WHAT ABOUT PAIN?

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WHAT ABOUT PAIN?

Most of us have a perverse relationship with pain -- any kind of pain – back pain, shoulder pain, knee pain, or neck pain.  If we have it, we don’t want it and we do any number of things to get it to go away – prescription or non-prescription drugs, lifts, braces, wraps, and even surgery – all because we don’t understand pain.

If we can look at pain for what it is – the body’s message system – then we can listen to what message the body is sending us.  So what is the quality of the pain you feel?  Is it the sharp, knife like, electric white-hot kind?  Oh yeah, you have to stop whatever your doing and find a new position and placement.  That kind of pain is the fire alarm so to speak.  But if it’s not that sharp electric kind of pain, if we can look it in the eye, we can learn a great deal about our bodies.  Is it there all the time or can you adjust your position and see it increase or decrease?  Does it come in the morning upon waking or later when you’re tired?  Does it occur while moving and doing things or when you’re more static?  What brings this pain on and can you get it to decrease?

A common mistake we make around pain is to use it as the only measure that we’re doing better when it is only one way of measuring how we’re doing.  Typically, pain is the last thing to change so it’s not the best measure, just the one we want to see the most!  The pain will go away when the body is able to maintain a more equal, bilateral, symmetrical position.   That means you have to start developing your “kinesthetic awareness” – sensing, feeling our bodies from the inside out – which is not something we are encouraged to do in our culture!

As a posture exercise therapist, if I can get you to think about something other than your pain, we’ve made a giant step forward toward getting you better.  To practice kinesthetic awareness, ask yourself these questions:  Where do you feel the weight in your feet?  Is the weight equal left to right or different?  Is it more in the heels or balls of the feet? Is it more toward the arch or little toes?  If you stand with your toes together and heels apart with your legs really straight does that change anything or can you feel what changed?  If you do several exercises and walk around again can you feel what has changed?  Can you feel the position of your shoulders in relation to the rest of you?  Is your head in line with your shoulders and spine or is it more forward?  Can you feel your body with your body (hence, the kinesthetic part) or do you have to look in a mirror to tell (more visual)?  The imbalances you discover and feel in your body can be corrected.  The pain you feel from the imbalance can be alleviated.  It’s what we do at Pain Free.

So, while pain is an important sensation and a clue to misalignment it should not frighten us, but put us on the path to understanding the message.   Acknowledging the pain and correcting the muscle imbalances will stop the pain.  Listening to our pain rather than automatically stopping it with medication or procedures will help us make the necessary changes to live pain free.  At Pain Free Performance we will give you the tools to do just that. 

In good health,

Mackie

What Is Pain Free Performance?

We are a community of people who all share the same vision.  Following our purpose - caring for people - alleviating pain. We are people of integrity, we're smart, trained and experienced - you are in good hands - we know what we're doing.  When it comes to Egoscue centered postural therapy we are the real deal. We practice a sound  evidence based approach that has been helping people get out of pain for over 42 years: Egoscue in it's pure form.

We believe in getting back to the basic design  intended for the human body - your body. It's not about a quick fix, it's a journey to living pain free by restoring muscle balance. It's not something that we do to you - there is some work involved , but it's good work.

People come to us because they  have heard from a friend or a health care provider that we really get to the why of what is hurting you. From the moment you walk through our door you will experience the difference in our approach to treatment.  You will be greeted with a smile, compassion and understanding along with exceptional postural therapy. Our approach is very different.... in fact many things about us are different. We have made a conscious choice to resist the latest trends, current frenzied marketing approaches, credit cards and the traditional medical office experience.  Yes, we are a professional pain management clinic. However, we are care-givers who will be spending a lot of time with you , focused on your body, your alignment, alleviating your pain -- giving you the tools to get back to your life.    

Our true purpose is to guide your body back to your original design.  It's not about orthotics, back braces, medications, injections or surgery.  It's about teaching you how to undo all that has happened in your body due to the world we live in.  Sitting in the car for hours, or just sitting for hours, leaning over while we work, breaking a bone or two, that bad accident, inactivity, overuse - these things wreck havoc on that "original design". All of these things have contributed to your pain.. Our passion is to teach you  how to re-educate your muscles to put your body back in alignment.

Our door is always open.  Please feel free to stop by, get a tour, meet our staff and see what we are all about. We look forward to meeting you.

In Good Health,

Cindy, Lisa, Mackie and Kat

WE ARE POSTURE PEOPLE!

AT PAIN FREE PERFORMANCE WE ARE POSTURE PEOPLE!  My name is Mackie Boblette and I have spent the last eighteen years helping people restore their posture.  What does that mean?   Are your feet/ankles, knees, hips and shoulders in a straight line and at 90 degree angles?  If not, getting your body aligned in that way is our goal.

Folks come to me everyday with some kind of pain -  which is a symptom.  I want to be very clear -- your pain is not the problem!  Your pain is the body's way of telling you something is not working.  I simply serve as a translator and guide to help you understand what your body is trying to tell you.  So the pain (symptom) is not the focus but it is a clue as to what isn't working and what exercises I may or may not be able to give you to do.  Your symptom gives me the parameters of where we can start working.

For instance, let's take a look at low back pain.  Low back pain occurs mainly because the two halves of the pelvis are torqued, elevated and/or twisted. This means that all the muscles in your back are going to be bearing the brunt of this misalignment - and creating pain. You can take meds, heat treatments, massage and even have surgery but unless you get the the two halves of the pelvis back to being equal and symmetrical, the other treatments will only be a temporary help for the symptom, not the permanent resolution which is an aligned body. 

It's not too late - it's never too late to make a change (unless you're underground and not breathing!) .  Give us a call at 434-296-0600 and let us help you regain your posture and relieve your pain.

I have shoulder pain.....Why are you working on my hips???

When a client comes into Pain Free for an Egoscue session, the therapist will look at the position of the bones. We evaluate:

1. head position
2. neck position
3. shoulder position
4. hip position
5. leg position
6. foot position

Why does this matter?

You can have back pain that comes from a misalignment somewhere else in the body.  You can have shoulder pain that comes from hips that are misaligned.  You can have neck pain that comes from your back being flexed forward.  You can have any number of combinations of imbalances causing pain somewhere else in your body. The point is,  focusing on the area of pain will help treat the symptom but it will not treat the real problem.

I have a client who has right shoulder pain.  He exercises all the time.  He bikes, runs, swims and lifts weights.  He is really fit, however on examination, his head is forward, his shoulders are rounded, his hips are tight, his legs and feet turn outward.

If he had come to see me several years ago when I was working in physical therapy, I would have treated the heck out of his shoulder --therapeutic massage, electrical stim, ultra sound,etc.-----and when he left my clinic, he'd have felt better -- until the next day or the next week or month when the pain returned.  I treated the symptom without addressing the cause of the symptom.

Today, evaluating my client using the Egoscue method, I know that the posterior tilt in his pelvis is driving his back into flexed position which is causing his shoulders to round forward.  Every time he lifts his arm he has muscles that are already being pulled , then they pull even more and his shoulder joint does not line up causing uneven wear in the joint - which causes the pain. To correct his shoulder problem ... I have to get his hips to line up and then get the flexion out of his back.

So when a client asks why are you working on my hips when my shoulder hurts????  The answer.... It's all connected!

New Years Resolution

So..... it's almost February and most of us have decided we should eat right and exercise more now that the holiday binge season is over!  That is all well and good - but be cautious.

If you go to the gym and are weight training a body that is out of alignment then you are setting yourself up for an injury.  How, you ask?  Well ... if a body has muscle imbalances then some muscles are working harder than they were designed to and other muscles are not working hard enough.  When you go to use the weights, the stronger muscles will do more work than the weaker ones and in the long run you end up strengthening the dysfunction.   The result will be back pain, neck and shoulder pain or a million other pains that you were really working to avoid! While weight training has many benefits...you need to GET STRAIGHT ... THEN STRENGTHEN. 

The best way to do this is to have an evaluation by one of our Egoscue therapists.  Let us determine where and why the imbalances are in your body,  correct them so that you can go to the gym and exercise a functional body - pain free!  The Egoscue Method works..... we are offering free screens this month.  Call us to get scheduled.  434-296-0600

NECK AND SHOULDER PAIN RELIEF!!!

Is your neck and shoulder pain becoming debilitating?  Perhaps you are constantly twisting your your head side to side, shrugging your shoulders, trying to find a neutral position to take you out of pain.  Maybe you try to stand up straighter, you get your spouse to rub your shoulders at the end of a long day, you take an Advil (or three), and it all helps - for a little while.  The next morning you have the same pain and you start all over again.  You wonder what you "did" that made you hurt.  Did you lift something too heavy, twist a funny way, reach for something, or was it sitting hunched over at your desk all day?  Most likely, even if one of these scenarios brought on your current discomfort, the real answer is found in one word:  balance, or in this case, imbalance!  Not the kind that the gymnast shows while traversing a balance beam, but the balance in your musculo-skeletal system, the alignment of your body.

How do you restore balance to your body and relieve your pain?  The Egoscue Method.  Pete Egoscue developed this method as a result of pain he suffered with after serving our country in Vietnam.  He was unable to find anything but temporary relief through typical channels; doctor visits, medication, traditional hands-on symptom based treatments.  Sound familiar? 

Egoscue began thinking about the actual cause of his pain and determined that if the body is  aligned properly, it becomes pain free.  He also created this method to be a self-treatment approach -- empowering all of us to keep our bodies in optimal alignment and function!

So, what is the Egoscue Method?  It is a series of positions, stretches and strengthening exercises that help reposition and realign your musculo-skeletal system.  This allows the load-bearing joints to line up along the line of gravity.  After a thorough evaluation by a trained Egoscue Certified therapist you are prescribed personalized programs for your body issues.   You actually train your body to rest in vertical alignment.  So, like breathing, you don't have to think about standing up straight or moving a certain way -- you just do!   As your body becomes aligned,  your pain subsides. 

If you'd like to learn more, give us a call at 434-296-0600!  We even have  free screening appointments available if you'd like to see our studio space, meet us and learn more about Egoscue!

In Good Health,

Cindy Meyers    

TREATMENT FOR BACK PAIN

If you have suffered through a severe back spasm you know just how excruciating back pain can be! Treatment for back pain usually takes you to the doctor to get muscle relaxers, anti-inflammatory medications and perhaps a referral for physical therapy, massage or chiropractic.  I know..... I spent years in physical therapy treating patients with back pain using hands-on techniques, exercises and other treatments.  Don't get me wrong... I am not against taking appropriate medication or having hands-on work directly on your symptom.  The problem with that approach is that you never correct the actual underlying cause of the back pain. The real cause of back pain; neck and shoulder pain; hip pain or most muscle pain is musculoskeletal imbalance in the body.

Our muscles are designed to do a certain job.  When muscles are out of balance,  some muscles are working too hard (causing them to get over-developed, tight and painful) and other muscles get weak.  These imbalances can pull our bones out of alignment and cause wear and tear on our joints. So what is the best treatment for back pain, neck and shoulder pain; hip pain or any muscle pain?  The Egoscue Method!  

The Egoscue Method focuses on muscle imbalance. Sometimes where you hurt isn't why you hurt.  Let me give you one example (out of 100's of possibilities) of how misaligned hips can cause back pain!  Let's say you sit all day at the computer. This causes the hip muscles to shorten and get tight.  These hip flexor muscles are now pulling the pelvis  into a tipped forward position.  Now, every time you get up and walk, the changed pelvic position causes the muscles of the buttocks and the back of the thighs to become weaker, creating imbalance. This imbalance pulls the low back  into a swayed position, the leg bones and feet are pulled outward  and the upper back will eventually round forward pulling  the head and shoulders along with it. The result?  Back pain!

The good news is you can bring your body back into balance by doing corrective exercises that will allow your injuries to heal.  The key to the Egoscue Method begins with a thorough evaluation of your body.  By examining photos, looking at the way you move and function,  we can determine which muscles are too tight and which ones are too weak.  This gives us the information about your body to design corrective exercises to restore your body to proper alignment.  The result?  Improved function, and NO PAIN!

What a better way to start your New Year than being Pain Free!  

In Good Health,

Cindy Meyers

P.S.  --Give me a call @ 434-296-0600 and learn more about how we can help you