40% of Whiplash Injuries May End Up With Arthritis

“Whiplash” is the abrupt movement of the head forward, then backwards that causes a sprain or strain to the soft tissues of the neck. It can also be the abrupt movement of the head from side to side. Typically a whiplash will occur during an auto accident, sports injury or other type of trauma. The snapping of the head forwards and backwards, or side to side, does not have to be severe to create an injury to the soft tissue.

When a person suffers a whiplash due to an auto accident, the body's protective mechanisms kick in to help protect the delicate structures of the neck. The body's response to overstretching the muscles, ligaments and tendons of the neck, is to contract the muscles to prevent further injury.

Typically, if the muscles and tendons of the neck are injured, it is referred to as a strain. If the ligaments and deeper structures of the neck are injured, it is referred to as a sprain.

If your injuries are severe, it is best to seek immediate emergency care. Even if your injuries are mild, it is best to follow up with your doctor, so that you get the appropriate therapy for your injury. If your injuries go untreated, it can lead to complications later in life.

In one study, it was determined that patients who had a whiplash-type of injury, 39-60% of them developed osteoarthritis in ensuing years.

A Swedish study examining future health complaints among rear-ended car accident victims found that those with whiplash injuries were nearly four times as likely to have constant pain seven years later, compared with those who sustained other types of injuries in similar accidents, but no trauma to their necks.

Both of these findings may suggest that initial treatment may play a key role in avoiding long-term problems.

"More practitioners understand how to treat whiplash with pain intervention techniques than they used to, but unfortunately, many don't, which can lead to future problems," Dr. Centeno tells WebMD. "The take-home message is that you really need to find people who know how to treat this injury."

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For more information, visit our website www.soarpointmassage.com, or give us a call if you’re in the Greater Sarasota, FL area at (941)-993-3339.

Hands On for Pain Relief

What do you think of when you hear the word “massage”? If you are like most people, you will envision a tranquil spa-like atmosphere with soft music and warm aromatic lotions. That is what, we in the massage field, call Swedish Massage.  The media has done a good job creating an image of what massage is in our head.

But what do you think of when you hear the words “massage therapy?” Do you think of relief from pain? Do you think of greater mobility or range-of-motion?

Swedish Massage is specifically designed for relaxation and relieving stress. Massage Therapy is designed for pain relief and rehabilitation of soft tissue and muscle damage.

There are many different modalities that fit in this category of massage therapy for pain relief. One technique, known as manual therapy, is defined by specialists as “a clinical approach utilizing skilled, specific hands-on techniques, including but not limited to manipulation/mobilization, used by the therapist to diagnose and treat soft tissues and joint structures for the purpose of modulating pain; increasing range of motion (ROM); reducing or eliminating soft tissue inflammation; inducing relaxation; improving contractile and non-contractile tissue repair, extensibility, and/or stability; facilitating movement; and improving function.”

In other words, manual therapy offers hands-on pain relief for a lot of things that may ail your muscles and joints.

In the upcoming blog entries more detail will be offered about the different techniques that fall under the category of manual therapy. So stay tuned to learn what techniques may be right to help your body heal and eliminate pain.

For more information, visit our website www.soarpointmassage.com, or give us a call if you’re in the Greater Sarasota, FL area at (941)-993-3339

Less Pain, More Gain

“No Pain, No Gain” is a phrase that we’ve all heard.  But what does that mean when you already have pain?  If your pain is because you have an injury to muscle or soft tissue damage, that phrase does not work.

“No Pain, No Gain” is used when you refer to exercising to build your muscles bigger. When you lift weights to build muscle, you have to lift a weight that is heavy enough to create micro tears in the muscle fibers. The body then repairs the damaged tissue at while resting, and builds the muscles bigger.

But when it comes to the other forms of exercise, stretching, cardio training or core stability work, you don’t want to be creating micro tears in the muscle fibers. How much better do you think your range of motion would be if you keep stretching to pain and causing scar tissue to develop because you are tearing the muscle fibers?

Well, with soft tissue rehab and manual therapy, “Less Pain Is More Gain”.   You always want to respect the body’s physiology, not try to overpower it.  If you use a “direct technique” to treat an injury, you want to go to the edge or barrier of resistance. But never into the pain, or past the pain barrier.  If you use an “indirect technique,” you take the body into a position of comfort, away from the barrier in order for the tissue or muscle to heal.

Therapy should work with your body’s own physiology. The body is incredible in its complexity, but when you understand the simplicity of its anatomy and physiology, it almost seams easy to help it heal.

Pain is a way for our body to tell us that something is wrong. Our job is to listen to our bodies and understand what it is trying to tell us.

Your massage therapist should be able to educate you about your pain and injury. With a little knowledge, you will learn how your body is sending you signals that something is wrong. Together, you can help your body heal, from all types of injuries and trauma.

For more information, visit our website www.soarpointmassage.com, or give us a call if you’re in the Greater Sarasota, Florida area at (941)-993-3339.

The A.R.T. Of Evaluating Your Physical Well-Being After An Accident

If you’re ever in a car accident, a lot more can be “wrecked” then just your car, and you may not even realize it. The force and trauma of an accident can be very damaging to the soft tissues of the body. The impact of one car hitting is mostly dissipated through the frame of the car.

For example, car bumpers give and spring to minimize the damage to the frame. If the impact is severe enough, the frame of the car will buckle to absorb the impact and protect the passengers. 

Your body, on the other hand, is not designed to absorb the forces that are generated by a car crash in the same way. If you are hit from behind, your head will snap forward, then back. The body’s way of absorbing the impact is to tighten the muscles and connective tissues to protect the joints and spinal cord. This can lead to spasms, swelling and pain.

A proper assessment of an injury, following a car wreck, or any type of injury, should include a 3-step protocol, or an A.R.T. Evaluation (Asymmetry, Restriction of Motion, and Tenderness).

Asymmetry. A good massage therapist will evaluate your posture to look for clues to determine if and where trauma has affected your body. This will show up as a forward head posture or a high hip or a rounded raised shoulder.

Restriction In Range of Motion (ROM).  If your body cannot move through a full ROM, it gives the therapist a starting point to determine where the barrier is restricting the motion. If the barrier is soft due to swelling, this may indicate a soft tissue problem. If the barrier is hard, this may indicate an articular or joint problem.

Tenderness. By thoroughly evaluating the whole body, your therapist should check for tender points in the muscles, fascia and joints. These tender points will confirm the areas of the body that have been hurt or injured, and a course of treatment can be prescribed.

Additional testing should also be done manually to check the muscles, fascia, ligaments, tendons, joints, lymph flow and energy flow throughout the body. “Manually” means “hands on” techniques, not with machines or technology.

In the end, you and your massage therapist can best determine the extent of any injuries, and develop an individualized treatment plan.

For more information, visit our website www.soarpointmassage.com, or give us a call if you’re in the Greater Sarasota, Florida  area at (941)-993-3339.