09 Jan 2019
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Myofascial Pain What to Know

Chronic Pain Conditions, Nerve Pain, Peripheral Neuropathy, , ,
myofascial pain trigger points Skeletal muscles primarily function our way of moving by attaching to other muscles and joints. When those muscles get knotted up, like when you sleep on your neck wrong, or have a back spasm, trigger points develop causing the muscle to shorten and become dysfunctional. Myofasical trigger points prevent normal muscle function, not allowing the muscle to contract or relax as it should. These highly sensitive trigger points in the muscle can cause sensory, motor, and autonomic symptoms. When myofascial trigger points are not treated early, they can cause stress in the dysfunctional muscle fibers and…
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08 Jan 2019
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Computer Posture Can Lead to Back Pain

Chronic Pain Conditions, Lifestyle Tips for Chronic Pain, Therapies & Treatments, , , , ,
Bad Computer Posture Leads to Back Pain Poor computer posture can lead to neck and back pain. Long hours of staring into a computer screen (or even phone screen) can cause stiff neck or back pain. It’s a subconscious thing we do to get a closer look at our screens, and because we don’t know we’re doing it we don’t realize how bad our computer posture is or what it’s doing to our spines. (I keep correcting my posture as a type this) This head-forward computer posture compresses our neck leading to poor concentration, fatigue, headaches, and muscle tension in…
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07 Jan 2019
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Rotator Cuff Injuries

Chronic Pain Conditions, , , ,
Should pain, stiffness, weakness, and loss of range of motion are all common symptoms of rotator cuff injuries. People with rotator cuff injuries sight pain, especially at night, as a symptom. Movement of the arm over the head, or reaching behind the back could cause pain as well. Patients report feeling the most stiffness in the injured shoulder when getting out of bed. Muscle weakness with lifting the arm, or holding it away from the body may be difficult. A rotator cuff injury may also result in loss of normal range of motion. Shoulders are complex joints that are capable…
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13 Dec 2018
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Exercise Ball Therapy for Lower Back Pain

Chronic Pain Conditions, Therapies & Treatments, , , ,
The exercise ball therapy is an exercise treatment option for back pain sufferers and is designed to help prevent or minimize further episodes of low back pain as part of a rehabilitation program. The exercise ball is effective in rehabilitation of the back because it strengthens and develops the core body muscles that help to stabilize the spine. With the exercise ball, also called a Swiss ball or physio ball, an element of instability is introduced to the exercise that one would not normally get in a floor exercise. The body responds naturally and automatically to this instability to keep balanced on the…
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10 Dec 2018
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

10 Tips to Prevent Neck Pain

Chronic Pain Conditions, Lifestyle Tips for Chronic Pain, , ,
It’s probably safe to say that most of us at some point in time have woken up with neck pain or can recall an event or injury that resulted in neck pain. In fact, at any given time, 13% of American adults (women more than men) suffer from neck pain. Neck pain usually arises from muscles, tendons, and ligaments—commonly referred to as the soft tissues—in and around the cervical spine (the neck). Muscle strain and resulting muscle spasm is often caused by an underlying neck problem, such as spinal stenosis, arthritis, or disc degeneration and can be triggered from trauma but frequently occurs insidiously, or…
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06 Dec 2018
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Cervical Nerves

Chronic Pain Conditions, Nerve Pain, , ,
In addition to the seven cervical vertebrae, cervical anatomy features eight cervical nerve roots (C1-C8). These roots branch from the spinal cord and control motor and sensory abilities for different parts of the body. From there each cervical nerve is named based on the lower cervical vertebra that it runs between. As an example, the C6 nerve root runs between the C5 vertebra and the C6 vertebra. Cervical Nerve Functions Each level of the cervical spine actually has two nerve roots—one on each side—that branch off from the spinal cord. Keeping with the aforementioned example at the C5-C6 level, each…
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03 Dec 2018
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Rheumatoid Arthritis vs Osteoarthritis

Chronic Pain Conditions, , , ,
Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis both cause joint pain and stiffness. They are both forms of arthritis but have different causes and treatments.There are over 100 types of arthritis and related diseases. Two of the most common types are rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA). OA is more common than RA. Both OA and RA involve inflammation in the joints, but the inflammation in RA is much greater. Until recently, healthcare professionals believed that inflammation was not present in OA. OA and RA share some symptoms. RA can affect multiple joints in a subtype called polyarticular arthritis, and it tends to affect the body symmetrically. OA usually affects a few joints…
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29 Nov 2018
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

5 Signs of Chronic Hamstring Tendinopathy

Chronic Pain Conditions, , ,
Just as your favorite pair of jeans can become worn and threadbare in the knees, your tendons can also develop chronic injury through wear-and-tear. Tendinopathy refers to a disease of a tendon. The clinical presentation includes tenderness on palpation and pain, often when exercising or with movement. Several terms have evolved in the medical terminology to refer to injuries that cause tendon pain: Tendinitis - acute tendon injury accompanied by inflammation. Why does chronic tendinopathy occur? There are 3 tendons in the back of the thigh that connect the hamstring muscles to the ischial tuberosity (the sit bone) in the pelvis. When…
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27 Nov 2018
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Hip Labrum What’s That?

Chronic Pain Conditions, , ,
Made of tough cartilage, the labrum rings the hip’s socket, or acetabulum. The labrum is important to overall hip health and function. Specifically, the labrum: Facilitates the hip's range of motion, allowing the thigh to rotate in every direction, including forward, backward, inward, and externally Helps preserve proper alignment between the hip’s ball and socket Keeps synovial fluid, or joint fluid, within the hip joint capsule (synovial fluid reduces stress and friction and allows for smooth movement between the ball and socket) In essence, the hip labrum is a ring of cartilage that provides both support and flexibility to the…
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26 Nov 2018
By webadmin@macmdaz.com

Lower Back Pain

Chronic Pain Conditions, Uncategorized, , , ,
While older adults can experience pain related to any of the conditions that also affect younger adults, individuals over age 60 are more likely to suffer from pain related to degeneration of the joints in the spine. Two of the most common causes of lower back pain in older adults include osteoarthritis and spinal stenosis. Symptoms: Lower back pain and stiffness that is the most pronounced in the morning and in the evening Includes any combination of the below symptoms: Pain that interrupts sleep Pain that is most pronounced first thing in the morning and again toward the end of the day Localized…
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