Cervical Stenosis: Unlocking the Secrets to Neck Health

Cervical stenosis is a condition characterized by a change in the bones of the neck. This, in turn, can lead to neck pain and other symptoms. While it can be a serious condition, especially if left untreated, some exercises can help halt its progression and alleviate the symptoms. In this blog, we will delve into what cervical stenosis is, what causes it, and what exercises can be done to manage the condition effectively. What is Cervical Stenosis? Picture this: your spinal cord is like a bustling highway, transmitting signals to and from your brain. Now, imagine a narrowing in this highway—the cervical stenosis. When this narrowing happens, it's like a traffic jam, disrupting the smooth flow of messages to and from your hands, shoulders, and skin. What Leads to Cervical Stenosis? One of the main troublemakers is the wear and tear that comes with age. As the years go by, our necks may develop bone spurs, changes in boney shape, disc bulges, and thickening of ligaments which can narrow the path of the spinal cord. Picture these bone spurs as overgrown branches, encroaching on the highway and the traffic has to slow down around them. Additionally, accidents or injuries can also cause this narrowing—like a sudden roadblock causing chaos in our nerve pathways. Signs and Signals: Recognizing Symptoms The signs of cervical stenosis can vary. Some may feel a tingling sensation in their hands as if tiny sparks are dancing under their skin. Others might experience radiating pain, from the neck down to the shoulders or just neck pain.   Exercises for Cervical Stenosis

1. Hip Mobility: The Foundation

Before focusing on neck exercises, it is important to ensure that your hips are mobile. The neck is the last point of movement before the eyes, which should always be parallel to the horizon. If there are any issues with the body below the neck, the neck compensates to keep the eyes level. To avoid this compensation, perform exercises that improve hip mobility. Start by getting into a half-kneeling position and move forward and backward to stretch the front of your hip. Make sure to maintain a strong relationship between the pubic bone and the ribs, engaging your core slightly. Additionally, perform lateral movements by moving the hips left and right. Finally, incorporate rotational movements by imagining your pelvis as a wheel and pushing it in different directions. 2. Freeing Your Upper Back: Your Neck's Support System The thorax, or upper back, plays a significant role in neck movement. To improve mobility in this area, perform exercises that target flexion, extension, side bending, and rotation. To target the upper back, raise your right hand above your head and reach through with your left hand, combining side bending and rotation. Repeat this movement with flexion and extension as well. Perform the same set of exercises on the opposite side. These movements will help loosen up the upper back and relieve tension in the neck. 3. Neck Mobility: The Dance of Flexibility While it may seem counterintuitive, some exercises can improve neck mobility without moving the eyes. These exercises target rotation and side bending. To improve rotation, rotate your shoulders while keeping your head still (look at something in front of you). This movement stretches the neck muscles without causing additional pain. To target side bending, drop one arm to point to the ground as you raise the other towards the ceiling, creating a stretch in the side of your neck. Perform this exercise on both sides, ensuring that your eyes remain parallel to the horizon throughout. 4. Stretching: Unleashing the Tension In addition to mobility exercises, it is important to directly stretch the neck muscles. One effective stretch targets the trapezius and scalene muscles. Sit on one hand to restrict movement in the shoulder. Place the other hand on top of your head and lean away from the hand you are sitting on, feeling the stretch in the side of your neck. You can adjust the angle of the stretch by leaning slightly forward or to the side. This stretch can be performed on both sides, targeting different muscles in the neck. 5. Strengthening: Building Your Neck's Resilience To strengthen the neck muscles, isometric exercises can be beneficial. Isometric exercises involve tensing a muscle without moving it. By pushing against your hand in different directions, you can contract and strengthen the neck muscles without causing excessive movement. Perform these isometric exercises on each side for 10-15 seconds, targeting side bending, extension, and flexion. These exercises will help build strength in the neck, providing additional support for individuals with cervical stenosis. Conclusion Cervical stenosis can be a debilitating condition, but with early intervention and the right exercises, its progression can be halted, and symptoms can be managed effectively. By focusing on mobility exercises for the hips and upper back, as well as targeted exercises for the neck, individuals can alleviate pain and improve their overall quality of life. Remember to consult a healthcare professional before starting any exercise regimen, especially if you have a pre-existing condition.

Relieve Groin Muscle Pain

If you're experiencing pain in your groin area, you're not alone. Groin pain can be caused by various factors, including muscle and joint issues. In this blog, we will explore a range of exercises designed to help relieve groin pain and improve your hip and pelvic floor muscles. Before we dive in, it's important to note that obtaining a proper diagnosis is crucial to understanding the underlying cause of your pain.  If you want to use the exercises presented here and on my YouTube channel make sure your groin pain is related to muscles and joints. Remember to consult with a healthcare professional for an accurate diagnosis and individualized treatment plan. These exercises for groin pain progress in difficulty, meaning that they can form the basis of a home-based groin rehab program for you. However, you don’t need to do them all on day 1, or 2 for that matter.  Work through the groin exercises and when you find one that causes pain or is too tough stop there and just focus on the ones before it until things start to heal in your groin.  Stretching for Groin Relief The first exercise we will discuss is a simple stretch that targets the groin muscles, namely the adductors.  Lie on your back with your feet planted on the ground and knees bent, and allow your knees to move apart naturally. If you have recently strained your groin, this stretch alone may be sufficient. To add a bit more pressure, place your hands on the inside of your knees and gently push them outward. Remember to listen to your body and stop if you experience any pain. Try doing this 10 times the first time you do it.  Hip Circumduction Hip circumduction is another effective exercise for groin rehab. Lying on your back with both legs straight, lift your injured leg, without bending at the knee,  so it points up at the sky or ceiling.  From there move it in a circular motion by slowly lowering it out to the side and then returning it to lie next to your other leg.. You may notice that certain areas, such as the top portion of the movement, are more challenging or painful. Focus on working within a comfortable range of motion and gradually push your limits as your pain subsides. Aim to perform 10 repetitions of this exercise for three sets. Isometric Strengthening Isometric exercises involve contracting muscles without actually moving the joints. Imagine holding a weight out in front of you without lowering your arms.  This is an isometric contraction for your shoulders.  The muscles are working but not moving. To strengthen the muscles on the inside of your leg, lie down and place an object (such as a rolled-up towel or a football) between your knees. Take a deep breath in, then squeeze the object between your knees for 15 to 30 seconds. Your legs shouldn’t move inward very far.  Relax and repeat this exercise for three sets. You may even notice a slight "pop" or "click" in the front of your pelvis as you perform this exercise, which can help realign your pelvis and relieve pain in a strained adductor muscle. Half Kneeling Rock Backs For this exercise, you'll need a mat or cushion under your knees to protect them from the hard ground.  Get into a half kneeling position which means one knee is bent underneath you and the other leg is positioned straight and out to the side.  Once in position, slowly move your hips backward and forward to create a stretching sensation in the groin of the straight leg.  Perform 10 repetitions for three sets, and remember to do this exercise on both sides to ensure balanced muscle engagement. The Frogger Stretch The Frogger stretch targets both groins simultaneously. This is a classic exercise for any groin or adductor injuries.  Begin in a kneeling position, spread your knees apart until you feel a slight stretch in your groin. Your feet should also be apart, ideally at the same distance as your knees. Push your hips back while maintaining a stretching sensation. To intensify the stretch, squeeze your knees together as if pushing them into the ground, or trying to activate your groin muscles to pull your knees together.  Hold this position for about 5 seconds, relax, and try to deepen the stretch. If squeezing your knees together is too challenging, focus on the rocking forward and back motion instead. Hip Mobility and Rotation To shift the focus from the groin to overall hip mobility, try a forwards-backward dynamic lunge. Begin by placing an object underneath your knee for added comfort. Perform a kneeling lunge by moving your hips forward and backward. This will actually work both sides of your groin at the same time. Once you get used to the movement you can move your upper body into rotation, alternating between both sides. As you become more comfortable, gradually increase the range of motion and add more upper-body rotation. Aim for 10 to 15 repetitions in each position and perform five rotations in each direction. These groin rehabilitation exercises provide a starting point for relieving groin pain and improving hip and pelvic floor function. Remember to consult with a healthcare professional to accurately diagnose the cause of your groin pain and determine the most appropriate treatment plan for your specific needs. By incorporating these exercises into your routine and gradually progressing, you can alleviate discomfort and restore optimal function in your groin area. If you found this information helpful, we appreciate your support in sharing this content with anyone you think would benefit. As always if you have any questions feel free to contact me or share your comments below. For individuals with scoliosis or back pain, consider exploring our online courses tailored to those specific conditions.

The Mindset For Healing

A while ago I interviewed Vinny Crispino, the founder of the Pain Academy, and learned a lot from his approach to using corrective exercise to help people in pain. Importantly, he knows from personal experience what pain is all about, this is because he was an Olympic hopeful athlete who ended up fracturing his spine in a surf accident. His recovery was tough and after years of unsuccessful rehab, he encountered someone who taught him the importance of correct movement and mindset.  What Is A Corrective Exercise Specialist? A corrective exercise specialist focuses on addressing restricted movement, muscle imbalances, and painful joints by devising tailored plans to correct these issues. The intensity spectrum of corrective exercises ranges from relaxing the body to providing higher stimulus for strength and tissue integrity. By understanding where individuals are on this spectrum, specialists can provide exercises to address specific movement issues. For example, many people don’t know that they are constantly holding muscles tight, or guarding an area. Bringing awareness to this area and teaching people to ‘switch off’ those muscles is usually a great first step towards beating chronic pain.  Why Traditional Pain Management Models Might Not Work Vinny and I discussed how traditional pain management models, such as physiotherapy and chiropractic care, often lack adaptability and personalization. This means the ‘cookie cutter’ approach leaves many people wondering why they ‘failed rehab’ and not knowing what happens next. Usually, they are put on the conveyor belt towards surgery but this leaves people who don’t want surgery or who aren’t a candidate in limbo. In contrast, Vinne's approach with the Pain Academy was to use an AI-powered algorithm to interact with clients based on their feedback, offering a unique and tailored experience for each individual. By adapting exercises to client feedback, the program aims to help individuals overcome pain more effectively and permanently.  This is similar in a way to how good, knowledgeable therapists work in private practice. I say private practice here because sometimes in the hospital setting, there might be a great therapist but they are bound by the ‘evidence-based protocols’ that are prescribed to them and can’t deviate from the plan, leaving them and the patient frustrated.  Whereas a therapist in private practice has the autonomy to make their own decisions based on the patient's feedback on what is the next best step. There is a limit to this though, which is how many people can one therapist help at a time and where are they based. By using an online approach with an AI-powered decision-making process Vinny has essentially ‘cloned’ his thought process so he can help more people, in more locations, faster than he would be able to work one on one. Importance of Mindset in Healing Getting people to do the correct exercise is wonderful but it isn’t the whole picture. If anyone has done my scoliosis course they know I have an entire module on mindset and that with the lifestyle medicine approach mindset is key to a long, happy life. In our interview, Vinny shared his personal experience of realizing the impact of mindset on pain management and recovery. He noted that even though he was doing the ‘right exercises’ his mindset was wrong and he didn’t get better. Once he changed his mindset the same exercises began to work!  This is something we both value and try to teach our clients, but mindset can sometimes be hard to define. Personally, I like to establish a goal with my clients, what is their “why”, and what can they refer to when they lack motivation or regress?  I don’t let people get away with saying, they want to lose weight, or they want to run again. There is a reason underlying it, sometimes I have to go through 5 or 6 different layers before we find the “why” but once we have it, rehab can become laser-focused. If you are recovering from an illness or injury and you are going through the rehab process ask yourself why you want to get better. Is it just so you can move without pain, or is there more to it? Personally when I’m injured my thought process is something like this. “I don’t want to feel this pain… Because it’s stopping me from working with my clients and playing with my kids… Which means I’m not helping people or being the best father I can be… So I need to do my rehab for my clients, my family and me”. That keeps me motivated! Empowering Individuals All Over The World With online training, we are removing geographical limitations by leveraging the internet and this is a new frontier of medicine. Both Vinny’s Pain Academy program and my programs allow people to make guided, informed decisions, and work towards long-term improvement in their health, wellness, movement patterns, and pain management. You can listen to our podcast below and if you want to delve deeper into who Vinny might be able to help you with his online course you can check him out in the following places. [embed]https://edpaget.com/episode-28-the-algorithm-for-healing-assess-move-reassess-with-vinny-crispino/[/embed]  

The Complexities of Concussions and Post-Concussive Syndrome

When it comes to understanding and treating concussions, the latest episode of my podcast “Your Lifestyle is Your Medicine” offers an enlightening perspective on a subject that affects millions each year. I recently interviewed Dr. Perry Mayard, a board-certified chiropractic neurologist, in episode 36 of the podcast. We unravel the complexities of concussions and post-concussive syndrome; his expertise emphasizes the need for a clear understanding of this mechanism for proper diagnosis and management. In this article, I want to share some of the nuggets that we discussed. The Definition of a Concussion A concussion is a brain injury that occurs when a force is transmitted to the body, whether it be the head or another part of the body. The brain, which sits inside the skull surrounded by cerebral spinal fluid, can experience a movement or sloshing effect when a force is transmitted to the body. This movement can lead to the stretching of high-speed connections in the brain, resulting in a concussion. It is important to note that a concussion can occur without a direct hit to the head. Force transmitted to other parts of the body can still cause a concussion. This is something to be aware of in both sports and life when you don’t directly hit your head but still have symptoms of a concussion.  Diagnosing a Concussion In the acute setting, such as sports-related concussions, a concussion can be diagnosed using a sports concussion assessment tool like SCAT (Sports Concussion Assessment Tool). This tool includes assessments for levels of consciousness, neck fractures, brain bleeds, visual tracking, inner ear function, balance, and cognitive function. In the chronic setting, where patients present with symptoms months or years after a concussion, a more detailed evaluation is required. Neurologists will use a host of different assessments such as;r visual tracking, balance, inner ear function, and cognitive function can help diagnose the type and severity of a concussion. Treatment Options for Concussions and Dizziness The treatment for concussions and dizziness varies depending on the specific symptoms and underlying causes. Concussions have different subtypes which all present with different symptoms and need different approaches for rehabilitation. 

• Classic Concussion: This subtype involves the typical symptoms of concussion, such as headache, or migraines, dizziness, confusion, memory problems, and sensitivity to light and noise. 
• Post-Concussion Syndrome (PCS): PCS refers to a condition where concussion symptoms persist for weeks or months after the initial injury. Symptoms may include persistent headaches, difficulty concentrating, memory problems, irritability, sleep disturbances, and other symptoms that don’t seem related to the initial injury
• Vestibular Concussion: This subtype involves symptoms related to the vestibular system, which controls balance and spatial orientation. Symptoms may include dizziness, vertigo, imbalance, and difficulty with coordination.
• Ocular Concussion: In ocular concussion, symptoms primarily affect vision. This may include blurred vision, double vision, difficulty focusing, and sensitivity to light.
• Emotional/Behavioral Concussion: Some individuals may experience changes in mood, behavior, or emotional regulation following a concussion. Symptoms may include irritability, depression, anxiety, mood swings, and difficulty with impulse control.
• Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE): While not an immediate subtype, repeated concussions over time, especially in contact sports or high-risk occupations, can lead to the development of CTE, a progressive neurodegenerative disease associated with symptoms such as memory loss, cognitive decline, behavioral changes, and movement disorders. This is a concern with most combat and impact sports. 

Treatment approaches:

1. Vision Therapy: focuses on improving eye movement and coordination. It can help individuals with visual tracking issues, ocular motor deficits, and visual perception problems. This therapy aims to retrain the eyes and improve their ability to focus and process visual information.
2. Vestibular Rehabilitation: This is used to address issues related to the inner ear and balance. It can help individuals with dizziness, vertigo, and disequilibrium. This therapy involves exercises and techniques to improve balance, coordination, and the brain's ability to process vestibular information.
3. Cervical Manipulation: also known as neck manipulation, focuses on addressing neck issues that may contribute to dizziness. By improving the function and mobility of the neck, this therapy can help alleviate symptoms related to cervical proprioception, which is the brain's ability to perceive the position of the neck and head in space.
4. Other Treatment Options: for concussions and dizziness include cognitive behavioral therapy, neural feedback, and supplementation with nutrients like creatine, fish oil, and magnesium. These interventions aim to support brain function, reduce inflammation, and mitigate symptoms associated with concussions and dizziness.

I know from personal experience and from treating patients for 20 years that concussions and dizziness can have a significant impact on an individual's well-being and daily functioning. I still think I can’t speak French because of all the rugby I used to play…that’s my excuse anyway. It’s crucial to understand the definition of a concussion, how concussions are diagnosed, and the available treatment options. If you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms related to concussions or dizziness, it is essential to seek professional evaluation and appropriate treatment. Watch the full interview below or listen to it HERE via your favorite blog service.  [embed]https://youtu.be/WAfGC7E95o8[/embed]