Being flexible is not always about doing splits or doing some random bending. It is about achieving a level of mobility that will not hold you back from doing whatever you are able to do. Most people think that stretching or flexing your muscles and body as the first method to defend you from pain. But if stretching and flexing can be done correctly, it can lengthen one's muscles and give one relief from pains and aches. Stretching is also done to increase the functional range of one's joints and muscles. There are various ways by which one can stretch their muscles. However, the question which looms over here is which is the correct procedure and which is the wrong one.

The Wrong Vs the Right Way: Before discussing about the correct way, let us talk about the various wrong ways in which stretching can be done. The first rule is that if stretching is causing you pain or if it is hurting you, then you are probably taking it too far. A muscle needs to relax as much as possible, if it needs to stretch. If one is stretching so hard that he or she cannot relax then the muscle will not lengthen. Stretching should never be painful.

One should also avoid stretching for an insufficient length of time. Only a few seconds of stretching will not hold the therapeutic effects of stretching.

The following methods are few of the correct ways to stretch:

Always start with the warm muscles. Warm your muscles by doing some aerobic movement or by applying heat with the help of a warm bath.
After warming your muscles, monitor your level of discomfort. Let it go once you feel pain.
Hold any stretch for at least 30 seconds.
Stretching the Correct Muscle: There are muscles, which need to be stretched and there are muscles, which should not be. So getting to know the correct muscles to be stretched is as important as knowing the correct procedure to stretch your muscles. Every muscle, which does not hurt should not be stretched. There are different types of muscles that cause pain like stiff, tight, short muscles and long muscles. Muscles that are tight should only be subjected to stretching. Stretching muscles that are too long is not a good idea.

Using Physiotherapists: Most people who cannot determine which muscle should be stretched and which should not be should consult a physiotherapist. Physiotherapists can quickly and easily diagnose muscular issues. They will also show ways to stretch which are most effective for particular needs.

Stretching should be made a part of one's life. It is a way by which one can become their healthiest self and avoid muscular imbalances.

Stretches for Tight Muscles 

Tennis elbow is a condition which is characterized by a sharp pain on the outer portion of the elbow. This condition is also called  lateral epicondylitis  and it occurs when the muscles of the elbow are overused. The symptoms of pain tend to occur near the forearm when you bend your elbow or try to grip an object.

Causes
The elbow joint comprises of muscles which facilitate movement of the wrist, elbows and the fingers. There are tendons present in the elbow which join the muscles and bones, thus regulating the forearm muscles. When the muscles of the elbow are overused, then it can lead to inflammation and tears in the muscles.

This condition is so called as it is usually caused by playing certain sports, primarily tennis. It may also be caused by activities that put repetitive stress on the elbow. If the same pain occurs around the inner portion of the elbow, it is called a  golfer s elbow .

Prevention
The best treatment method to prevent tennis elbow is to strengthen your elbow muscles. You need to follow a regulated strength and stretching program directed at strengthening the muscles of the body, including the elbows.

Here are some tips to prevent tennis elbow:

Try to stay in good shape physically.
Use proper technique when you are carrying out any activity that involves the elbow.
Avoid overstressing the elbow joint with repetitive movements as it can cause injury to the tendon.
The muscles of the shoulder, arm and the upper back should be strengthened to prevent tennis elbow.
For movements that require you to twist your arm or grasp things, you can use a counter force brace to protect your elbow. This brace is worn on the forearm which redistributes pressure on the muscle. A counter force brace is recommended for people who are at an increased risk of tennis elbow.

Tennis Elbow - Tips To Help You Prevent It!

Ayurveda is a very old system of medicine, which originated in India. Using herbs found in nature to cure various illnesses, knee pain can also be permanently cured with this method indigenous to India. It reduces knee pain caused by various illnesses including arthritis, inflammation of the cartilage and wearing of the patella among others. Here are some common Ayurvedic remedies, which help reduce knee pain:

1. Alfalfa: Alfalfa is medically known as Medicago Sativa. Alfalfa is excellent for making sure that your joint pain reduces, when taken in liquid form four times a day.

2. Ashwagandha: Ashwagandha is medically known as Withania Somnifera. In the West, Ashwagandha is popularly known as Winter Cherry. Also, it has a lot of therapeutic properties, which include reducing joint pains. 

3. Banyan: The Banyan tree's medical name is Ficus Benghalensis. It has a sap very similar to the form of rubber known as latex is derived from the Banyan tree. The Banyan tree's sap is externally applied over the joints and the pain usually disappears after a few regular applications. 

4. Bishop's weed: The medical name for Bishop's weed is Trachyspermum Ammi. The oil extracted from this herb is usually applied to the knees to reduce the intensity of such knee pains.

5. Celery: The medical name for celery is Apium Graveolens. Celery is not only an effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and associated pains in the knees, but it is also helpful in treating gout. It is usually agreed upon that this particular treatment is usually long lasting because of its alkaline nature.

6. Dandelion: Dandelion's biological name is Taraxacum Officinale. It is rich in magnesium and is crucial for the correct mineralization of the bones. This mineralization allows the bones to become stronger and also prevents knee pain.

7.  Garlic: The medical name for garlic is allium sativum. Five to six cloves eaten everyday has proved to reduce knee pains.

8. Ginger: Ginger is biologically called Zingiber Officinale. These can be easily included in your diet and go a long way in curbing knee pain.

Ayurveda and Knee Pain

You must have often heard about sports person, especially those associated with tennis or baseball (that involves continuous arm movement) suffer from rotator cuff injury. But what exactly is this injury? To understand the condition better, you need to know what is a rotator cuff. A rotator cuff is a group of tendons and muscles that keep the shoulder joints stable enabling a person to rotate or lift their shoulders freely.

With time, certain activities may cause a wear and tear of the rotator cuff injuring them. The injury sustained can result from a partial or a complete tear.
A partial tear of the rotator cuff may damage the tendons, but it will remain attached to the bones. However, in the case of a complete tear, the injury is more severe that penetrates deep within detaching the tendons off the bone (humerus).

Who can suffer from a Rotator Cuff Injury?
While the condition can affect anyone, people under the following situations stand a greater chance of injuring their rotator cuff.

People in their old age may suffer from the Rotator Cuff injury as with age the tendons and muscles may undergo a degeneration.
The injury may also be genetically linked.
The problem is found to be common among tennis and baseball players.
Painters, as well as carpenters who need to move their arms and shoulders continuously in a particular direction, stand at a risk of injuring the rotator cuff.
Symptoms associated with a Rotator Cuff Injury
People with a Rotator Cuff Injury may exhibit the following symptoms and associated discomfort.

The rotator cuff ensures the free and comfortable rotation of the arm and the shoulder. An injury will limit this rotation. As a result, a person may experience great difficulty and pain in lifting and moving the arm.
Lying on the affected shoulder can be a painful experience.
There is instability of the shoulder joints followed by weakness.
A person finds it difficult to carry out the basic activities such as bringing a glass of water close to the mouth or combing the hair.
Treatment

Anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers (Acetaminophen) may be used to reduce the pain and swelling associated with the injury.
Physiotherapy and various strengthening exercise can go a long way to deal with shoulder weakness, stiffness, and restricted movement. However, one needs to have patience as the treatment may take time to produce the desired results.
In extreme cases, the doctor may opt for a surgery.
Arthroscopic surgery: The procedure is simple and involves a small incision on the affected shoulder to place an arthroscope (that comes fitted with a camera and the surgical instruments) to treat the condition.
The doctor may also carry out an open surgery or a mini-open surgery (an amalgamation of open and arthroscopic surgery) to fix the tear.

Rotator Cuff Injury - Symptoms Associated With It!

Breaking a bone is, needless to say, a painful experience. But, when people have their broken bone put in a cast, they tend to forget about it until it comes out. This is quite wrong! A person would want to be up and running but does not find that the hand or the leg as it has been cast up. For weeks, the person's hand or leg barely moves and also shrinks up quite a lot!

There is a lot of pain, not only due to shrinkage when a fracture occurs. The occurrence itself causes what is known as acute pain. Then, for some weeks, the sub-acute pain just seems to persist, to the person having the fracture. The reason for this is the fact that the bone and the soft tissue are in the process of healing.

Chronic pain is a worry as it does not go away even after the healing process has ended. In order to make sure that there is a quick recovery and there is no chronic pain which is experienced at all, some of the proverbial leaves need to be taken out of the book of physiotherapy.

To start with, sometime between a fortnight and a month after the injury or the bone break has taken place, the doctor will wish to see some movement in the soft tissue that has broken around the bone. The great advantage of this is that while it may be a little bit of effort and time involved, there are great benefits by the way of less pain and swelling as the blood flows as normally as is possible.

If such movements are not done, a person can have related soreness, which can be even more of a pain! An example of this would be a broken foot or ankle causing the stiffness of the knee. When a person is already in pain, adding to his or her trouble makes no sense at all, does it?

Post one month mark, the physiotherapist would want to see more functioning so that the normal levels can be attained. A person who has a fracture should not despair as if he or she is willing to stick to the schedule given by the physiotherapist and perform all the exercises that have been set out, he or she will be back at the normal level much sooner than would have been expected!

Also, getting active again will reduce the risk of a repeat injury, and that is enough justification to do so!

What To Expect When Recovering From Broken Bones?

In preparation for the possibility of conception, a woman's body undergoes the menstrual cycle every month which culminates into the periods. This is a normal process which all women of reproductive age go through every month. However, in certain cases, the periods can be really painful where you may suffer from menstrual cramps or could be generally in much pain. This condition is known as Dysmenorrhea.

What exactly is Dysmenorrhea
As mentioned above, Dysmenorrhea is a disorder that many women got through while having their periods where they may suffer from painful cramps. The pain usually occurs in the pelvis area along with the lower abdomen and it may also be accompanied by other symptoms.

Some symptoms of Dysmenorrhea
Some of the symptoms of Dysmenorrhea could be any combination of the following factors
I. Very painful menstrual cramps accompanied by lower back pain
II. Diarrhea and nausea along with the cramps
III. Pain in the inner thighs, lower back and hips
IV. Being hypersensitive to light, loud sounds, specific smells and touch
V. Being fatigued all the time, even causing you to faint

Causes of Dysmenorrhea
Dysmenorrhea is usually caused by the contraction of the Uterus. While the uterus does contract a little even in normal periods, during Dysmenorrhea the contractions tend to be a little too much. Due to this the uterus presses against the blood vessels and organs within the vicinity causing oxygen loss to them. This causes elevated levels of pain and discomfort.

Some of the underlying causes which may result in Dysmenorrhea are:
1. Narrowing of the cervix - Also known as stenosis, the lower part of the uterus which is the cervix may become narrow due to scarring and cause Dysmenorrhea.
2. Endometriosis - This is where the uterine lining is found outside the uterus, especially in the pelvic cavity and thus may cause painful cramps.
3. Inflammatory pelvic diseases - This is when a bacterial infection in the pelvic area can spread to multiple organs, including the uterus and thus may cause painful menstrual cramps.
4. Tumors - Tumors or fibroids which are unwanted growths on the inside of the uterus may also trigger Dysmenorrhea.

What to do if you are suffering from Dysmenorrhea
Below are some of the basic steps which you can take to ease pain from Dysmenorrhea
1. Avoid smoking and abstain from alcohol
2. Ample rest during periods
3. Keep the body dehydrated
4. Don't consume foods high in salt
5. Don't drink coffee or any caffeine rich foods
6. Lower back massages and hot water bag treatments to relieve pain
If severe pain still persists for long or if dysmenorrhea occurs repeatedly, then you should consult a doctor first rather than trying to resolve the problem yourself.


All about Dysmenorrhea

Don't wait any longer, manage your Therapeutic Laser online with a Lybrate doctor today

Consult for Therapeutic Laser - Online and Easy!

FilterClear All

COMMON SPECIALITIES

COMMON ISSUES