• Fibromyalgia:  Fibromyalgia can be debilitating, depending on severity.  However, tai chi decreased symptoms of fibromyalgia and therefore, enhances quality of life.
• Stress:  Practicing deep breathing during tai chi exercises helps with finding inner peace and calmness because of the mental concentration with physical movements.

Other reasons to practice tai chi include: low impact movements, less risk of injury, can be done anywhere at your own pace, non-competitive, and can be done alone or with friends.  So, find some videos to do it at home, or go to your local gym and ask about tai chi classes offered, and grab a friend and get moving!  

Melissa Hickman SPT 

The material on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose of suggest treatment for individuals.  Consult your health care provider regarding your specific needs.

~Deep Breathing for Pain

Here is a post on breathing from our intern. This is a great technique to control pain and stress.   Marnie

We all experience stress at some time in our lives, some of more than others.  There is no avoiding stress, but learning to manage it can help with our health and control of pain.  We've all heard of the fight or flight response... it's our body's way of protecting us from harm and letting us know when danger is ahead.  Health problems can occur when we have too much stress every single day. Constant, day-to-day stress is bad for our heart and also our immune systems.  Unfortunately, it can also lead to anxiety and depression.  The best thing to do is to learn ways to relax, especially in stressful moments.  Ways to do this are progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, yoga, and deep breathing. 

Deep breathing is also known as diaphragmatic breathing, abdominal breathing, belly breathing, and paced respiration. With deep breathing, the belly should rise when you inhale.  A lot of us breathe with our chests, instead of our bellies, which increases tension and anxiety.  When we breathe with our upper chest only, the lower part of our lungs don't get fully inflated and the diaphragm doesn't fully go down all the way.  This lack of oxygen to the lower part of the lungs alone can make us feel anxious and short of breath. On the other hand, deep breathing  is where the lungs get fully inflated, the diaphragm goes down far enough and lets the belly rise.  This allows oxygen to reach the lungs and actually slows the heart rate and lowers the blood pressure.

Slow breathing helps you focus on your breathing instead of everyday stressful thoughts. First, learn to breathe:  lie in a quiet place, place a hand on your belly and take in slow deep breath and you should feel your hand rise, then breathe out as slowly as you inhaled.  It can help to listen to the sound of your breath.  Try to disconnect yourself from distracting thoughts.  Once you've mastered this part, then you're ready for the next step:  belly breathing while focusing on images or words that relax you. 

Breath focus helps with other relaxation methods like progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, yoga, prayer, and pleasant images.  It's best to have a daily routine of deep breathing, especially right before a stressful event.  Find a quiet place, don't let the breathing be stressful, practice the same time everyday 1-2 times per day, and perform 10-20 minutes each day. 

Melissa Hickman SPT

The material on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose of suggest treatment for individuals.  Consult your health care provider regarding your specific needs.

~TMJ (Jaw Pain) Basics

Here is another post from our intern.  She is learning more about some of the special problems we see.  Marnie

The TMJ (temporomandibular joint) is the joint where the jaw and skull bones meet.  TMJ syndrome occurs when that joint is impaired.  Causes range from teeth alignment to poor posture or even stress. Just like any joint in the body, arthritis (breakdown of the joint and/or bony surfaces) can occur there as well. TMJ syndrome occurs when there is nerve, muscle, or joint damage.  Women are more at risk to develop this issue.  Some of the more common causes are poor posture, grinding teeth, increased stress/anxiety, or even too much gum chewing. 

Symptoms can be severe and may include:

• jaw, neck, tongue, face and/or shoulder pain
• jaw clicking or popping
• ear pain or cracking sounds in the ears / fullness in ears / tinnitus
• headaches
• blurry vision, dizziness
• soreness in neck/face muscles
• locking of jaw

Many do not know that physical therapy can be very helpful for this condition.  Physical therapy is useful by correcting posture, strengthening jaw/neck muscles, increasing flexibility and jaw/neck motion.  PT can help you learn things to do at home such as using ice packs, eating softer foods, and even reducing stress. 

Melissa Hickman SPT

~Music and Mood

I currently have a great intern that will be writing some guest posts in the upcoming weeks.  Enjoy!    Marnie

Music can have a dramatic effect on our mood.  It can make you really excited and actually feel like your energy level increases,  or it can also have the opposite effect and help relax you when you're mind is racing and going in many different directions.  There are many things we've all heard about music...like music helps you focus, classical music can help you retain information for a test if you listen to it while you study, music can help you sleep, lullabies can put babies to sleep, etc.  Scientists are studing the brain and determining the changes that occure in our brains while listening to music. 

Listening to music not only feels good but can also have some physiological benefits.  For example, we all know surgery can be scary.  A study was done where patients either listened to music or took anxiety medications prior to surgery.  The anxiety levels were lower in the ones who listened to music than the patients who took the medications!  Listening to music is also related to our body's ability to fight off germs!  Researchers have found that our brains can be changed depending on the genres of music we choose throughout our lives.  The more of one genre we listen to, the more we appreciate that particular style.  The attention, planning, memory and movement centers of our brains are all activated while listening to music.

 

But...do we all hear the same thing?  Music is the same as with other life experiences.  We can all be present and share the same experience, but do we interpret it the same?  We actually DO have similar experiences.  Our brain activity is the same in different kinds of people with very different personalities. Think about attending a concert for a minute.  Did you ever stop to think about how it blends all different kinds of people.  It doesn't matter the age, race, or gender; but they're all there because they share a common bond.  

Further research needs to be done to find out the parts of the brain that are activated with music and how it affects each of us differently.  In the meantime, listen to music that makes you feel good and puts you in a good mood!

Melissa Hickman SPT

The material on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose of suggest treatment for individuals.  Consult your health care provider regarding your specific needs.