Whip Lash

Unfortunately during the winter season crashes happen. You could be on the hill or in your car, regardless where you are take all precautions to stay safe. That being said accidents can occur at any time. 

Let's talk whip lash.

What is it?

Whip lash is when your head suddenly moves in a forward or backwards direction followed by a snapping ( or whipping ) back in the opposite direction pushing your neck muscles beyond their normal range of motion. 

In short your muscles all aroun your neck are strained ( see sprains and strains ) causin pain across the front and back of our neck.

The first thing to do when you have whip lash is follow these four steps :

Rest - relax

Ice - see cold hydrotherapy blog

Compression - light massage

Elevation - keep your head up

Symptoms of whip lash :

Dizziness

Neck pain and stiffness 

Headaches

Fatigue

Jaw pain

Arm pain and weakness

Ringing in the ear

Back pain

Many whip lash victims won't feel any symptoms till 24 to 48 hours after the initial incident. Once symptoms do occur they should only take a few days to subside. Seeing your local physician is always recommended regardless of the severity. 

Nathaniel Porter-Gowan,RMT 

RMT vs Physio vs Chiro

I see many clients here at Kalola boutique and Spa. Some come in for relaxation and other for therapy to help those lingering aches and pains. Many of my clients have a physiotherapist or chiropractor in there home town. Often I am asked what the difference between the three professions are an how they differ benificially. 

Here are all three defined. 

Phisiotherapy : are primary health care professionals with a significant role in health promotion and treatment of injury and disease. They combine their in depth knowledge of the body and how it works with specialized hands on clinical skills to assess, diagnose and treat symptoms of illness, injury or disability. 

Laymens terms : tissue rebuilding 

Chiropractics : specialists in manual adjustments of the vertebrae of the spine and other joints of he body. Adjustments help relieve pain and restore normal functioning to the joint and supporting muscles and ligaments.

Laments terms : joint manipulation 

Massage Therapy : consists primarily of hands on manipulation of the soft tissue of the body, specifically, the muscles, connective tissue, tendons, ligaments, and joints for the purpose of optimize health. 

Massage therapy treatment has a therapeutic effect on the body and optimizes health am well being by acing on the muscular, nervous, and circulatory system ; physical dysfunctions and pain and the effects of stress can be relieved or prevented.

Lents terms : tissue manipulation

So there you have it. All work to benifit your health. All are effective treatments to maintain, prevent, and relieve symptoms related to your body. Find the one that works for you the best or combine them all for your optimum health. 

Nathaniel Porter-Gowan, RMT

Strain or Sprain

Let's face it, injuries happen at the hill. Your body gets fatigued and some times dosnt respond as quick as it needs to. You push yourself harder or you finally get a chance to try that trick you have been waiting all summer to do. You trip and fall, catch an edge or slid on a patch of ice. Pain shoots up you leg. You know somethings wrong as you hobble to the lodge. Ski patrol says you sprained your ankle or the EMS on site tells you you have a strain in your right legs. 

So what's the difference?

A sprain is an injury to the ligament that connects bone to bone. It helps provide stability to your joints keeping them intact and moving correctly. When you sprain your ankle for example you tear the ligament causing the joint to move beyond it's normal range of motion. This cause pain, instability and if sever enough the inability to move the limb at all. 

So what's a strain?

A strain is the stretching or tearing of a tendon that connects muscle to bone. This happens when the muscle is stretched then contracted quickly beyond it's capability. 

In an acute strain you often feel pain, have muscle spasms, limited range of motion, and lose strength in that muscle. 

A chronic strain happen over time. They build up from constant over use and repetitive stress. When this happens the tendon gets inflamed and can cause tendinitis, an injury that is painful and not easily treated. 

So if you fall and feel something not quite right get it checked by a local physician right away. Leaving a strain or sprain untreated can cause further injuries with long term effects. If treated right away most strains and sprains will heal without much complications and have you back on the hill before you know it.

Nathaniel Porter-Gowan, RMT

Stretching for the Hill

So now that the snow has arrived, your dusting off the skis or board and getting ready for the slopes. You got your tune up or your excited to try out that new equipment. Are you forgetting something? Mitts, hat, layers ... Stretch!

Regardless if you have been riding for years or are trying it out for the first time you nee to warm up those muscles. 

Remember all stretches should be pain free am held no less than 15 - 30 seconds and repeated for each side two to three times.

Start with some trunk rotations:

Put our hands on your hips and rotate side to side slowly about ten times.

Side stretches:

In a relaxed stance raise one arm over you head while the other is on your hip.  Bend sideways towards the  floor bringing the raised arm over your head.

Hamstring ( back of your leg ):

Raise your leg up on your car bumper or simply bring one foot infringement of the other and lean towards the raised or front foot. 

Quadriceps ( front of your leg ):

Balance yourself standing upright and bring the heel of your foot to your backside by bending your knee.

Calf muscles ( lower leg ):

Place the ball your toes on a wall or something upright with your heel on the ground. Push your hips forward slowly.

Arms :

Start with cross body stretch where one arm crosses the chest while the other holds the elbow. 

Lower arm :

Pull your fingers gently back while your palms are facing down and then push them down towards the floor.

End with small circles forward with your palms down letting the circles get bigger then turn your palms up and reverse.

After your all stretched you will be ready for the hill.

And if your not hitting the slopes but are on the hill here at blue, visit us at Kalola Boutique and Spa for a relaxing hot stone massage, a Swedish massage or any other signature massages performed by our registered massage therapists.

Nathaniel Porter-Gowan,RMT

Pectoral Stretching

You have constant back pain. You drive a lot. Sit at a desk in front of a computer. Slouch, can't relax, can't sleep, always massaging your neck and upper traps. Sound familiar?

Just like my blog about setting your shoulders, pectoral stretches is another key to relieving that constant back pain. By stretching our pectoral muscles the elongated muscles at the back of our neck, shoulders, and back get a chance to relax. Because of the tight muscles in the front of our body the ones in the back get pulled constantly. They become sore because they are always stretched. Like an elastic band when its pulled it gets tight. Same goes for those muscles in the back. The front muscles pull, the back muscles stretch creating a tightness through our shoulders and neck. So how can we alleviate some of that constant pain without anti-inflammatory or muscle relaxants?

Pectoral Stretches

The best way to do pectoral stretches I found was in a door way. Stretching one arm at a time helps you focus from left and right. One side might be tighter or compensating for the other so doing one side at a time helps pin point specific muscles. In the picture it depicts doing both arms at the same time. This also works and with busy schedules is better than not doing it at all.

Hold each stretch for 15 to 30 seconds. Make sure you stretch both sides regardless where the pain is. In the picture you can see one leg forward. This helps with balance and also prevents over stretching and tearing the pectorals. Every stretch should be pain free. If it starts to hurt or you feel dizzy, lightheaded or out of breath stop immediately. Stretching is to relax the muscles not work them out. Do these stretches three times, twice a day. In no time that back pain you keep on massaging will dissipate leaving you pain free and more mobile.

Good luck

Nathaniel Porter-Gowan, RMT

COLD HYDROTHERAPY

    I get asked quite often by my clients at Kalola Boutique and Spa, " Should I use hot or Cold?" This question often arises after someone falls off their bike coming down the mountain, strains a muscle on the golf coarse or simply waking up with a stiff neck.

The answer is usually time related.

   I recommend cold for acute injuries. Just after they happen. Cold therapy such as ice packs, cold gel packs, cold cloths and/or water constrict the blood vessels (make them smaller.) This slows down blood flow to the area reducing the pain and inflammation. Cold therapy is often used for bumps and bruising as well as immediate strains and sprains.

* Caution: When using cold therapy you must follow four simple steps called C.B.A.N. and never put cold therapy directly on your skin. Use a wet towel as a barrier between the cold and your skin to prevent further damage to the area.

C.B.A.N. is an acronym for Cold, Burning, Aching, Numb. You will feel these four sensations when applying cold therapy. Once your skin reaches the numb stage remove the cold application and do not reapply until the tissue returns to normal temperature.

Setting your Shoulders

    One of the most common problem I see today at Kalola Boutique and Spa is upper back and neck pain. My clients are constantly asking how they can alleviate the stress that builds up causing them pain and discomfort. A simple solution: SETTING YOUR SHOULDERS"

     The most common cause of pain behind the neck and into the shoulders is work related. Sitting in front of the computer for long periods of time makes our body begins to "sag" forward, our head tilts downwards and the shoulders start to rotate inward shortening the pectorals or chest muscles. When this happens the muscles in the back stretch out to compensate for the pulling in the front. Just like a rubber band when a muscle gets stretched it tightens up causing tension. Since the majority of us don't have the luxury of simply switching jobs paying attention to our posture will help immensely.

Setting your shoulders:

In a relaxed position raise your shoulders towards your ears
Next bring them straight back moving only your shoulders
Again moving only your shoulders bring them straight down to the final position

Now your set. Literally.

A quick little hint: Put a sticky note on your computer, rear view mirror or both simply stating "SET YOUR SHOULDERS". This will be your constant reminder for relieving that ongoing back pain.

Nathaniel Porter-Gowan,RMT