Repetitive Strain Injuries

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a repetitive stress injury that interferes with the use of the hand. Often the dominant wrist is the injured one but in some patients both wrists can be involved. Symptoms are caused by the pinching/entrapment of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel. Symptoms include pain, numbness in the index, middle fingers and thumb, tingling in the hand(s) and pain shooting up the arm. Left untreated, the condition tends to worsen and can lead to permanent nerve damage. 

Since bones and ligaments have no “give”, this puts pressure on the nerve, which can be worsened by repetitive motion and tasks. Examples of repetitive motion include using a computer for long periods of time or performing assembly line tasks.  Middle age is the most common time in life for carpal tunnel syndrome to occur and there is a higher occurrence of carpal tunnel in females compared to males. Patients seeking treatment for repetitive stress injuries such as carpal tunnel do so because it is less invasive to its allopathic counterparts, which rely on medication and surgery.

How do overuse conditions occur?

Over-used muscles change in three important ways:

• Acute conditions (pulls, collisions)
• Micro-trauma (small tears)
• Hypoxia (lack of oxygen)

These factors cause the body to produce tough scar tissue that binds and ties down tissues, restricting movement. 

Over time scar tissue builds up, causing muscles to become shorter and weaker, resulting in a reduced range of motion, loss of strength and pain. 

Active release techniques are patented massage techniques that address problems with tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves, which are often the result of overuse.
All of Back to Health’s practitioners are certified in Active release techniques.

Clinical Stages of Carpal Tunnel:

Stage 1→ Uncharacteristic discomfort in the hand

Stage 2→ Symptoms localized to territory supplied by the median nerve

Stage 3→ Impairment of digital function and clumsiness

Stage 4→ Sensory loss in median nerve distribution

Triathlons

triathlons101.com

What is a Triathlon?

Triathlons are one of the fastest growing sports. It’s an amazing race that combines cycling, running and swimming. There are a wide variety of triathlons ranging from the Try a Tri, for those new to the sport, to the Iron Man. The iron man is a grueling 3.86 km swim, followed by a 112 km bike ride and finished with a 42.2 km marathon.

The Guinness World Record 2000 states that the longest triathlon was completed by David Holleran (Australia) on April 8th 1998. It consisted of a 42 km swim, a 2 000 km bike ride and a 500 km run. He completed it in 17 days, 22 hr. and 50 min.

HYDRATION

Hydration is very important when getting exercise. It’s necessary for cardiovascular functioning, homeostasis and muscle functioning. Maintaining good levels of hydration keeps your blood volume up and helps transport nutrients and other substances throughout the body. Dehydration can cause muscle cramps, fatigue and poor performance.

Avoid caffeinated beverages when exercising. Caffeine is a diuretic which causes the body to lose water.

When performing endurance sports hydration isn’t the only thing to consider. You also need to keep your electrolyte levels up. Sodium and potassium are the 2 main electrolytes we’ll look at.

Hyponatremia (loss of electrolytes) is something that can occur with endurance sports such as triathlons. This condition occurs when sodium levels in the blood are too low. This can lead to nausea, fatigue, vomiting, weakness and in extreme cases coma and death.

Sodium is necessary for nerve conduction and it helps to move sub-stances into your cells.

Potassium is important for muscle contractions, nerve impulses and releasing energy from stores.

Many sports drinks contain sodium, potassium and some carbohydrates (for energy). If the cost of sports drinks is a problem you can also make your own homemade sports drink. There are lots of recipes out there you can try.

One example we found is: mix

4 tbsp sugar  1/4 tsp. salt

4 c. water       1/4 c orange juice

Nutritional content

Total of 200 cal. 50 cal / 8 oz glass Carbohydrates—12g

Sodium—110 mg Potassium—30mg

Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook, Nancy Clark MS, RD1997

Travelling

Sleep Tips

mvcchiro.com

Sleeping while travelling can cause significant problems for some. There are a number of factors that can affect your sleep including light, noise, and changes to your routine to name a few. Here are a few tips to help you get a better night’s sleep.

1. Try to block out as much light as possible when sleeping. Even small amounts of light can affect your sleep cycle.
2. Bring something familiar from home. Your pillow might be the best thing you can bring but if that’s not possible even bringing music or photos can help.
3. Try to stick to your usual bedtime routine and avoid things like caffeine, alcohol and heavy meals right before bed.
4. Take naps during the day to make up for any lost sleep. You might not want to lose time napping but the quality of your awake time will benefit greatly.
5. Studies done at the Sense of Smell Institute showed that the scent of lavender increased the amount of time spent in deep restorative sleep.

Luggage:

wyliemac.com

Carrying luggage can cause back, shoulder and neck pain. There are some things you can do to decrease the risk of injury.

First, choose lightweight, sturdy luggage that has wheels and extending handles.

Try to pack as light as possible to reduce the load you have to carry around with you and check your luggage as soon as possible. Finally, always lift with the weight of the luggage close to your body and USE YOUR LEGS WHEN LIFTING.

HAPPY TRAVELS

Before going on a long drive or flight be sure to remove bulky items from your back pockets! Sitting on objects like wallets can cause misalignment of the body resulting in muscle fatigue and strain as well as spinal subluxations.

The Ergonomics of Driving

jacksdrivingschool.com

Low back pain is a common complaint when driving long distances but it’s not the only complaint. Neck, leg and arm discomfort can also happen if you’re not positioned properly and taking regular breaks. Here are some positioning tips that should help prevent the discomfort of a long drive.

Make sure the seat you’re sitting in is supportive. The seat back should be wide and high enough to support your shoulders and your headrest should be positioned behind your head.

Your seat should be positioned so that your legs are supported as well. If your seat is too far forward your thighs will be up off the seat and if you’re too far forward you’ll have to stretch to reach the pedals.

Lumbar support is also important on a long drive. The low back muscles can become fatigued if the lumbar region is unsupported causing low back pain. If the car you’re driving doesn’t have good lumbar support you can get a back rest with lumbar support.

The seat belt should be adjusted so that it is going over your shoulder. It should not rub on your neck and you should never tuck it under your arm.

Distance from the steering wheel is another important positioning consideration.

You should be close enough that your arms are slightly bent at the elbow.

Many things in a car are adjustable such as the seat, steering wheel positioning and seatbelt height. Take the time to make the adjustments before you leave and remember to take breaks about every two hours to have a good stretch and reduce fatigue.

Vaccinations

andesproperty.com

If you’re travelling outside Canada it might be necessary to get vaccinations to protect you from diseases such as Hepatitis, Typhoid Fever or Yellow Fever to name a few. The vaccinations you require depend on where you’re traveling to.

Some immunizations can take several weeks before they are effective protection so it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor about what vaccinations you need around 6 to 8 weeks before you actually go on your trip.

For more information on necessary vaccinations when traveling check with the Public Health Agency of Canada, a travel health clinic or your physician.

The Foot

The foot and it’s parts

The feet are flexible structures of bones, joints, muscles, and soft tissues that let us stand upright and perform activities like walking, running, and jumping. The feet are divided into three sections:  
The fore-foot contains the five toes (phalanges) and the five longer bones (metatarsals). The mid-foot is a pyramid-like collection of bones that form the arches of the feet. These include the three cuneiform bones, the cuboid bone, and the navicular bone. The hind-foot forms the heel and ankle. The talus bone supports the leg bones (tibia and fibula), forming the ankle. The calcaneus (heel bone) is the largest bone in the foot.

Muscles, tendons, and ligaments run along the surfaces of the feet, allowing the complex movements needed for motion and balance. The Achilles tendon connects the heel to the calf muscle and is essential for running, jumping, and standing on the toes. 

The foot contains 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments and 19 muscles.   All of these are used during walking and running – known as the gait phase.  When we put out foot down on the ground the hind-foot bones (joints) need to bend and rotate.  We make use of the tendons and muscles to help.  Then when we move forward on foot to the mid-foot all the bones in that area need to roll, tip and glide in different motions.  Then finally when we come off the front of the foot the fore-foot bones in the toes need to perform specific motions.  

If one of the 26 bones in the foot is out of alignment this will affect a person’s walking/running. Then add in muscle issues and there is a major problem!  

Any type of problems above the foot in the knee, hip, pelvis, tailbone or lower back will affect this motion chain as well.  We also have to think of the transfer of weight to the opposite side – which will affect the other side too!  COMPLEX!

Of Special Interest

The foot contains: 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments and 19 muscles. 

1/4 of all the bones in the human body are down in your feet. When these bones are out of alignment, so is the rest of the body. 

The average person takes 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day, which adds up to about 115,000 miles over a lifetime. That's enough to go around the circumference of the earth four times.

During an average day of walking, the total forces on your feet can total hundreds of tons, equivalent to an average of a fully loaded cement truck.