MDMPhysicalTherapy_Neck Pain & Stress

MDMPhysicalTherapy_Neck Pain & Stress

M D M P H Y S I C A L T H E R A P Y. C OM

Is Stress Causing Your Neck Pain? Physical Therapy Can Help

I N S I D E How Physical Therapy Can Help Are You Getting Enough Sleep? Free Laser Trial & Consult!

Is Stress Causing Your Neck Pain? Physical Therapy Can Help

starts at the base of your shoulders, traveling upward, it may be stress related. Causes of Stress-Related Neck Pain While stress alone can trigger neck pain, a few factors can make it worse. Office environments tend to create neck pain problems — as they confine people to chairs, bad posture and little mobility. Driving often, too, can make your chances of stress-related neck pain higher. The U.S. National Library of Medicine suggests contacting a professional if you’re experiencing neck pain. Even if it’s caused by stress, untreated neck pain might later reveal muscle spasms, arthritis, bulging discs or even narrowed spinal nerve openings. Before you can treat your neck pain, however, you need to know why it started. Whether you’ve tweaked a muscle or have a deeper injury, a specialist can help.

Does your neck hurt? You might be suffering from stress-related pain — also called a tension head-ache. During anxiety, muscles tense up. As muscle tension tightens, the back, shoulders and neck are affected. The more pressure they cause, the more discomfort you get. Let’s take a closer look at stress-related neck pain. Is My Neck Pain Caused by Stress? Pain worsened by keeping your head in one place— like when you’re driving, or using a computer — is neck pain. While neck pain has a slew of symptoms, its major symptoms, reported by Mayo Clinic, are: • Muscle tightness and spasms • Headaches • Decreased ability to move the head Stress-induced neck pain isn’t rare. It also isn’t psychological. Many experts think stress-induced neck pain is caused by physical factors — low, but constant, trapezius muscle activity. If your neck pain

Call MDM Physical Therapy to talk with your physical therapist today!

3. If further assessment is

1. Feel free to call us and ask to speak to your therapist.

2. Your therapist will tell you the possible causes of your pain as well as precautions you can take at home.

warranted, your therapist might recommend you come in for an appointment.

How Physical Therapy Can Help

Staff Spotlight Alma Flores | Patient Care Coordinator

Neck pain, fortunately, can be alleviated with physical therapy. Because neck pain is often caused by activity, different activity can cure it. Sometimes, this “activity” means “no activity.” Before you contact a professional, try reducing your neck movements. Sometimes, simply letting your neck muscles relax is enough. If you don’t see relief within two weeks, contact a professional. Physical therapists can target your pain’s source by examining your symptoms. Then, they can offer exercises that stretch, flex and relax your neck muscles. In time, your neck will become more resilient —giving you the comfort you de-serve. Where aftercare treatment is considered, custom-tailored neck exercises will assure your neck stays loose, limber and healthy. If you’re dealing with neck pain, you’re not alone. Call our office today, and schedule an assessment. Even if your neck pain is caused by stress, it still needs attention. We’ll work side by side with your goals, creating the proactive, effective programs you need to achieve mobility once more. Sources https://www.spine-health.com/blog/how-relieve-neck-pain-caused-stress https://www.everydayhealth.com/neck-pain/neck-pain-reduce-stress.aspx

We are so excited to introduce you to Alma Flores, our Patient Care Coordinator. Alma will be the new smiling face behind our front desk! Already a strong addition to the MDM team, Alma has a warm, delightful personality and a sincere desire to help others. In addition she brings with her many exceptional professional skills. She is quick to learn, highly productive, bilingual and has shown a great attention to detail. Her previous employment was at the front desk of a busy medical office, so she is not new to these responsibilities. Alma is the mother of a 2 year old son and a 12 year old daughter (who she considers her best friend). She loves spending time with her family and working out at the gym. We are certain that our patients will enjoy the opportunity to get to know her as we have.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMHT0027055/ https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000802.htm

https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/most-neck-pain-improves-with-self-care-time/ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/neck-pain/symptoms-causes/ syc-20375581

Grilled Chicken Caprese

Ingredients Directions • 2 (about 1 lb) large boneless, skinless chicken breasts • 2 tbsp olive oil

• 2 oz fresh salted mozzarella • 2 plum tomatoes • 1/4 cup fresh basil

“When I came to MDM, I couldn’t move my neck to the left. When driving, I had to turn my upper body to check my mirror. I was not able to sleep on my side and was having pain in my left shoulder. After just one session with Beth, I was able to sleep on my side. After 4 sessions with her, my neck was aligned and it stayed that way. I haven’t felt this good in years. Everyone here was great to work with!” - Mary Beth J. Success Spotlight

Set grill to medium. Lay the chicken breasts flat and cut horizontally with knife parallel to cutting board to form 4 thinner cutlets. Brush chicken with the olive oil and season all over with salt and pepper. Place chicken on grill and cook 4 min. per side. Meanwhile, very thinly slice the mozzarella. Thinly slice the tomatoes. Thinly slice the basil. Arrange tomato slices on chicken. Top with mozzarella. Cover and cook another 2–3 min., until cheese melts and chicken is cooked through. To serve, season with pepper and garnish with basil.

Recipes Note:

Exercise Essentials

A good night’s sleep seems like a simple way to improve our health, but for many…it’s more like an elusive dream! Studies show that over 45% of the population struggles with sleep. Unfortunately, this can result in a wide range of negative consequences. The Chief Medical Editor of the Harvard Health Blog, in his analysis of Devore’s sleep study, summarizes some of the key consequences of lost sleep: “Previous research has linked poor sleep with higher risks of heart disease and stroke, type 2 diabetes, and depression. How might sleep affect memory? People who are persistently sleep deprived are more likely to have high blood pressure, diabetes, and narrowed blood vessels. Each of these can decrease blood flow inside the brain. Brain cells need a lot of oxygen and sugar, so blood flow problems could affect their ability to work properly.” The following are a few quick tips that can help you get the rest you need: • Get out of bed when your alarm goes off and limit your in-bed activities to train your mind to always associate sleep with your bed. • Limit your caffeine intake, especially late in the day and within hours of your bedtime. • Decrease stimulation from electronics and other sources of bright light at least 30 minutes prior to trying to fall asleep. • Avoid exercising within two hours of your bed time to help your body’s natural process for releasing the chemicals that induce sleep. • Set a sleep schedule and stick to it all week, including on weekends. • Achieve a healthy weight which may help to reduce snoring and even sleep apnea. It’s time to get the sleep your body needs! If you would like further suggestions or recommendations, please get in touch. We can help. MDM HealthCoach (adapted from Habits of Health by Dr. Wayne Anderson) Are You Getting Enough Sleep? MDM Health Coach Corner

Scapular Retraction Stand tall, shoulders relaxed. Pull shoulder blades back and down. Don’t hunch your shoulders.

Exercises copyright of www.simpleset.net

Free Laser Trial &Consult!

ONLY 25 SPOTS AVAILABLE To our Valued Clients: 2020 has been a challenge! Let us help with this special offer just for you! One free Laser Therapy Treatment will be available to a limited number of our past patients - or their friends & family. These exams will be with a licensed Physical Therapist and will include: • A review of your history • An examination and diagnosis of any existing pain or difficulty • Recommendationsonhowwecouldtreatyourproblems • Ideas of what you can do at home for relief, maintenance, & prevention