You may never have heard of plantar fasciitis but it’s actually quite a common condition. It’s an issue that is seen predominantly in office workers who sit in a chair all day and do very little movement or exercise.

Luckily, there are plenty of things that can be done to relieve plantar fasciitis and there are lots of corrective exercises and stretches that can help anybody who is suffering from the condition.

Plantar fasciitis is a condition that affects a very specific part of the foot. Most people get a small pain in a random part of their foot and immediately get diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, without any additional testing to properly diagnose what is wrong. That’s not the general public’s fault. That’s partly the fault of the medical system, failing to look deeper into the root cause of people’s pain.

However, plantar fasciitis presents with certain symptoms that are quite distinct. Knowing the key signs and symptoms of plantar fasciitis will ensure that you can identify the condition in yourself if it ever pops up.

Without going too far into the physiology of plantar fasciitis, let’s cover what it actually is and which area of your foot is affected.

Plantar fasciitis refers to a condition where there is a pain in the arch of the foot, where there is a thick band of tissues called the plantar fascia. This tissue connects your toes to your heel bone and it can become inflamed and swollen. This causes a stabbing pain in your foot that can span from the front all the way to the back, but most commonly appears by the heel.

Because of this, heel pain is often misdiagnosed as plantar fasciitis, even though the pain in your heel could be caused by a number of things. For example, regular runners who strike the floor with their heel first can experience pain after a while. This isn’t necessarily plantar fasciitis. Instead, it’s more like a repetitive strain injury that could easily be misinterpreted as plantar fasciitis.

With that being said, it’s important to note that regular runners are at a higher risk of getting plantar fasciitis than those who don’t run. Other risk factors include:

Age – the risk of plantar fasciitis increases for those between 40 and 60 years old
Walking gait – if you are flat-footed, you have a high foot arch, or you walk in an atypical fashion, you might put extra stress through your plantar fascia, potentially leading to plantar fasciitis
Standing up a lot – if your job involves standing up or walking around all day, you’re at a higher risk of developing plantar fasciitis
Obesity – being overweight can put extra stress on your plantar fascia

If you think you might be experienceing plantar fasciitis, get in touch with a health practitioner to find out what treatment options are available to you.

We all know that staring at our screens for hours on end isn’t good for us, but it’s hard to break the habit.

Here are some of the hard truths of life with phones in the modern world:
Approximately 95% of kids age 14 and up have a mobile phone.
On average, teenagers check their screen an estimated 150 times a day.
Elementary aged children spend 7.5 hours per day on technology.
It’s estimated that 2.6 billion people own smartphones.

By now, most of us are aware of the negative effects that prolonged screen time can have on our health.

It’s one thing to know this but we still find it difficult to unplug.

It’s all too easy for us all (or at least someone we know) to spend a considerable amount of time looking at our (their) phone. Whether it’s scrolling through social media feeds, watching videos, or even reading this article, looking down at your phone can cause a condition that has become known as “tech neck.”

Have you ever experienced something like tech neck. The symptoms of tech neck are similar to those experienced when sleeping on an uncomfortable mattress. It’s common for people who spend long periods looking down at their phones or tablets, especially if they’re using them in bed while trying out apps or games.

Looking at your phone for extended periods can be tough on your neck and spine. This article will cover what you need to know about tech neck and how to avoid it.

New Name, Old Issue

Neck pain is a common issue caused by repetitive strain and injury to muscles other tissue structures of your spine. The pain may be felt in the neck, but it can also radiate to the shoulders, arms, and hands.

The condition has been given a new name – “tech neck” – to reflect the growing number of people experiencing it due to their overuse of technology.

It’s not just limited to those who stare at their screens all day long, either. Anyone who spends time looking down at their devices is at risk, no matter what they’re doing on them. You could develop the symptoms of tech neck at work or even doing something repetitive over a long period of time, like looking at your newborn child.

What Causes Tech Neck?

When you hunched over your phone, tablet, or whatever you’re looking at, you’re putting a lot of stress on your neck. This is because the muscles and ligaments in your neck support your head in a forward position for an extended period.

The Weight Of Your Head And Tech Neck

All-day long, your neck holds up all the bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons of the neck. For the average adult, this weighs between 10-12 pounds. When leaning forward while looking down at your phone, the weight of your head, however, places 50-60 pounds of force on the neck.

That’s quite the difference. Your neck becomes strained when it is holding this position for too long.

Your neck isn’t designed to handle that kind of power for long periods. As a result, muscle and ligament tension and other structural abnormalities start to arise.

If nothing changes, one will experience the symptoms of tech neck.

What Are the Symptoms of Tech Neck?

Symptoms of tech neck are usually modest initially and get more severe as the ailment progresses. The following are the most commonly reported symptoms:

Neck pain is a widespread problem that can radiate from your back or neck. The discomfort may be generalized, but it often occurs when you turn to one side and then shift positions for some reason – like swiveling in bed while sleeping at night!
Sharp, stabbing pain that’s intense
Headaches
Reduced mobility or stiffness in the neck, upper back, and shoulders
Jaw pain
Tingling pain and numbness in your arms and hands

Treating And Preventing Tech Neck

Depending on your symptoms, effective treatment for tech neck often requires a multipronged approach. For instance, the muscular strain associated with tech neck typically responds well to rest, massage, and getting the proper treatment at our clinic.

What You Can Do To Take Care Of Tech Neck

An essential component of treating and preventing tech neck is correcting the poor posture that stresses and strains your neck. This can include:

Make an intentional effort to keep your phone or screen at eye level
Throughout the day, do some periodic stretching exercises to relieve the strain on your neck muscles
Develop good overall posture and learn to recognize what that feels like

We Are Here To Help You

As a clinic, our goal is to develop a treatment strategy that relieves your current symptoms, allows continued enjoyment of today’s screen technology, and helps prevent future problems with tech neck.

Please schedule an appointment with us today for the outstanding care that’s always focused on relieving your pain and restoring your quality of life.

As you can see, tech neck is a real problem that many people are suffering from. Our constant use of technology causes it. Without a change, prolonged behavior can lead to many painful symptoms.

Thankfully, there’s hope that you can reverse the trend. There are ways to treat and prevent tech neck. Our clinic offers comprehensive care for those who suffer from tech neck, so schedule an appointment today to get the treatment you need and the personalized care you deserve.

How do you know if that pain in your body is actually sciatica?

You may have heard other people talking about it, done a quick search on Google and maybe even diagnosed yourself with it.

But do you really have sciatica? Let’s talk about it.

What Is Sciatica?

Sciatica is pain that radiates down each leg along the path of the sciatic nerve, which runs from your lower back to your hips and buttocks. Sciatica usually affects only one side of the body.

Sciatica, known medically as lumbar radiculopathy, is can be extremely painful and debilitating to live with. Unfortunately, sciatica is a fairly common condition, with between 10-40% of the population being affected by it at some point in their lives.

The pain that is associated with sciatica is caused by a spinal disc compressing on of the nerves that reside at the base of your spine. The nerve gets trapped and it sends a signal to your brain that gets interpreted as pain. You may also feel numbness or tingling down the back if your leg.

Causes of Sciatica

There are several different causes of sciatica. The most common cause is a herniated or slipped disc in your spine that results in one of your nerve roots getting compressed. Slipped discs occur when the gel-like center of the disc begins to bulge out of the walls of the vertebrae.

Sciatica can also be caused by degenerative disc disease, which is caused by wear and tear on the vertebrae of your spine. This disease can result in spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal cord), which traps your sciatic nerve.

Amongst the most common causes of sciatica is osteoarthritis, a condition where the bones and cartilage wear away. If this occurs in the spine, it can lead to sciatica.

If there is trauma to the sciatic nerve or lumbar spine, or tumors are present, you may also experience pain and numbness in the area.

Signs and Symptoms of Sciatica

The main symptoms of sciatica include:

Pain that begins in your lower back and radiates down one legWeakness in one or both legs
Tingling or pins and needles in your foot
Numbness in one leg
Loss of bladder and/or bowel control

Diagnosing Sciatica

To begin with, your doctor will run through your symptoms. They will ask you if you’re getting any pain, numbness, or weakness in your legs, and how severe each of these symptoms is.

Next, your doctor will most likely perform a physical exam to determine which nerve is causing your symptoms. They may ask you to squat, walk, lung, or raise one leg while lying on your back.

You may be required to go for an x-ray, CT, or MRI scan to check for a herniated disc if the doctor suspects that you have sciatica.

Treatments for Sciatica

This condition can clear up by itself but it may persist for months if untreated. Although many doctors prescribe rest, this can often leave you in more pain and discomfort.

The goal of treatment is always to reduce pain and help you to live without discomfort. If mild, you can treat your sciatica at home with some self-care treatments, such as:

Applying hot or cold packs to the areas of pain.
Taking over-the-counter (OTC) medications to reduce pain and swelling. Commonly, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are recommended.
Performing some gentle stretches to strengthen your muscles and relieve tension in your lower back area. You can find some great stretches in this article, but some of the best stretches include the yoga aphid posture, the cobra pose, and the press-up position.
Regular exercise to prevent aggravating the compression nerve even further through immobilization. Exercising should not feel painful. If it does, you might need to try other mobilization or stretching movements to help relieve tension around the nerve root first.

If your self-care treatments are proving ineffective after several weeks, you might need more intense treatments. In this case, you should consult a healthcare professional who can use additional treatment options to help relieve your pain and discomfort.

What To Do If You Think You Have Sciatica

Here are some of the treatment options that will be offered by your doctor.

Prescription medications to relieve pain and reduce inflammation.
Physical therapy to decrease muscle tension and improve muscle flexibility to reduce pressure on the nerve. Your physical therapist may prescribe a range of exercises, including walking, swimming, and stretching or stability movements.
Spinal injections of corticosteroid to reduce pain and swelling around the affected nerves. The number of injections you need will depend on your individual circumstances.

There are also alternative therapies that you might find helpful, such as acupuncture, deep tissue massage, and yoga. These are great options to relieve pain alongside other traditional therapies.

If you’re currently experiencing the symptoms above and suspect that you have sciatica, we’d love to help! Book an appointment today so we can perform an assessment and provide you with the best treatment options.

Two years into the pandemic, when most of the gyms have reopened, millions of people are continuing their outdoor exercise routine.

The pandemic has truly shifted the way people train for good. Some people are even speculating that gyms will never be as busy as they once were before the pandemic.

When the gyms closed during the recent lockdowns, people’s usual workout routines were completely shaken up. We learned that we don’t always need a gym full of fancy equipment to get a great workout done. You can work out using bodyweight exercises and minimal equipment, and it can be just as effective as lifting heavier weights.

Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve noticed a significant increase in the number of people taking up running. With many new runners taking to the streets, it’s left one question on many people’s minds – what is the difference between running to get into shape and getting in shape so you can run?

Put another way: What kind of shape do you have to be in before you start running?

The thought of starting as a runner causes some people anxiety. They’re not sure if it will do them more harm than good. Perhaps they fear re-injuring an old injury or making a pre-existing condition like arthritis even worse.

Although running is one of the best ways to improve your health, it requires a certain level of pre-existing cardiovascular fitness to do it correctly. Modern-day life is often sedentary and many adults have lost the ability to run as they used to as kids.

Are You Getting Back Into Running?

Starting a regular running routine can definitely boost your fitness levels.

However, research shows that the cardiovascular changes (improved oxygen to your lungs, cardiac output, and stroke volume) that result from running occur long before any musculoskeletal changes (increase in muscle mass, strength, and endurance).

Why could this be a problem for those who are getting into running? It’s not really a problem as much as it is a risk. It means that your heart and lungs will become more efficient than your skeletal muscles.

Basically, your heart and lungs will give you permission to run more than your muscles will allow.

A great way to overcome this problem is to add resistance training to an existing program. Weight lifting stimulates muscle growth and strength gains. When used alongside running, you will experience a boost in performance and less soreness after the fact.

Too many people get into strength training and overdo it right away. If your twenties are in the rear-view mirror by now, you won’t be able to pick up where you left off.

If you’re adding resistance training to your routine, you need to be careful not to overtrain.

Both running and weight lifting are taxing on the muscles and doing too much can hinder your performance.

Practicing strength training, speed training, and plyometrics will benefit most people who are trying to improve their running technique and boost their fitness.

This is because each of these things can increase the rate of force production (RFP), which describes how quickly your muscles contract to produce force. It’s this force that drives you forward when you run, so a higher RFP means a faster run!

It’s also important to consider your lifestyle and training preferences. This will affect your performance and technique. It will also determine whether you’re better off getting into shape before you run, or running in order to get into shape.

We Are Here To Help You

If you’re starting to run again and feeling soreness, stiffness or some kind of pain that’s not going away, do not hesitate to reach out to us at the office. We have worked with runners at all levels for years now.

There are certain standards that health professionals will always look out for to ensure that runners are at low risk of injury when they run.

If you’re concerned about your own running technique, book yourself in for an appointment so our team can give you a full assessment.

You may have heard of TMJ pain and you even have experienced it yourself, but you might not have known what it was at the time.

TMJ pain affects around 15% of the adult population, predominantly those aged between 20-40 years. It is twice as common in women than men.

In this post, you will learn what TMJ pain is, what causes TMJ pain, how it can be diagnosed, and the treatment options that are available for this condition.

What Is TMJ Pain?

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) describes the area where your skull and jawbone. In more anatomical terms, it is formed when the mandibular condyle inserts into the mandibular fossa of the temporal bone in the face.

It is a hinge joint that enables the two joining bones to slide over one another. This allows for you to open and close your mouth while talking, chewing, and yawn.

There is a range of TMJ disorders (often shortened to TMD), all of which are characterized by craniofacial pain (TMJ pain). This pain can be experienced around the TMJ and in the masticatory muscles.

TMD and TMJ pain is a surprisingly significant cause of work loss and absenteeism. The pain can become unbearable, which may affect your ability to concentrate and focus at work or school. It may also affect extracurricular activities.

What Are Symptoms of TMJ Pain?

Aside from the most obvious symptom of pain in the area of the TMJ joint and the surrounding muscles, there is a range of other symptoms that you might experience with TMD.

TMJ pain can lead to jaw pain, earache, headaches and migraines, and dysfunction in the jaw. You may also hear or feel a clicking or popping when you move your jaw.

What Causes TMJ Pain?

The bones of the TMJ are separated by cartilage, which enables the bones to smoothly slide over one another when you move your jaw. When these muscles become overworked or irritated, it can displace this small disc of cartilage.

There isn’t one specific cause of TMJ pain. A variety of factors can contribute to pain in the lower facial areas, including biological and environmental factors. Emotional and social factors also play a role in the development of TMJ.

For example, you may experience TMJ pain if you’ve had trauma or injury to one of the muscles in the TMJ. If you are feeling extremely stressed or anxious, you might find that you are grinding or clenching your teeth more often and this can lead to you getting TMJ pain.

TMJ pain can be categorized into three main types:

The most common type of TMJ pain involves the muscles that open and close the jaw (the masseter, temporalis, medial pterygoid, and lateral pterygoid), and those that connect the neck and shoulder muscles (the trapezius muscles).
The next category is TMJ pain that is secondary to a disorder of the joint itself or a displaced cartilage disc.
The final category is where the TMJ pain is caused by a degenerative disorder of the joint, such as arthritis.

How is TMJ Pain Diagnosed?

Diagnostic tools can be used to diagnose TMJ pain.

Dental x-rays to examine the teeth and jaw in more detail.
Computer tomography (CT) scanning to provide detailed images of the jawbones.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to provide images of the cartilaginous disc of soft tissues surrounding the joint.

These types of imaging are helpful when malocclusion or joint abnormalities are suspected to be the cause of the TMJ pain.

How is TMJ Pain Treated?

The treatment of TMJ pain largely depends on the primary cause of the condition. Patients can undergo a range of therapies, including the following

Counselling, CBT, and self-care advice to manage stress and anxiety.
Physical therapy or occupational therapy to help with the movement of the jaw joint.
Occlusal devices, such as mouth guards, that can be worn overnight to create a barrier between the two layers of the teeth and keep the jaw in place.
Pharmacotherapy and prescription of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and muscle relaxants to ease tension in the jaw muscles.
Surgery may be required in very severe cases where the above methods are not suitable.

If you are experiencing TMJ pain, you must contact our office immediately. Our team will be able to conduct the appropriate tests and scans to confirm your diagnosis. We will also be able to provide suitable treatments to help ease your pain.

The quicker you get a diagnosis, the quicker you can be treated, and the quicker you can get rid of your TMJ pain!