Pain Can Originate from Muscle Imbalance Do you have pain somewhere in your body? Do you have a good idea of what is causing the problem? If not, don’t you wish you did? And don’t you wish someone could show you what to do to get rid of your pain, or at least control it? There are many reasons people have pain. It can be inflammation of the tissues in the wrist; it can be a bulging disc in your back or neck. Sometimes, certain diseases such as diabetes cause swelling and too much fluid that puts pressure on the nerves in the feet or carpal tunnel. There are thousands of reasons for pain. But what is very interesting to us as therapists is mechanical pain. Mechanical pain is produced by a certain motion or activity; for example, writing can increase a person’s thumb pain; cleaning windows increases another’s shoulder pain. Someone else may say their back only hurts when they sit for too long and try to stand up. Still another says, “My feet only bother me when I walk too long, or when I wear a certain pair of shoes.” All of these indicate mechanical pain to some degree. Mechanical pain is defined as occurring with motion or movement. Pain that stays there all the time is physiological pain, while pain that is created or worsened by movement is mechanical pain. Okay, but what causes mechanical pain? Let’s start with the thumb and shoulder. People sometimes grip a pen too hard, or write a lot. Maybe they are compulsive cleaners. But, whenever they grip the pen or the cleaning cloth, certain muscles in the thumb are overused. They pull the bone at the base of the thumb too far in a certain direction; it begins to rub tendons and bones. This rubbing produces pain and inflammation! This is mechanical pain due to a muscle imbalance. In the shoulder, certain muscles hold the arm bone in place. If you slouch or sit a lot, these muscles become weak. Then, when you reach overhead or sleep with your arm overhead, the arm bone is pulled into a bad position and pinches the rotator cuff muscle and tendon. Do it over and over, and the result will be pain and inflammation of the rotator cuff. This is mechanical pain due to a muscle imbalance. If you sit too much for some reason, and then you decide to get up and do some walking, certain muscles get tight. They attach to your low back, and when you get up they compress the spine and the joints; you get back pain and wonder what the heck is wrong. You have mechanical back pain due to a muscle imbalance! People come in all the time with foot pain, especially in their heel and arch. Now, the arch of the foot can withstand a lot of pressure and abuse, but if the tiny muscles within the foot get weak, it may hurt when you walk. This, too, is mechanical pain due to a muscle imbalance. At TriState Hand & Occupational Therapy, we recognize when a muscle imbalance problem is causing pain, and we can help correct the problem to get rid of or control your pain. For thumb pain, we teach you how to strengthen certain muscles to control your pain. The same goes for the shoulder; the chest muscles tend to pull the shoulder forward, and the upper back muscles get weak—we teach you how to reverse that trend and decrease your shoulder pain. We also can recognize a muscle imbalance problem in the back or the feet, and we can teach you to do stretches and certain exercises to control your problem. And, usually, you can do all this without drugs or surgery. If you or a loved one has pain in the wrist, thumb, shoulder, or neck, give us a call or ask your doctor for a referral. We can also help with pain in your back, hip, knee, or foot. If you’re tired of living with aching, soreness, or hurt, why not say “Adios” to your pain? Ask your doctor for a referral or call us at (301) 759-4263 for more information. Try Therapy first at TriState Hand & Occupational Therapy! Call us today! |
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