Category: Miraculous Human Body

Amazing Design!


Amazing Design!

Someone recently asked me what the strongest muscle in the human body was. I had thought that, ounce for ounce, it was the tongue. But, turns out there are many ways to measure strength. I came across this website, EverydayMysteries . Interestingly, the myometrial layer of the uterus is one of the strongest muscles. This is the muscle that a woman uses to push the baby out of the body during labor. Usually muscles atrophy with lack of use, but here, a muscle you almost never ‘use’, comes into play for this impressive performance. What a trulyamazing design!

Pectoral Health

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Pectoral Health

One of the most common problem areasclients need me to address are, drum roll please, neck and shoulders. Whether you’redriving, doing dishes, computer work, or nursing your baby, many of us find ourselves laboring over our work. Your back hurts, but your pectoral muscles may be to blame. These muscles become short and want to stay in their shortened position, causing rounded shoulders and postural deficiencies.

Occasionally you may try and sit up straight, but 3 seconds into it, you realize it’s difficult and tiring. Passively elongatingyour upper chest muscles canbring about balance to your upper body; helping to relieve your upper back and neck tension!

Simply place your hand comfortably on a wall or door jam at about shoulder height, elbow can be straight or bent, whichever is more effective, and pivot away. Breath deeply into the stretch, taking the stretch further as the muscles release. This stretch should always feel good, like a morning stretch, and in no way compromise the joint. Play with the stretch and modify it to suit your own body, and be sure to do both sides. If you feel pain, please stop immediately.

You may do this several times a day, and experience the great results!

Everyone has TMJ

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Everyone has TMJ

In fact, we allhave two TMJs, one in front of each ear, connecting the lower jaw bone (the mandible) to the skull.TemporoMandibular Joints, or the TMJ’s are the hinges that allow us to open and close our mouths. These joints allow for all biting, chewing and swallowing food, for speaking and for making facial expressions.

For those whosejoints or muscles of the jaw mechanism are not functioning properly,pain is no stranger.Many symptoms can arise, among them, neck and shoulder tension, migraine and/or chronic headaches, jaw muscle stiffness, limited movement or locking of the jaw, painful clicking, popping or grating in the jaw joint when opening or closing the mouth, and pain and ringing in the ears.

Working these powerful muscles requires specialized training, andNeuromuscular Therapy has equipped me with the skill to address the muscles of the jaw, inside the mouth and out, often relieving the headaches, tension, pain and other gripping effects associated with TMJ dysfunction. The protocol for anterior neck and intraoral work can be uncomfortable, so good communication and trust between client and therapist is vital.

Antagonizing Antagonists and the Therapists Who….

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Antagonizing Antagonists and the Therapists Who….

…love them? Antagonize them? Probably both. Antagonism often brings to mindthe times on family car rides when your brother taunted you to the point of tears; staring at you, quietly calling you names, and then there’s theflicking. Dad glances in the rear view mirror just asyour frustration reaches its apex, culminating in your moment of reckoning. I am not necessarily referring to this kind of antagonist, but we’ll come back to this later. What I am referring to is the specific way that muscles function.

Muscle Function 101-muscles only pull, they never push.

All muscles must work in pairs. This is because they can contract (shorten) and relax but cannot push or stretch themselves. When your biceps contracts, it flexes and bends the elbow joint. At the same time it also pulls the triceps to make it longer. So the triceps must relax while stretched by the biceps pulling it. When the triceps contracts, it extends (straightens) the elbow joint, and at the same time it pulls the biceps and makes it longer. So these two muscles work together. Neither muscle can stretch itself; it must be stretched by its antagonist (partner).

All of this to address the importance of working opposing muscles groups. When a client complains of pain or dysfunction in a particular area, a therapist should not only address that area, but often more importantly, the antagonists, which as we can see in the story of our family, is often the problem in the first place. We can apply this approach to most areas of the body. If the issue is your low back and SI joint, just spending 30 minutes digging into inflamed areas may simply exacerbate the problem. Keeping in mind the rule that muscles never push, your back is being pulled by something, so addressing your hip flexors is often an important key to finding relief. After a long flight or sitting for extended periods of time your hip flexors become shortened causing your back muscles to compensate trying to correct the problem. Working to open up and elongate the muscles of the anterior hip will bring about balance, reducing pain and the dysfunction that causes it. Surprisingly, you may even find these antagonists extremely tender to the touch, making the bodywork difficult to endure, which is why you should always seek a trusted therapist, clearly communicating your needs.

So, dads, while saying, “He’s trying to antagonize you, just ignore him,” may have worked to diffuse the situation, is an ultimately not a good strategy when it comes toparenting or bodywork; no, don’t ignore them, help make them accountable, balanced and functioning members.