PAIN SCIENCE

Pain is a very complicated concept that we have discussed before on our blog. When talking about chronic pain there are so many different things that can cause that chronic pain, that it gets difficult to decipher what is relevant to you. In this scenario, we are strictly discussing chronic pain that there is no medical explanation for. For example, if someone is having shoulder pain and there have been countless tests that come up with nothing. In this case, the person is having medically unexplainable pain on a daily or every other day basis. Pain science gives two possible explanations for this chronic pain.

The first one is that the connections between the area that is in pain and the brain. These connections are what cause pain, and if there was past issue that was causing pain, it makes those connections stronger. This is because the more that the stimuli goes to the brain from these connections, the more they are used, which makes the connection stronger. As the connection gets stronger, it takes less stimuli to cause a reaction through the connection. For example, if

you are hiking through an unmarked part of the forest, it will be difficult at first. As you and friends continue to go through that same path, the once difficult path will start to become less and less difficult to travel through. The same thing goes for these pain pathways. As the pathway is used more and more, it is easier for the stimuli to reach the brain. Now as your actual physical trauma goes away, you may still feel pain even if there is no physical reason for it because these pathways are paved out and your body is used to sending stimuli through it to your brain. 

The second possibility that is explained by pain science is more psychosocial. This can be a hard statement because no one wants to hear that their pain is not physically real, but in some cases, the pain is a psychologically driven pain that is not physical connected. It is important to understand that it is not saying that you pain is not real, it is that your pain is not caused by physical factors, but physiological factors. 

Pain science is a continuing research program that is trying to understand more about pain, it's causes, and how the pain can be stopped. Just because one may not have a medical reason for their

pain, does not make it "made up" or not "real." Pain can be misunderstood sometimes, and it is pain science's mission to try and understand the chronic pain in everyone's life.

All of the information above was referenced from the article in Massage and Bodywork called "Pain Science Research Meets the Massage Therapy Profession" and was written by Whitney Lowe.

 

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OUR TEAM WORKING TO BETTER YOUR RESULTS!

We are excited to discuss one of the many ways that we are working to better your experience and results here at Massage La Mesa. Yesterday, all of our therapists attended a continuing education

together. The purpose of having our therapists go to continuing education together is to not only better their expertise and knowledge, but to also ensure that every therapist that is at Massage La Mesa is able to give you a wonderful experience every time, no matter what you are looking for. That requires everyone to be constantly working to better their knowledge and keep up with all of the industry changes. We did that this week by attending the Summit on Active Release Techniques, Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Manipulation, and Kinesiology Taping.

Active Release Techniques, or ART, are booming within the massage world right now. It is used to help better break up knots throughout the body through specific movements and techniques. Although this is something that all of our therapists are familiar with through their schooling, it was great for them to be able to really dive in and refresh their memory on a technique that is proven to help clients get better results from their massage.

Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Manipulation, or IASTM, is the use of certain tools during the massage to help release some of the soft tissue, adhesions and any issues within the fascia. This is done by increasing the circulation of the surface of the muscle by using tools on the surface of the skin. They were able to test out many different types of tools and found which ones that they think would benefit you all the most. With this being said, we will be adding the use of a tool into the many different techniques that your massage therapist may use during your massage. This is something that can help you get better, quicker, which is always our goal here at Massage La Mesa. We want you to be out of pain and enjoying life as quickly as possible!

Lastly, Kinesiology Taping, or KT Taping, is actually a service that we already offer at Massage La Mesa. If you haven't heard, we offer a 15 minute and a 30 minute KT Taping sessions. However, it was still great to ensure that all of our therapists are at industry standards regarding their knowledge of KT Taping. They were able to test out different tapes on parts of the body that they maybe haven't done before or need a refresher on. Kinesiology Taping is such a great resource for everyone that we hope everyone tries it out at least once. 

All of our therapists are highly trained and knowledgeable to begin with, but one of the most important things when looking into quality care from a massage therapist is growth. Just like many other professions, in order to stay at their A game, it is so important to constantly be learning. Here at Massage La Mesa, we make sure that all of your therapists are able to give you the best massage, experience, and results possible.

 

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OUR FIRST BUSINESS EXPO

Thursday night was so much fun! Massage La Mesa attended our first business expo, which was put on by the La Mesa Chamber of Commerce. It was completely sold out and had businesses ranging from restaurants to moving companies to banks. The event was a great way to learn about a lot of businesses that you may not know

about in the community, and we would highly recommend all of you attending the next time there is one. It is just a great opportunity to learn more about your city and what it has to offer. Not to mention all of the free things that are given away. 

Every table that was there has something to give away to everyone and then a raffle item. We gave away a free massage and some products that we offer here. Others gave away Amazon gift cards or wine. Every table had something that was worth filling out a little card for! The restaurants were also giving our free samples of there most popular dishes, which is great if you haven't had the opportunity to try some La Mesa restaurants! There was also a silent auction and a 50/50 raffle drawing, which you could pay to participate in. 

All in all, there was something there for everyone. Being able to talk with some of the owners or employees of the businesses was great. They were able to answer all of your questions and give you more information than going to their website would give you. If you are a business owner yourself, getting a table at the La Mesa Spring Fling Business Expo would be a great way to get your business and your name out there to the community. We found lots of people that were in need of a massage, but just hadn't found the right place yet. We are hoping that by putting ourselves out there, we are able to find more awesome clients just like you that can be helped by our awesome therapists. Aside from all the great things that came out of it, it was so much fun. We had a gorgeous table and a great time hanging out with each other and some fellow La Mesa-ians! 

Keep a look out for future events put on by the La Mesa Chamber of Commerce because they will surely be a blast! Throughout this blog, you can see some fun pictures from the event of our table and of us repping our awesome shirts and signs!

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THORACIC OUTLET SYNDROME AND MASSAGE

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
The thoracic outlet is the area between your collarbone and your first rib. In this area, there is a combination of nerves, arteries, and veins that can be seen in the picture on the right. When someone has Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, or TOC, those nerves and blood vessels are compressed. This causes serious symptoms within the person. 

What causes Thoracic Outlet Syndrome?
There are multiple different possible causes for TOC. Medicine Net describes some of these possibilities include trauma from a car accident, repetitive motion and injures from work or sport activities, defects within the anatomical system, such as having an extra rib, and pregnancy. There are cases when the doctors cannot pinpoint a direct cause for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. 

What are the Symptoms of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome?
Mayo Clinic explains that the most common symptoms of TOC are pain in the neck and shoulder and tingling or numbness within the fingers. There are other symptoms that may appear depending on

what nerves and arteries are compressed within the thoracic outlet. 
These symptoms can include:

• discoloration of the hands
• pain and swelling within the arm
• weak or no pulse in the affected arm
• arm fatigue
• weakness of the arm
• weak grip

What is there treatment for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome?

In most cases, TOC is not life threatening and can be treated with physical therapy and pain management measures, such as medication, acupuncture, and massage therapy. The doctor will put together a specialized treatment plan that is determined by the severity and the blood vessels or nerves that are affected. In some cases, the compression is serious enough that surgery is required in order to begin blood flow to the arm and hand again. This is very rare though as most cases are treated with the above measures.

How can massage help with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome?

Massage can help with TOC by softening some of the fascia that surrounds the thoracic outlet. This helps to prevent any added compression on the outlet and relieve some compression by reducing the tightness of the surrounding fascia. Massage also helps to increase blood flow to the area. One of the biggest problems of TOC is the decreased blood flow to the arm and hand. According to Wakefield, by increasing the blood flow to the area, it makes more blood flow through the arm and hand. This is very helpful introducing the amount of swelling, tingling, numbness, and fatigue within the arm and hand of the affect outlet. 

It is important that you consult your medical professional before starting any treatment for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. 

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PASSIVE VS. ACTIVE ASSISTED STRETCHING

Passive Vs. Active Assisted Stretching
If you did not know, we have began offering a 15 minute stretching add-on and a 30 minutes stretching special session here at Massage La Mesa. The point of these sessions is to assist in the success of the goals that are put forth by you and your therapist. These sessions can be utilized by anyone with any wellness goals, such as pre-event preparations, sports recovery, injury recovery, and increased range of motion. It is easy to see a stretching session and say "Okay, I get it is stretching, but what exactly is the session about?" We are here to answer that question today! There are two types of therapist assisted stretching sessions that are utilized- passive and active. It is important to understand that a combination of passive and active stretches may be utilized during one of our stretching sessions.

Passive Stretching
Passive stretching is when you put your body into such a position that a muscle is under tension, but is also sedentary. The area of the body is then manually pushed further into the stretch. The stretch is held for an allotted amount of time and then let go by the therapist. The apparatus moving the body into a position that it would not normally be able to hold itself in helps to release tension and better the range of motion. During the time of this stretch, the body is relaxed and allowing itself to be pushed to it's limits. An example of passive stretching would be putting your arm across your chest
while the therapist assists with getting a deeper stretch by pushing the arm closer to the chest.

Active Stretching
There are a lot of different names that are used interchangeably with "active stretching," such as "PNF" or "Isometric." Therapist assisted active stretching is the combination of holding a body part into a position without any help, like lifting your leg as far up as it can go, for a specific amount of
time. Next the therapist will grab and hold the body part to further stretch the muscles. During this time, the client will contract the muscles to tire out their muscles fibers. By tiring out the muscle fibers, it makes a better stretch since the muscles will not be able to fight against the movement.

Both of these types of stretching are used during stretching sessions to help workout problems areas that can be better assisted with a combination of stretching and massage.

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ARTHRITIS AND MASSAGE

What is Arthritis?
Arthritis is the swelling and inflammation of the joints that tends to get worse with aging, according to Mayo Clinic. There are many different types of arthritis with the most common being osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis is the breakdown of the cartilage of the joints, which causes difficulty, pain, and stiffness when trying to move the joint. Rheumatoid arthritis is focused on the lining of the joints and is considered an autoimmune disease meaning that the body attacks it's own joints. Unfortunately, for the many people suffering from arthritis, there is no cure for this very painful condition. The main symptoms of arthritis are pain, stiffness, swelling, redness, and decreased range of motion of the joints. The older you are, if you are a woman, if you are overweight, if it runs in your family, and if you have injured the joint in the past are all risk factors that increase your chance of getting/having arthritis, but it is important to understand that arthritis can happen in anyone. There are over three million cases of arthritis every year in the United States.

What Can Help Arthritis?
Like was said above, there is no cure for arthritis. The focus of treatment is to alleviate the symptoms of arthritis as much as possible and make life with arthritis manageable. There are many medications that are used by doctors, such as anti-inflammatory medication and pain relievers. There are also many natural remedies that are believed to help with arthritis. Acupuncture can be utilized to reduce pain because the thin needles are placed into the areas of the body that is considered the natural painkiller areas. By activating those areas, you can potentially stop pain from arthritis without medication. Another thing that is recommended to patients suffering from arthritis is to begin a weight loss program if they are overweight. It has been shown that losing weight when you have arthritis helps with the pressure on the joints, which helps to reduce the pain and inflammation, according to Arthritis Today. The last remedy that is often recommended by healthcare professionals and has been proven very beneficial in helping the symptoms of arthritis is massage. Like acupuncture, massage activates the parasympathetic nervous system and the natural pain killer areas of the body, which all works together to help alleviate and fight pain naturally, according to the Arthritis Foundation. The other reason that massage can help people with arthritis is by increasing the blood flow to the areas that are affected by arthritis. By increasing the blood flow, it helps to reduce the swelling and inflammation of the joint.

If you are suffering from arthritis, talk to your doctor about what treatments could help to alleviate your symptoms.

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YOUR QUESTIONS AND FACEBOOK CONTEST

Here at Massage La Mesa we work as a team to write all of you, our clients, a worthwhile blog every week, but we don't always know everything that you want to know! That being said, this blog is about you. We are asking you to comment, email, or post on our Facebook any questions or topics that you would like covered on our blog. We want to make sure it is always relevant to you, so what's better than actually answering your questions! We would be happy to cover anything that is massage, health, or wellness related. 

An added bonus to this, not only will you get yours questions answered, if you like, share, and comment your topic idea on the post on Facebook by Sunday, April 8, you will be entered in to win

a free 15 Minute Stretching Add-On! We really want to hear your ideas, and we cannot wait to see who gets to try out our new Stretching Add-On.

Rules:

The question or topic you comment MUST BE related to massage, health, or wellness to be considered.

The question or topic must be appropriate for all age groups.

The question or topic cannot be the same as someone else already commented. 

The 15 Minute Stretching Add-On must be used in conjunction with a full priced service; it cannot be used by itself.

Have fun and be creative!

Contact us at: 619-917-4675 OR  massagelamesa@gmail.com 

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