neck pain

Stiff Neck

September is Pain Awareness Month. And, sadly, a fifth of us are dealing with chronic pain. Often pain can make us afraid to move. We don’t know what we should do. We worry about making it worse. But research shows movement is almost always the better option. Lack of movement tends to create more pain.

The exception would be an acute injury. If you got in a car accident and got whiplash yesterday, you would want to talk with your doctor before moving. But even after many surgeries, doctors have patients up and moving the same day. Our body needs movement the way it needs food and water.

Let’s consider the common problem of a stiff neck from when you’ve slept “wrong.” Your range of motion is likely restricted. So here are some steps to take:
1) Do an assessment. 2) Add micromovements. 3) If that feels okay, add some gentle stretches.

First you are going to nod your head up and down like you are saying “Yes” about 5 times, and then turn left and right like you are saying “No.” Force nothing. Notice what your range of motion is and the moment you […]

Stiff NeckMaggie Downie2024-09-20T11:52:32-04:00

Home Office Ergonomics

Home office ergonomics is about making sure your home work station is set up in a healthy way that doesn’t create pain and discomfort. There are ideal configurations and better positions, but there is no one perfect way. Even the perfect position will start to create pain in the body if we stay like that for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Here are some tips for improving your home office to create a healthier happy body:

Home Office Ergonomics Tips

Variety

Look to change your position as often as possible (every 45-minutes would be ideal). Remember it’s being in one position for extended periods that create pain and strain over time (or for some of us pretty quickly). You can make a quality work station out of a couch, a kitchen table, a counter, and even a bed.

You can sit on a pillow on the floor, facing the couch, using the couch as a desk. You can flip around and have the base of the couch give you back support and use a chair as a desk. Think outside the […]

Home Office ErgonomicsMaggie Downie2021-01-21T19:22:30-05:00

Get the most out of your ab workouts

Most people I’ve met want fabulous abs. Others are looking for ways to strengthen and support their back knowing that abs play a roll. Whichever desire motivates us (and sometimes it’s both), we often make time for ab exercises. That’s great, but if you’re going spend time doing ab workouts, let’s make sure you are working them the best you can without hurting other parts of your body. Here are some ways to get the most out of your ab workouts.

Knees over Hips

It’s really easy for the knees to creep in, but keeping them over your hips will create a lot more ab work.

There are lots of exercises for the abs where the legs are in the bent in the air. Often on these exercises the knees start to creep in over the stomach instead of staying over the hips. If that happens because you are taking pressure off the back, that’s a form of modifying, but know that you want to build up to being able to support your legs in tabletop position (with the knees and hips at 90-degrees). It’s not worth straining […]

Get the most out of your ab workoutsMaggie Downie2018-02-14T16:33:04-05:00

Exercise of Life

We can exercise, which I highly recommend, but it’s hard for one hour a day of exercise to unravel eight hours in a chair. Even if your day isn’t spent in a chair, however you spend most of your time will start to be reflected in your body. In addition to making specific time to move every day, considering your body in space throughout the day can help you feel better in your own skin. Check in at different moments. If your back hurts when you are doing something is there a simple change you can make to relieve the pain? If you neck hurts can you make a subtle adjustment? Exercise yes. But make movement and noticing your body during simple movement the exercise of life.

Try to notice your body in the following scenarios:

When you brush your teeth, do your shoulders crunch up to your ears?

While washing dishes does your pelvis bump up against the sink?

When you bend over to scrunch your hair, do you tuck your tailbone?

When […]

Exercise of LifeMaggie Downie2018-02-14T16:49:03-05:00

Prevent Dowager’s Hump

No one wants a dowager’s hump—that lump at the base of your neck that makes you look a little like Quasimodo. Honestly, most people won’t notice it as much as you notice. It isn’t always that obvious, but it is a sign of an unhealthy spine. Joe Pilates wrote, “If your spine is inflexibly stiff and 30, you are old. If it is completely flexible at 60, you are young.” We should all strive to prevent a dowager’s hump before we see on there. Prevention is always easier than resolution.

A dowager’s hump is often associated with osteopenia and osteoporosis with the front of the vertebra fracturing and causing a kyphosis (rounding forward of the spine). While osteopenia and osteoporosis are likely culprits, our general posture tends to weaken and over time exacerbate the degeneration in the area. Having slightly kyphotic spine for most of our lives probably increases the problem.

We are a society of slouchers. Our upper backs are rounded and our heads jut forward. Be mindful and try to be taller.

Here are some tips to ward off a dowager’s hump:

Throughout the day, but especially when sitting, think long and tall out the crown of your head. Try to create […]

Prevent Dowager’s HumpMaggie Downie2018-01-13T16:15:30-05:00