Non-Invasive Manual Osteopathy Relieves Low Back Pain

Researchers from the University of North Texas have determined that non-invasive osteopathic manual therapy will reduce low back pain in a majority of cases – avoiding expensive and invasive back surgery.

The University of North Texas researchers and Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine researchers conducted their research on 455 patients – 269 (59%) with back pain with low severity and 186 (41%) with severe low back pain.

The researchers performed their treatment research with randomization and double-blindedness using what is referred to as “sham-control.” “Sham control” refers to treatments that appear to be the same as the studied treatment but are not the prescribed treatment. In other words, they appear to be the treatment but they are not.

The researchers oversaw the treatment of the back pain patients over eight weeks of therapy, and then assessed the outcomes of the treatments after twelve weeks.

The patients were treated six times per week with Osteopathic Manual Treatment – also referred to as biomechnical treatment.

At the assessment most of the patients reported substantial improvement in pain reduction and back functioning for their particular movements. The majority of patients reported at least 50% or more reduction in pain.

Those with severe back pain had more than double the chance of significant improvement after treatment with Osteopathic Manual Therapy than those who were treated with sham treatment. And those treated with OMT had 80% chance of significant improvement on the standardized Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire – which qualifies the mobility of the patient – as compared to those treated with the sham (placebo) therapy.

The researchers concluded that:

“The large effect size for Osteopathic Manual Therapy in providing substantial pain reduction in patients with chronic Low Back Pain of high severity was associated with clinically important improvement in back-specific functioning. Thus, Osteopathic Manual Therapy may be an attractive option in such patients before proceeding to more invasive and costly treatments.”

Osteopathic manual therapy utilizes the patient’s own relative muscle strength to help align, balance and strengthen those muscles and ligaments that support the spinal column. While most conventional medical treatments focus upon the spinal column and nerves in an isolated manner, often requiring expensive surgeries that often fail, osteopathic manual therapy utilizes safe and non-invasive guided treatments that allow the spinal region to reposition itself, rendering greater support for the lumbar region.

This article originally appeared on realnatural.org and is written by Case Adams.

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If you have coverage for Massage Therapy, Manual Osteopathy, Acupuncture, Reflexology, Kinesiology or Yoga Therapy your benefit plan is likely coming to an end December 31st. If any remaining balance in your benefits are not used they will not carry over in to the next year. If you have insurance benefits that help you improve and maintain your health, why not take advantage of your plan?

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Are Trigger Points Affecting Your Athletic Performance?

Trigger points cause real problems for athletes.

Not only are trigger points exquisitely painful, but they also affect movement. Trigger points inhibit range of motion by keeping muscles short and stiff. They also weaken muscles, causing them to tire quickly and recover slowly. They produce excessive muscle contraction that can partially disarticulate joints or cause nerve entrapment.

That’s the bad news: Trigger points can seriously inhibit athletic performance. The good news? Acupuncture can help. So can self-care (see tips at the end of this article!).

How does a trigger point form?

A trigger point is a hyper-irritable muscle band with a predictable pattern of pain referral. It forms when the process of muscle contraction and release goes awry.

Muscle overload or trauma causes the muscle band to contract too strongly. Such excessive contracture increases metabolic demand and also squeezes shut the network of capillaries supplying the nutrition and oxygen to the region.

This results in a local energy crisis, perpetuating the cycle of contracture. The muscle band cannot release and a trigger point forms.

Can stretching relieve trigger points?

A muscle harboring a trigger point will be too painful to stretch fully. The pain (and subsequent inhibitory reflex) will prevent you from sufficiently lengthening the muscle band.

What’s more, forcing a stretch will often result in injury (muscle strain) and do nothing to resolve the trigger point.

Think of a trigger point like a knot in a rubber band. Stretching the band will cause it to snap, but it will not release the knot. To restore full stretch to that rubber band, you first need to unwind the knot.

Acupuncture is the most effective way to release trigger points

The acupuncture needle provides a mechanical disruption to the trigger point. It halts the vicious cycle of energy crisis in the muscle. Restored to its full length, the muscle recovers its normal blood supply and metabolism, and it can function fully.

You might be wondering, does having acupuncture on trigger points hurt?

Many release techniques require direct pressure to the trigger point, which is by definition painful. Often a trigger point is too irritable to tolerate much additional mechanical stimulation. But a needle can reach the depth of the trigger point without irritating the hyper-sensitive tissues above or around it. There is simply no other technique that can boast such precision.

And acupuncture achieves immediate results. A single well-placed needle into a trigger point will elicit a twitch followed by reduced muscular tension and increased range of motion. Such immediate feedback is immensely satisfying for someone who has been dealing with pain and dysfunction in that muscle for weeks, months, or even years.

3 self-care tips for preventing trigger points

Increase training loads slowly

Trigger points form due to persistent muscular contraction, strain, or overuse. To prevent their formation, don’t do too much too soon—and make sure you have adequate recovery between workouts. Get enough quality sleep to ensure your body can repair itself efficiently.

Maintain range of motion and muscle balance

This requires some work. Regularly take your body through the opposite range of motion you use in your sport. A good rule of thumb is to lengthen the agonist, and strengthen the antagonist.

For cyclists who spend hours in the saddle with forward shoulder posture, this means increasing range of motion in your pectorals, and strengthening the rhomboids and other muscles of the upper back. Runners typically benefit from lengthening the hip flexors (psoas and quadriceps) and strengthening the hip extensors (glutes and hamstrings).

Break up adhesions

You need to be doing something on a regular basis to normalize tight, overworked muscle tissue.

Supple, flexible muscles don’t get injured. Using a lacrosse ball, a foam roller, or even your fingers, apply direct pressure to a tight muscle band for 8-12 seconds. Taking the muscle through its range of motion while compressing it will break up adhesions before a trigger point forms.

This article originally appeared on Acutake and was written by Ginna Ellis.

Anxiety Helped with Kinesiology

10 year old’s anxiety about going to the Toilet at School

This anxious young man attended me for Systematic Kinesiology with a view to finding out why he feared going to the toilet at school. The background to this case was that there was building work going on at the School and the children were not allowed to use the toilets during school hours for health and safety reasons. This situation manifested greatly in this young man’s mind and he developed a fear that he would have “an accident” at school and would go to the toilet 3 or 4 times before leaving home every school morning. As a result, his bowel movements became irregular – one day constipated the next diarrhea, all of which was accompanied with severe cramping, he also suffered joint pain and headaches. He had become a very restless sleeper.

In recent weeks he had braces applied to his teeth and this was causing a swallowing problem. I carried out a Systematic Kinesiology Balance treatment to determine where the problem was originating. We have 15 systems in our bodies and in order to find out where and why a health problem is existing, a muscle test to each system is carried by using the muscles of the arms and legs. The limbs are put in various positions and a gentle pressure is exerted on the limb. When a “weakened” muscle is found – it does not mean that there is a serious problem. However, in Systematic Kinesiology, we have lots of options to help find the answer – Nutrition: is there a food causing the problem? Is the weakened area working properly – for example – is the digestive system producing enough enzymes to break down the food. Is there an injury to the area that would be causing the problem or is the problem stress related?

In this particular case, the area supporting the Large Intestine showed to be the main problem and nutrition was the reason for the weakness. As well as this, his Temporal Mandibular Joint (Jaw joint) needed to be balanced. I carried out the full food sensitivity test, – a number of foods showed him sensitive to – the main ones being wheat, yeast, and sugar, chocolate. I also checked to see if a nutritional supplement would also support him. To help this young man to feel more grounded and secure in himself, I showed him how to do an exercise called – Cross Crawl. This was to help his concentration, his general energy, and his confidence. I suggested that he do this three times daily. To complete the session, I checked his Energy Centres or Chakras all of which needed to be balanced.

A few days later, his mother rang me to say how pleased she was with the Systematic Kinesiology session, that she now had a “different child”- one who was much happier in himself and had little or no anxiety now about toilet visits. He told his Mum that he felt “lighter” as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. There will be follow up visits necessary to ensure that this young man’s digestive system is working properly, and that he is able to absorb and digest his foods correctly.

If you have a child who’s worrying about issues at school, the Systematic Kinesiology approach looks for solutions in a holistic way, not only focussing on the worry itself, but supporting the child energetically, nutritionally, simple movement exercises and physically working with the body’s balancing reflexes.

Article originally appeared Kinesiology.ie and is written by by Mella Britton, DipAK, practitioner in Donegal