The trapezius muscle is a triangular muscle which extends from the neck, down to the middle of the upper back and across the shoulder. It is one of the largest muscles in the body. It helps in stabilizing and moving the scapula. When you rotate your neck, move your arms, or even shrug your shoulders, you are able to do it because of the trapezius muscle. Over use of the muscle can cause it to strain.

Trapezius strain can be quite annoying and uncomfortable as you will have difficulty in moving your shoulders. It also causes any upper shoulder movement very difficult as it gives out an excruciating pain whenever you try to move your head or rotate your neck. It generally happens when you repetitively put stress on the muscle.

Causes:
1. Poor posture while sitting, standing or lying down
2. If you sleep in a wrong or uncomfortable position
3. If you bend over a desk for hours(This is more relevant to office workers)
4. If you have to carry heavy weights on your shoulders(This is relevant to school and college students who have to carry heavy bags every day)
5. If you over work your trapezius during work outs
6. If you suddenly twist your neck
7. If you met with a fall or accident which injured your back.

Symptoms:
The symptom that characterizes a trapezius strain is the searing pain in the muscles which is scattered around from the shoulders to the neck. The pain might interfere in your daily activities such as moving your arms when you push or pull. It might also cause discomfort while trying to sleep. A trapezious strain might even cause a bit of swelling in the muscle. Sometimes, due to the neck pain, you might even get headaches.

Treatment:
1. Resting: Rest as much as possible. Any strain or swelling can be easily cured with proper rest.
2. Ice packs: Ice packs help to reduce the swelling and get some relief from the pain.
3. Exercise: Stretchingthe muscle will help loosen it.
4. Blood flow stimulation therapy: After the inflammation is reduced, you should take up this therapy as an increase in the blood flow in the affected area will help cure the strain.
5. Care for the scar tissue: The scar tissue will take longer to heal than the muscle. Hence you have to follow your doctor's instruction very carefully to get a speedy recovery.

All About Trapezius Strain!

A sprain refers to a break or a tear in any of the ligaments of your body. A ligament is a band consisting of tissues that connect the bones at any given joint in our body.

A strain on the other hand refers to a tear or a break in the entire muscle itself or a tendon (the band of tissues that connect the muscle to the bones).

Occurrence
Sprains usually take place due to unforeseen incidents like falls, accidents, and such other things that forces the body part to go out of its normal position. The most common types of sprains that people suffer from are ankle sprains which affect about 25,000 people every day on a worldwide basis.

Strains usually happen when you twist a whole muscle or a tendon. This condition most commonly occurs in cases of sportspersons who are engaged in contact sports like hockey, football, rugby, and such others.

Symptoms
The identification signs of sprains and strains are mostly very similar, which are listed below:
1. Pain and discomfort in the joints
2. Visible swelling or inflammation seen on the joints
3. Bruising of the affected area
4. Tenderness and softness of the affected joint

The overall intensity of the above mentioned symptoms might differ basis on the severity of the condition that is directly proportional to the nature of injury that you have faced. Some pains are so light that it may not affect your daily routine at all, whereas some pains are so intense, that you might not be able to move your affected joint at all.

Treatment
Some of the common methods to cure a sprain or a strain are listed below:
1. Rest the area which is affected
2. Apply ice bags or cold compress to soothe the pain
3. Compress the affected joint using a compression tape
4. Place the affected joint on an elevated area to speed up the healing process

Sprain Versus Strain

Care for shoulder pain and related problems

Shoulder problems usually happen because of internal problems or external trauma. People who are into any form of manual labour, pick up a lot of heavy things regularly or play sports experience shoulder pain at some point of time or other. Shoulder pain can be detected by physical examination, mri, x-ray, ultrasound and medical history.

The most common types of shoulder problems are arthritis, fracture, dislocation, frozen shoulder, rotator cuff tear, and rotator cuff disease. Cures for the different shoulder pains are different. Follow these simple ways to help you manage the pain.

1. Rest the hurtful shoulder: you need to take ample rest. Using the arm which is affected is not a good idea and needs to be avoided. If your job involves manual labour, it is advised that you stay at home to rest.

2. Ice pack healing: applying ice pack on the wound is also advised around 3-4 times in a day. This varies as per the kind of shoulder pain, so doctor's advice must be followed.

3. Be consistent with exercise: depending upon the source of pain, physiotherapist will advise certain sets of shoulder exercises. It is very important that they should be performed diligently for fast recovery.

4. Support it well: wearing a sling is extremely important and should not be taken lightly at any point of time. A good support will ensure there is no mislocation and faster recovery.

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Shoulder Pain Care - 4 things you must not ignore!

When we speak of bone health, calcium is usually the hero of the story. However, by itself, calcium is not enough for healthy bones. Vitamin D is equally important for healthy bones and the prevention of orthopedic conditions.

What does Vitamin D do?
Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium from the food being eaten. It also controls the calcium and phosphate levels in the body. This is critical for the growth and development of new bones. Vitamin D also controls how much calcium and phosphates are being expelled by the body. In this way, vitamin D helps strengthen the bones and improve overall bone health.

Vitamin D Deficiency
Vitamin D is not commonly found in food. It is present only in certain types of oily fishes, egg yolks and mushrooms. Most of the vitamin D we eat comes from fortified cereals, breads and dairy products. The sun is an important source of vitamin D but exposing yourself to too much sunlight could cause various skin problems. Thus, vitamin D deficiency is very common. When it comes to bone health, vitamin D deficiency can cause low-density bones. This, in turn, can cause rickets and osteoporosis. People with vitamin D deficiency are likely to suffer frequent fractures. Vitamin D deficiency can also cause skeletal deformities such as bow legs and a stooped spine.

Vitamin D and Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a musculoskeletal condition that is marked by low bone density. Studies have shown that people with osteoporosis have lower levels of vitamin D as compared to others. Some studies also suggest that fractures are more common in winter as compared to summer. The winter sun is often hazy and many days can go by without strong sunlight. Thus it can be inferred that people do not get their required quota of vitamin D from the sunlight in winters leading to a deficiency and aggravated osteoporosis-related fractures.

Who is most susceptible to bone conditions caused by vitamin D deficiency?
Vitamin D deficiency is a very common condition across the globe. Some surveys have claimed that approximately 30% of the global population suffers from vitamin D deficiency. People with dark skin, women and elderly people are most susceptible to this deficiency. People suffering from kidney diseases may also be affected by vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D supplements are usually very helpful in combatting this deficiency. These can be taken by young children as well as adults.

Relation Between Vitamin D Deficiency And Bone Problems!

The core muscles, mainly concentrated around the abdomen, hips, lower back, trunk, and glutes, are indeed a powerhouse that gets you going. The stronger the core muscles, the fitter you stay. Without a proper core strength, a lot of the day to day activities including lifting or bending gets affected. Certain health conditions can weaken the core muscles. But how to know if the core muscles are weak? There are many signs and symptoms associated with weak core muscles. 

Mentioned below are some important signs that may be an indication of weak core muscles.

For your posture to be correct, the spine and pelvis need to be stable: The muscles of the lower back and the abdomen does exactly that, ensuring a steady and correct posture. However, when the core muscles weaken, they are unable to provide stability to the spine and the pelvis resulting in a poor posture. Left unattended, poor posture, in turn, can trigger a myriad of complications and discomfort.
The body loses its balance: As already mentioned, the core muscles go a long way in stabilizing the body and helping you to maintain the body balance. You can perform a small test to know if your balance is affected. Close your eyes and stand on one foot. Repeat the procedure with the other foot as well. If you have a developed core, you will be able to hold the position for at least 10 seconds, if not more (both the legs).
A pain concentrated to the lower back: Do not ignore a lower back pain. It could be an indication of your core muscles not being strong enough, especially the ones adjacent to the spine. The weak muscles fail to provide the necessary support to the discs and the vertebrae resulting in pain (mild to severe depending on the severity of the condition) and discomfort. Timely medical intervention may help improve the condition.
Weakness throughout the body: The strong core muscles are an indication of a healthy and fit body. When the muscles start to lose its strength, the entire body gets affected. A person finds it difficult to even lift things. Doing even a small and regular work leaves a person weak and tired.
You can also perform the Hollowing Test to check your core strength: Sit in a comfortable position. Starting breathing in and out. As you breathe out or exhale, try to pull your stomach inwards towards the spine for at least 10 seconds. Unable to pass this test (can't hold the position for 10 seconds) indicates weak core muscles.
You can also try the plank test: Get yourself in a push-up position with the entire body resting on your elbows, arms, and toes. The hip should be level and steady. Failing to stay in this position for 50 seconds is indicative of weak core muscles

Core Muscles - How To Know If They Are Strong Or Weak?

5 Ways to Stop Muscle Cramps

Muscle cramps are feared and loathed by all of us alike – they hurt, they slow us down and they just give us a helpless feeling! The most common cause of these cramps is premature fatigue which affects the reflex control of muscles. Here are 5 ways guaranteed to beat these troublesome muscle cramps:

1. Take rest
The most easy and sure-shot way to kill a muscle cramp is to take rest. Just rest your body, be at one place and the cramp will not last more than 3-4 minutes. Moving around will only cause the pain to be aggravated and eventually affect other areas as well.

2. Consume solutions rich in salt
Whenever you encounter a troublesome cramp, the first instinct is to reach for water. However, studies have shown that salt solutions are far more effective in countering cramps as compared to plain water. You can have pickle juice and similar drinks which have a high salt concentration.

3. Be physically active
The most common reason for muscle cramps is over-straining of the body. If you are planning to indulge in an extremely intensive physical activity, make sure to train well in advance. Also, keep the duration and intensity of the training at a similar level to that of the actual activity.

4. Keep your body hydrated
Dehydration is the root of a number of troublesome conditions, muscle cramps being one of them. Make sure to always carry a water bottle with you and drink a minimum of 7-8 glasses of water on a daily basis.

5. Indulge in light passive muscle stretching
When faced with a muscle cramp, in addition to resting, try and gently stretch the affected muscle. This continuous and light passive stretching lets the brain know that it can relax the muscle and help it return to normal.




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5 Winning Ways to Stop those Nasty Muscle Cramps

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