Chronic back pain can shrink the gray matter in your brain by as much as 11 percent in one year, the same amount of brain density that's lost in 10 to 20 years of normal aging, according to a Northwestern University study, published in the Nov. 23, 2004 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience .The researchers found that every year of chronic pain results in a loss of 1.3 cubic centimeters of gray matter, the part of your brain that processes memory and information.
Researchers used MRIs and other analytic methods to compare brain images of 26 people with chronic back pain and 26 healthy people. All of the people with back pain had suffered unrelenting pain for more than a year. "Given that, by definition, chronic pain is a state of continuous persistent perception with associated negative affect and stress, one mechanistic explanation for the decreased gray matter is overuse atrophy caused by excitotoxic and inflammatory mechanisms," lead researcher A. Vania Apkarian, an associate professor of physiology, said in a prepared statement.

He and his colleagues said it's possible that some of the gray matter shrinkage in people with chronic back pain occurs without substantial loss of neurons. That suggest that proper treatment could reverse at least some of the gray matter loss. It's estimated that approximately 25 percent of Americans experience back pain, and a quarter of those people suffer chronic and unrelenting back pain.

- posted by Jen's Journal @ 9:01 AM

 

The piriformis is one of the small muscles deep under the gluteal muscles that rotates the leg outwards. It runs from the sacrum or base of the spine and attaches to the outside of thigh bone or femur in the hip socket. The sciatic nerve usually drapes over this muscle, but in approximately 30% of the population it runs through the piriformis muscle. If the piriformis muscle becomes tight or has a trigger point, it can put pressure on the sciatic nerve and cause sciatica, or pain, which radiates down the back of the leg.

A common cause of piriformis syndrome is having tight adductor muscles. These are the muscles on the inside of the thigh that "add" or move the leg back to the midline of the body. Adductor muscles are the antagonistic muscles to the gluteus medius muscle. The gluteus medius muscle is one of the gluteal muscles and the primary muscle responsible for hip abduction or pulling the leg away from the body's midline. The hip adductor muscles are the antagonists to the gluteus medius. The synergist muscles of the gluteus medius, or muscles that help, are the psoas, piriformis, TLF, quadratus lumborum and rectus femoris. When adductor muscles are tight or contain trigger points, the gluteus medius and the other muscles that help abduct the leg, including the piriformis, cannot move through their full range of motion and length. The reverse is also true....tight abductor muscles can make for adductor problems.

- posted by Jen's Journal @ 3:09 PM

 
Facilitated stretching is active-assisted stretching, which uses active motion and isometric work to improve flexibility and enhance motor learning in the process. The three steps involved in partner-assisted facilitated stretch are as follows:

1. The stretcher actively lengthens the muscle to be stretched (the target muscle) to its maximal pain-free end range. This is also called the soft tissue barrier or stretch barrier.
2. This active movement incorporates reciprocal inhibition. As the partner, you then position yourself to offer resistance for the stretcher to isometrically contract the target muscle against.
3. Direct the stretcher to begin slowly and 'push' or 'pull' to isometrically contract the target muscle as you provide matching resistance. When the stretcher has achieved the proper level of isometric contraction, hold it for 6-10 seconds. This isometric contraction stimulates the Golgi Tendon Organs, and this stimulation causes post-isometric relaxation.

Facilitated stretching is based on the principles of PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) and is one of several variations of PNF stretching.

- posted by Jen's Journal @ 7:37 PM

 
Is smoking cessation one of your new year's resolutions? Studies show the massage therapy can play an important role in reducing the stress and anxiety associated with nicotine cravings. The Touch Research Institute has developed a self massage to help with these cravings.

Hand Sequence
1. Massage palm by using thumb of one hand to make circular motions in palm of other hand.
2. Massage entire front of hand and length of each finger, from base to tip, using thumb and index finger of opposite hand.
3. Stretch fingers by gently pushing fingers up and back with palm of opposite hand.
4. Press the webbing between thumb and forefinger of one hand with the thumb and forefinger
of the opposite hand for 30 seconds .

Ear Sequence
1. Apply light pressure, using thumb behind the ear and side of index finger in front, starting at top of outer ear and working down intermittently to ear lobe.2. Use index finger to stroke in and around middle of ear.
3. Using light pressure, gently tug ear lobe.
4. Stroke back of ear using index finger.
5. Massage upper and outer areas of front and back of ears using thumb and index fingers.

- posted by Jen's Journal @ 7:03 PM

 
Forging strong social connections may help you outrun heart disease. Having a good support system of family and friends not only boosts your immunity and helps you manage life challenges more effectively, but it also may help slow the progression of heart disease, a new study reports. In the study published as Influence of social support on progression of coronary artery disease in women by H. X. Wang, M. A. Mittleman and K. Orth-Gomer in the February 2005 issue of Social Science & Medicine, three aspects of social support were studied: emotional support, social integration, and interpersonal social relations. There was strong and consistent evidence across numerous studies that social isolation or lack of social support is an independent risk factor for incident coronary heart disease. The study followed 102 women, aged 30-65 years that had been hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction or unstable angina between 1991 and 1994. These women were followed over an average of 3.2 years. Quantitative coronary angiography was performed 3-6 months following the initial hospitalization and then repeated 3 years later. Progression of coronary atherosclerosis was evaluated as the change in mean luminal diameter from first to second measurements of 10 pre-defined coronary segments. Significantly greater coronary atherosclerosis progression was found among women who lacked emotional support (arterial diameter narrowing by 0.15mm), with social isolation (0.14mm), and lack of interpersonal social relations (0.13mm), whereas women with high levels of support progressed less. It was 0.05mm in women with high levels of emotional support, 0.07mm for socially integrated women, and 0.04mm in women with adequate interpersonal social relations. The results of our study suggest that lack of emotional support, social isolation, and lack of interpersonal social relations are important risk factors for accelerated progression of coronary atherosclerosis in middle-aged women.

Spending time with people you care about appears to help your heart in the long run.

- posted by Jen's Journal @ 7:23 PM

 
Don't try to solve any big problems in your life if you are dealing with stress. A little stress helps keep you on your toes for short term memory-recall tasks. However, recent research shows that it makes problem-solving harder. De-stress before tackling big problems by practicing stress reduction activities, such as deep breathing or massage.

In a study conducted with the Ohio State University, medical students were given three tests several days after an important exam to see how they fared under pressure. These tests were designed to highlight different kinds of thinking skills, including memory and problem-solving. The participants had an easier time recalling a list of memorized items, but they didn't do as well on problem-solving. The stress thwarted the students' ability to transfer what they have learned to different or unique situations.

Researchers believe stress hormones produced by the body may have an impact.


- posted by Jen's Journal @ 10:11 AM