BlackBerry Thumb

It has just recently come to my attention that many people are suffering from "BlackBerry Thumb." The highly repetitive nature of the movements necessary to type in the text messages will cause everything from pain in the thumb to wrist pain, and even can cause carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

There are two muscles that move the thumb, one at the base of the thumb which enables you to press down, and the other in the top of your forearm, which lifts your thumb back up again. As these muscles are used over and over, in a very rapid manner, they eventually shorten. This causes stress on your thumb joint, and also pulls on the bridge to the carpal tunnel. This second situation will put pressure directly on the median nerve within the carpal tunnel. You will be diagnosed with CTS, and in fact you do have carpal tunnel syndrome, but you don't need medication, braces, or surgery, you just need to release the tension in the muscles.

There will be more information about this condition, but meanwhile you can learn a lot about the muscles that cause BlackBerry Thumb, and carpal tunnel syndrome, by going to www.carpaltunneltreatment.org.

Shoulder Pain - Is it really a "Torn Rotator Cuff" muscle?

Through the years I've had so many people email me, post on our forum, or come into the office after being diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff when it wasn't really torn, that I thought I should explain what is happening in the rotator cuff.

There are several muscles that
1. originate within the rotator cuff
2. insert into the joint, or
3. have an impact on the shoulder joint because when they contract they cause the upper arm to move in some direction, therefore rotating the top of the bone within the cuff.

When one, or more, of these muscles are shortened by a knot in the fibers (AKA: "spasm" or "trigger point") the rotator cuff is strained, even to the point of tearing the muscle away from the bone. However, I've found that often the muscle isn't really torn, but it is pulling so hard that you can't move, or that it feels like it's torn. Of course, an MRI would confirm the tear, but it doesn't explain why the muscle is pulling so hard that it has torn.

To have the fibers surgically re-connected, without first releasing the tension in the fibers, will only cause tension to now be placed on the stitches, and possibly to have it tear again.

Whether the muscle is torn from the rotator cuff or not, the treatment MUST be to first treat the spasms in the muscle fibers, lengthen the fibers, and release the tension from the insertion point. This is much easier than it sounds. First you need to figure out which muscle is doing the pulling. The way to do that is to see what movement you can't make. For example, if you can't bring your arm across your chest, then I'd suggest you look at the infraspinatus muscle that is on your shoulder blade, and if you can't bring your arm back, then look at the pectoralis muscle. Whatever muscle is supposed to be stretching is the one that is causing the problem.

When you have located the muscle causing the problem, then press on the center of it and move around until you find a point that is really tender. That tender point is the spasm. Just hold the pressure on the spasm for 60 seconds, and then push the muscle as if you were trying to lengthen it (you actually are trying to lengthen it) toward the end of the limb. For example, arm muscles need to be lengthened toward your hand, and leg muscle get lengthened toward your feet.

Wishing you well,
Julie

Muscles cause pain from your head to your toes!

It's really true, muscles cause pain from your head to your toes! 18 years of working with people at the Julstro Muscular Therapy Center, at sporting events and on athletic forums, and at workshops around the USA, has proven it over and over. The good news is, once we locate the source of the pain (a spasm in the muscle) we can quickly figure out how to self-treat it. And it works the vast majority of times, preventing further complications and eliminating pain.

The messages on this blog will discuss common problems that I see every day, and explain why muscles are causing conditions such as shinsplints, bursitis, tendonitis, sciatica, Achilles tendonitis, hip pain, etc., etc.

It helps if you have a general knowledge of how muscles work. If you read "Know Your Body and Become Pain Free - How Your Body Moves" you'll understand why muscles are the cause of a vast majority of aches and pains.

Let's start today with defining a word that is thrown about as a diagnosis, but is actually just a definition. The term is "tendonitis" and it means an inflammation at the point where a muscle merges into the tendon , or where a tendon inserts into a bone.

While it's true that you may have an inflammation, it's not saying "why" you have an inflammation. As muscles get tighter and tighter, for example from exercising or doing a repetitive motion at work, a strain is placed on the tendon. As the muscle continues to pull, the tendon is being strained at the insertion point, and an inflammation forms. However, taking medication for the inflammation isn't going to work until the strain is removed from the tendon.

I always explain this by showing how pulling on your hair will cause a headache, but you don't need to take aspirin, you just need to let go of your hair. It's the same with muscles pulling on the tendon at the bone. You don't need medications, you just need to take the strain off the tendon. That's what this blog is all about, explaining where the muscle is tying into knots and placing a strain on either the tendon, or pressing down on a nerve.