Toronto Massage Therapy and Acupuncture Clinic by RMT » Office Exercises

Video: Chest/Pectoral Stretch for the Office

Ken Shim, RMT — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:47:18 +0000

Here is another stretch for your chest pectoral muscles. It is a yoga stretch than can easily be done at the work place. Perfect for those moments when you are stressed out at work and don’t have time for a break.

Guidelines for performing the stretches:

Check with a health care professional before you attempt these exercises to ensure that it is safe for you.
Do the exercises slowly and gently. Failing to follow the instructions or consult with a health care professional could cause your symptoms to worsen.
Try to breathe slowly and keep your body relaxed. Do not tense up or hold your breath as this will invite muscle spasm.
You should feel a gentle stretching sensation, but you should not feel any pain during the exercises. Be especially careful of any sharp pain in the shoulder. If you do feel pain, decrease the range of movement by stopping before you get to the point of pain. Continue the exercise within the pain free range.
If you cannot find a comfortable, pain free way to do these exercises, discontinue immediately and seek the advice of a health care professional.
To increase the stretch, try to squeeze your shoulder blades together and slide them down your back while you are doing the exercise.
Do the exercises in a set of 3 for a minimum of 3 times a day for best results.
Hold the stretch for a minimum of 15 seconds each time.

Video: Stretch for piriformis related low back pain or sciatica

Ken Shim, RMT — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:00:42 +0000

Most of the cases of low back pain I see are related to hip tightness. The gluteal muscles are often a source of dysfunction but less often a source of pain. That means you may rarely feel a pain in your glutes, but you will likely feel a pain in your lower back or legs that stems from the tightness in your glutes and hips. One important gluteal muscle is the piriformis muscle which crosses over the sciatic nerve. Tightness in this muscle can present in lower back pain, hip pain or gluteal pain. In extreme cases of piriformis dysfunction you may feel pain down the back of your leg, cold feet due to poor circulation, tingling or numbness in your toes, feet, or legs. This is referred to as pseudo sciatica or piriformis syndrome.

If you have a tight piriformis muscle, you may find it difficult to cross your legs while seated (masculine, not feminine leg crossing). In yoga class, you may find the pigeon poses especially difficult.

A shortened piriformis muscle can be treated with acupuncture, massage or a series of stretches & exercises. Here is a simple piriformis stretch that I like to recommend because it can easily be performed while sitting (eg. at the workplace).

Guidelines for performing the stretches:

Check with a health care professional before you attempt these exercises to ensure that it is safe for you. It is especially important to rule out any disc problems before you do this exercise.
Do the exercises slowly and gently. Failing to follow the instructions or consult with a health care professional could cause your symptoms to worsen.
Try to breathe slowly and keep your body relaxed. Do not tense up or hold your breath as this will invite muscle spasm.
You should feel a gentle stretching sensation, but you should not feel any pain during the exercises. If you do feel pain, decrease the range of movement by stopping before you get to the point of pain. Continue the exercise within the pain free range.
Pay attention to the position of the lower back. As the instructor explains, the back should be straight, not bent. Bending at the lower back is cheating and does not stretch the piriformis muscle. Also, if you are feeling leg pain or tingling because of true sciatica or sciatica due to a disc problem, you may cause more damage to the disc if you perform this exercise incorrectly.
If you cannot find a comfortable, pain free way to do these exercises, discontinue immediately and seek the advice of a health care professional.
Do the exercises in a set of 3 for a minimum of 3 times a day for best results.
Hold the stretch for 15 seconds each time.

Video: Exercises for Neck Pain

Ken Shim, RMT — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:00:38 +0000

Here is a video that shows some really simple stretches for the neck. For those of you suffering from neck pain, these stretches are a good starting point as they are gentle and non-aggressive. The stretches can be performed in the seated or standing position and are a great way to break up the tension that is building up during your work day.

Guidelines for performing the stretches:

Check with a health care professional before you attempt these exercises to ensure that it is safe for you.
Do the exercises slowly
Try to breathe slowly and keep your body relaxed. Do not tense up or hold your breath as this will invite muscle spasm.
You should feel a gentle stretching sensation, but you should not feel any pain during the exercises. If you do feel pain, decrease the range of movement by stopping before you get to the point of pain. Continue the exercise within the pain free range.
The vertebrae and muscles in the neck are very fragile and can be aggravated very easily. Don’t try to overdo it. You will get better results by stretching gently, but more frequently. On the other hand, overdoing it can leave you with a really nasty neck cramp.
If you cannot find a comfortable, pain free way to do these exercises, discontinue immediately and seek the advice of a health care professional.
Do the exercises a minimum of 3 times a day for best results.

Video: Stretch for Tennis Elbow

Ken Shim, RMT — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:56:17 +0000

Here is a good little stretch for tennis elbow sufferers.

Indications:

Massage therapists might also find this little exercise helpful after a long day of work or in between clients.
If you have an office job, doing this stretch a few times a day can help ease the discomfort in your wrists or elbows caused by computer work.
Also good for musicians, crafts people or anyone that does a lot of repetitive hand work.

The video is called “Tennis Elbow Flexor Stretch”. Please ignore the title, it is actually an extensor stretch for tennis elbow. Tennis elbow involves inflammation and the development of fascial scar adhesions on the wrist extensor muscles of the forearm. Stretching the wrist extensor muscles can temporarily lengthen the muscle fibres, easing pressure on the muscle insertions and giving some pain relief. The other information on the video is accurate.

Try to do the stretches 2-3X per day. For each set, try to do 3 repetitions of 20 seconds each. Tennis elbow can be treated with a regimen of regular massage and/or acupuncture treatments.

Always check with a health care professional before you try any of the exercises shown on this site. If you are feeling pain or discomfort with the exercise, decrease the intensity or range of the stretch so that you stay within the pain free range. If the discomfort does not go away, stop.

How to Travel Without Low Back Pain

Ken Shim, RMT — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 03:49:20 +0000

The weekend road trip to Montreal seemed like such a great idea until 500km later when I stepped out of the car and found my entire low back in spasm. I almost couldn’t straighten up and was starting to walk with a limp. Oh how I was almost tempted to go into some downward dog yoga poses right there in the parking lot in order to relieve the pain. Luckily I didn’t have to resort to that. Just walking it off a bit and moving around loosened it up. But it did remind me of a common complaint from my clients and also a condition I lived with for a few years. Most importantly, it inspired me to write a blog post to help out all those summer travelers.

One big reason why people start to suffer from low back pain on long car rides is inactivity. Our bodies are not meant to be immobile for hours on end. Our muscles need to move about, contract and stretch in order to remain functional. Inactivity decreases blood circulation, waste removal and nerve conduction to the muscles resulting in muscles that are irritated and sore.

If immobility is the cause of pain, then surely some motion must be the cure. From suffering years of low back pain, I developed these exercises that always did the trick for me on car or plane rides. Try some of these on your next journey and you will see the improvement.

Tips for Preventing Back Pain

Stop frequently. You can take a breath of fresh air, enjoy the scenery, grab a snack, etc, etc. But most importantly, you are stretching out those muscles and moving them in a natural fashion and boosting blood circulation.
Keep hydrated.
If you’re stuck in a car seat, wiggle a little. Crank up the tunes and start jiggling! It’s good for your health! You might not be inspired enough to break out into a full blown fist pumping dance session, but some slow gentle motion can greatly help you stay loose. Here’s how:

Mobilize Your Lower Back

Start by raising your left hip then lower it. Then raise your right hip then lower it.
Then try twisting your left hip forward then back, followed by the right.
Arch your lower back so that your bum sticks out a bit more. Next round your lower back.

Exercise Your Gluteal Muscles

Now you can start working your gluteal muscles. First of all, you want to squeeze both glutes together. If you do this right you might feel yourself lift off the seat a bit.
Next try squeezing just the left gluteal muscles. It might help to push your left foot into the floor at the same time almost as if you are trying to raise that left hip off the seat. Now try the right and alternate back and forth.
If you are feeling especially adventurous, turn the volume up to 11 and just dance without any shame.

Safety First

A few things to remember for safety sake: To avoid accidents it is not recommended to do these exercises if you are driving. To avoid being locked up, try these moves by yourself first so that you feel comfortable enough doing them in a way that doesn’t attract too much attention in public (the key is slow, small movements).

It might seem a bit strange at first, but with some practise it will become second nature on those long trips. And by the way, I did these exercises on the ride back from Montreal and was amazed at how I felt no traces of back pain when I stepped out of the car in Toronto.

If you find the pain too intense or long lasting, you might need a massage or acupuncture treatment.

Learning to Sit: Posture & Ergonomics for Work & School

Ken Shim, RMT — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 05:20:50 +0000

Don’t just sit there…. Get to work!” used to be a familiar sound from the boss. These days, however, most of us do all of our work sitting down on the job.

As you can imagine, spending 8 hours a day in one position is not the best for our bodies. Improper sitting can subject your body to unnecessary stress that may eventually lead to pain and discomfort in the neck, shoulder or low back. Here are some tips to reduce discomfort:

Don’t remain in one position for long periods. Try standing up or walking around about every 20 minutes.This routine can be incorporated into your work routine by taking phones calls, filing or reading while standing up rather than sitting. Try delivering a message to a co-worker in person rather than e-mailing or using inter-office mail.
Try using the hands-free option on your telephone or a headset rather than holding the phone to your ear with your shoulder as this practice over time can lead to neck and shoulder strain.
Listen to your body. When you feel tension or stress in certain area of your body like the neck, back and shoulders, change positions or try some gentle stretching exercises

Position your chair at a height where:

The work surface is “elbow high.”
Your feet are comfortably positioned flat on the floor
When working, your elbows & knees are bent at 90 degree angles

If your chair is not adjustable, use a foot rest such as a phone book to attain this more ideal position

Position the height of your computer screen:

Sit comfortably in your newly adjusted chair
Close your eyes and relax, then, slowly reopen them.
Where you first gaze as you open your eyes is the place to put the center of your screen

You can raise the height with books or a stand if needed.