What do headaches, tight shoulders and a rounded upper back have in common?
By Dr. Annika
Graham has been using a laser for a while with most excellent results, so Annika decided she needed to go to the most recent seminar too.
It was so worthwhile!
One of the ways cells communicate with each other is through light! And that is where the laser comes in, speaking to the cells in their own language. Amazing! The current theory is that the laser improves blood flow, increasing oxygen to tissues, and helping the body clear out waste products linked to inflammation. This means that it can deal with old (and new) injuries to the body and the brain.
One of the structures that the laser works on in the approach that we learned is the fascia.
Fascia is fascinating! Think of it as a three dimensional web that holds everything in place. On a micro level, it goes through and around cells to hold them in place, and on a macro level it can become a massive structure like the fascia lata down the outside of your thigh or the tendon underneath your kneecap.
What that means is that if the fascia crinkles, like for example if a scar is not aligned really well before healing, you get lines of tension running from that area through the whole body. Imagine you have a sheet of glad wrap on a table in front of you, and then pull on one corner. Notice how the rest of the sheet crinkles and is no longer flat. Now imagine that in three dimensions. And now imagine that that is the rio that holds everything in place inside the body. It’s going to be hard to get good function when everything is scrunched up that way, right?
One of the places where this therapy is particularly useful is if you are really tight at the base of your skull. This is called the suboccipital space, and you have nerves and blood vessels traversing through there, and there is a direct connection between the pain sensitive dura (the outer membrane that wraps around the brain and spinal cord) and the suboccipital muscles that live here. If you are thinking that that sounds like a prime reason for all kinds of headaches, you are absolutely right!
It’s very easy for that space to tighten up. Habitual slouching will do it. If you have advanced degenerative changes in your spine, that will do it too. Observe yourself in a mirror or plate glass window and notice if your ear hole is directly above your shoulder. The lady in the image above is displaying good posture (it’s remarkably hard to find a picture of this!).
If your head is forward of the shouldertip, the suboccipital space is narrowed, and your head is a lot heavier for the neck to hold up than it should be because of leverage. Look at the image of the young man below. I am sure you know someone who spends a lot of time in that position. Tight shoulders anyone?
Sitting like this puts a lot of strain on the shoulders and upper back.
Image by Silviu on the street from Pixabay
What we have found is that if we apply the laser to the suboccipital space, it softens those structures beautifully, our adjustments are easy and they hold once you leave! That will make it a big difference to those headaches as well as make it easier for you to stand and sit straight.
The other really exciting aspect is that we can reach tight fascia that is deep within the body, such as the ribcage. Once we free up the internal ribcage fascia, breathing feels so light and easy, and your posture is no longer locked in from the inside!
Needless to say, the laser is getting a bit of a workout! Let us know if you think this might be relevant next time we see you.
Here is another article on fascia:
Here is another article on why good posture is important