7 Keys For Healthy Knees

I received a request from a follower on twitter to post about problems with knees. While I can’t give detailed advice on recovering from an injury without seeing someone in person, I can give some general suggestions on how to keep your knees injury free.

Like all parts of your body, your knees are not islands in your legs. Knee health is mostly depended on the health of other surrounding body structures. I have boiled down knee care to a few hints that will increase your chances to have strong and flexible knees for years to come.

1. Reduce Impact and Twisting- Are your favorite activities high impact or require lots of twisting? These activities put enormous strain on your knees. It’s hard for many who love these activities to stop doing them altogether. Maybe you could cut down. Cross training can be most beneficial. For instance instead of running 5X a week you could run 3X a week and swim or row 2X a week. Give those knees a break and still keep fit.

2. Leg Muscle Balance- Often people will develop pain on either side or the top of their knees. This can be caused by a muscle imbalance in the legs. A certain muscle or muscle group might be  too weak. Make sure when you are strengthening your legs you hit all muscle groups not just quads, hamstrings and calves. The most common leg weakness I find with my Seattle massage clients are the adductors (inner thighs).

3. Pelvis Alignment and Muscle Balance- When your pelvis is out of alignment or you have a weakness in the muscles that stabilize the pelvis there is a large chance that you will become a victim to “trickle down ergonomics.” Which is a silly way of saying, what is going on structurally above the body greatly effects the lower structures. This is extra critical when the structures are as close to the knees as the pelvis.

4. Feet and Ankle Alignment and Muscle Balance- Are you landing on your feet evenly? Do you have weak ankles? Are you using comfortable and supportive shoes? These are all important things to keep mindful of and address immediately. This could be based on the “trickle up ergonomics” theory.

5. Range of Motion- If you spend more than an hour a day with your knee in one position then it is important for you to move it. Are you sitting a lot? Get up, stretch your legs and walk around for a few minutes every hour. Don’t drag your feet or shuffle when you walk. This bad habit promotes poor range of motion in the knee, hip and ankle.

6. Flexibility- Do you stand a lot? Do some leg stretches, especially for the quads and calves, every two hours. It is important that you stretch ALL OF THE LEG daily. The most common tightness I find in folks are the quads and adductors. Many runners will sacrifice stretching for added running time. This is not a good idea if you want to keep running for many years.

7. Body Support Team- If you are an active person or are currently having knee pain, it is important that you have a health practitioner that you can go to that will help you keep everything strong, flexible and aligned. My favorite type of practitioners for this are massage practitioners, physical therapists, and personal trainers.

If you have a more specific persistent issue that you are dealing with in regards to your knees, please seek medical help immediately. The sooner you start care the greater your chance for a speedy recovery and don’t underestimate the power of ice for injury recovery.  PJ Harris, LMP http://www.pjharris.com/

A Frequent Culprit of Shoulder and Upper Back Pain

Do you have pain in between your shoulder blades? Do you sit at a computer, drive a car, or work with your arms in front of your for several hours a day? Then you might have a bound up Subscapularis.

What is a Subscapularis? It is a muscle between your scapula (shoulder blade) and your ribs. It is partially responsible for rotating your arm inward.

This is how the Subscapularis causes problems:

If you are rolled inward at the chest and shoulders this can cause a tightening of the chest muscles in the front of the upper body and the Subscapularis. When this happens your upper back and the back of your shoulders become overstretched. Those upper back muscles start to make themselves rigid because the are trying to create stability. This can then cause knots and pain between your shoulder blades, ouch.

When consulting with my Seattle massage clients regarding their shoulder pain, I will often give them stretches for homework. Some of the stretches might incorporate stretching their chest, sides or arms to open up the front of their bodies. This helps to relieve the pulling inward of the chest and shoulders to give those upper back muscles some relief. Coupled with massage this is often helpful for relieving pain between the shoulder blades. I could give them a stretch for the Subscapularis. Unfortunately, due to anatomical structures getting in the way, I have yet to find a stretch for the Subscapularis that is effective. The best way I know to release this tricky little muscle is with massage.

So if you are one of the many with pain between your shoulder blades, ask your therapist if they know a good release for the Subscapularis. Maybe they are already taking care of this. If so, you could be on your way to finally being rid of that nagging pain.

Thank you for reading, PJ Harris, LMP http://www.pjharris.com/

Do you have muscle pain when you wake up in the morning?

Many of the clients coming to my Seattle massage practice are suffering from pain and/or muscle tension when they first wake up in the morning. Some people have low back pain and many have shoulder pain. It leads to reason that they are doing something while they are sleeping to cause themselves this discomfort. Unless they have a serious sleep walking issue, it probably has to do with the position their body is lying in.

 To support your body better while sleeping breaks down to what angle best takes care of your individual joints and how to achieve that optimal angle.

To care for your neck while sleeping on your side, it must be in a neutral position like the picture to the left. There are many types of pillows that can help you achieve this. Ikea has a few and you can try them on a bed the store provides next to the pillows display.

 The best angle for shoulder support when sleeping on your side is for the shoulder to not cave in or angle back. Keeping a neutral position across your chest and upper back as much as possible is better. To do this you can hug a pillow while you sleep. This will help keep your shoulders from curving inward.

When you are also sleeping on your side, the best angle for your legs  is with your knees hip length apart. You can create this angle by placing a pillow the correct amount of thickness between your knees. To support your low back, your legs bent at the hip between a slight and a 90 degree angle is preferred.

When you are sleeping on your back, a great way to support your low back is to put a pillow under your knees.

Now these are just some general ideas. As usual, talk to your health care practitioner for more in depth suggestions. Thank you for reading. PJ Harris, LMP, http://www.pjharris.com/

Ergonomics in the Workplace

Many of the clients I see in my Seattle massage practice have pain due to poor ergonomics at their desks. What is ergonomics?

Ergonomics, when applied to sitting at a desk, is the process of the correct placement and alignment of the joints of your body. When your body is supported in its proper alignment you will decrease your risk of injury.

Here are a few basic ergonomic suggestions to keep your body pain free:

• Feet flat on the floor - Raise or lower your chair or put your feet on something.
• Knees bent at a 90 degree angle - Adjust your seat height or put your feet on something.
• Hips at a 90 degree angle - Move hips as close as possible to the seat back.
• Back supported -  Make sure your seat back supports your back. You could use a little pillow if needed.
• Elbows at a 90 degree angle - Raise or lower your keyboard shelf or adjust your chair.
• Shoulders should be relaxed and not hunched up toward ears.
• Wrists straight - This is yet again a seat height issue
• Eyes level with the top of the screen of your computer monitor.
• The monitor should be an arm’s length away and then adjust the distance for your vision.

There are other ways to reduce your likelihood of pain due to sitting at a desk all day. Stay tuned to this blog and I will post those in the future. Thank you PJ Harris, LMP. http://www.pjharris.com/

Common Causes of Injury or Pain – Posture

Poor posture is one of the most common causes of injury or pain that I see in my practice. Since I specialize in injury treatment massage, I see a lot of people with this issue. Mom was right we need to sit up straight.

Why is good posture so important? If you use poor body mechanics (body movement in daily activities) your body will not have proper alignment. The joints and muscles loose their ability to create a strong structure when your alignment is off. Some muscles will become overly elongated and vulnerable to injury. Others will become shorter and adhere themselves to a shortened position to prevent you from comfortably putting your body in the right posture. Your body is most efficient when the muscles and joints are aligned.

How can a massage therapist help with my posture? Well, first off we can look at your stance and help you to get into the correct posture so you can feel the difference between standing correctly and standing incorrectly. We can also help you with your sitting posture and correct body mechanics in your daily activities. Massage itself will assist release in holding or stiff muscles, like those pesky shortened muscles, that keep your body out of alignment.

Postural muscle strengthening (for example: core strengthening exercises) is a very important piece of the posture puzzle. An elongated muscle can sometimes be restored to proper function by strengthening it. I have a Fitness Specialist Certificate so I can give my Seattle massage clients exercises to help in this area.

There are many ways to help heal from or prevent specific postural issues. I will write more about these issues in future massage blogs. Thank you for reading. PJ Harris, LMP http://www.pjharris.com/