Most people who train at the gym have heard of core muscle training, either doing exercises on a ball or Pilates type exercises to improve posture and reduce back pain through training the deep muscles of the core, but little emphasis is given to the deep muscles of the neck that help to nod, turn the head and stabilise neck function. Approximately 70% of the population will suffer from some sort of neck pain during their life. This may be short lived for some but others will be affected from chronic pain. (1)

Neck pain, forward head posture, cervicogenic headaches, whiplash associated disorders may be connected with the reduced control of the deep neck flexor muscles and an over activity of the superficial flexor muscles. A study by Falla DL, Jull GA, Hodges PW (2004) using electromyography equipment (EMG) found that the deep neck flexors in a control group of subjects without neck pain when tested with a neck flexion test, had an increased EMG reading in the deep muscles whereas the neck pain subjects had a lower EMG reading on the deep neck flexors and a higher EMG reading on the superficial neck flexors – sternocleidomastoid and anterior scalenes indicating that the deep flexor muscles were not functioning as well in the group with neck pain.

As the deep neck flexors fatigue or are affected by injury the superficial muscles then start to take over causing a forward head posture and disruption to normal neck motion and possible pain. Re-educating the deep flexor muscles of the neck through specific exercises can help restore function to the head and neck motion. It is suggested to get trained on how to do these exercises as although they look simple, it is easy to do the exercise wrong and over activate the superficial neck muscles.

References

1. Fejer R, Kyvik KO, Hartvigsen J. 2006.  The prevalence of neck pain in the world population: a systematic critical review of the literature. Eur Spine J, 15 pp. 834–848
2. Falla DL, Jull GA, Hodges PW (Phila Pa 1976) 2004. Patients with neck pain demonstrate reduced electromyographic activity of the deep cervical flexor muscles during performance of the craniocervical flexion test. Spine, Oct 1;29(19) pp.2108-14.

A new Randomized controlled study to look at the effectiveness of chiropractic management on back care as against physician directed care in the USA. The treatment took place in a hospital outpatient’s clinic. 92 patients took part in the study ranging in age from 19-59 years of age and had a bout of back pain from between 2 -4 weeks duration. The results showed that chiropractic care had greater improvements than the physician directed care.

Reference

Bishop, P.B.DC, MD, PhD, Quon, J.A. DC, PhD, FCCSC.  Fisher, C.G. MD, MHSc, FRCSC. Dvorak, M.F.S. MD, FRCSC. The Spine Journal, Vol 10, Iss 12, pp. 1055-1064, Dec 2010

Are you drinking enough?

Some of the common signs of dehydration can include;

Headaches, muscle cramps, back ache, fatigue, dizziness, thirst, weakness, under performing?

Having the required daily fluid intake can help us to perform better; you cannot rely on feeling thirsty as an adequate guide of when to drink, usually this is too late. Dehydration affects both your mental and physical abilities.

Water is crucial for regulating body temperature, assists in lubricating joints, cushions organs, eliminates waste products, absorbs heat from working muscles, carries nutrients to your cells and helps blood to transport glucose.

How much should you be drinking a day?

There is no definite guideline on this topic; several factors need to be taken into consideration, your build, activity levels, and the size of your stomach as well as how much you sweat. But remember both food and beverage intake does go toward your daily intake. Water is always the first choice, ranging from 8 cups of water a day to 2 litres depending on which research papers you read, other choices include: herbal teas, soups, even black tea has now been shown to be a good drink, coffee can have a diuretic affect so decaffeinated would be a better choice, water melon, melon, cucumber, tomatoes, lettuce, oranges all have water content. So as you can see it is difficult to measure hydration levels for the average person.

Ways to try and monitor your fluid intake could range from how many times you visit the bathroom a day – between 2-4 hours, weighing yourself before and after exercise can give you an indication, and colour of your urine which should be pale – yellow. Hydration meters are more common nowadays for those involve in high level sports.

Are you drinking enough to stay healthy?

A lot of NFL trainers in the USA use chiropractic care for their teams and players, if you’re an athlete are you the getting the care to keep you on top form?

If you have been taking Glucosamine and chondroitin for your joints to help reduce pain and stiffness and the effects of osteoarthritis you will definitely be interested in a new collagen ingredient, which, in a randomised double blind research study, has been found to be more effective then glucosamine and chondroitin in helping with joint pain.

The collagen is known as UC-II manufactured in the USA by Inter Health Nutraceuticals. In the study, subjects were given either UC-II (undenatured collagen II) or Glucosamine and Chondroitin, levels of pain, stiffness and physical function were assessed over a 90 day period. The results showed that subjects taking the UC-II had decreased pain levels of 20% compared to the Glucosamine and Chondroitin subjects had decreased pain levels of 6%.

Type II collagen is the major protein found in the cartilage of joints, it helps to provide structure and strength to connective tissue. A product that may assist in reducing knee pain and improving flexibility and easing the destruction of collagen could benefit millions of people.

Who would turn down a massage? Easing those tight muscles, getting rid of knots, feeling more relaxed. Athletes have always taken massage after events to increase blood flow and remove lactic acid, to prevent stiffness in the muscles – well that is up till now! A new research study from Queensland University has blown this theory apart. The study has found that blood flow is actually decreased with massage and that lactic acid removal with massage does not happen. We did find another research study completed back in 1999 which also showed reduced blood flow after massage on thigh muscles.

In fact there is not a lot of evidence about to show that massage could even improve sports performance, one study did show that muscle soreness after exercise was eased after 48 hours with massage as compared to a control group without massage but the physiological reason for this can not be explained yet. It may therefore be that the central nervous system is responsible for the effect, or a psychological benefit to massage, which determines how we perform in competition.

Kettlebells can be used as a great rehabilitation tool. We have been using them with some of our shoulder and back pain patients with good success. Kettlebells can be easily used at home as little space is required for their use; they give you a great workout and no gym membership is required.

There is a lot of discussion on losing fat and metabolic workouts with kettlebells can certainly be a good way to assist you in fat loss in conjunction with a healthy nutrition plan.

Take a look at the video we found. Some very cool moves by the military using the kettlebells.

Kettlebells video

If you enjoy your fitness and want a different Halloween workout for fat loss, then check this out.