Tag: muscles

By PSI Physical Therapy ,

(NOI) Neuroscience Nuggets

Pinched nerves don’t have to hurt – Neuroscience Nugget No. 1 & 2 

Neuro Orthopaedic Institute (NOI) Australasia has been in operation for over 20 years, founded by David Butler, with highly qualified instructors teaching multidisciplinary audiences on all continents. NOI Neuroscience Nuggets written by David Butler and NOI faculty.

Nugget 1 “Pinched nerves don’t have to hurt”

“Pinch” – the word can makes you recoil a little. Apply it to a nerve as in “pinched nerve” and it’s not a healthy metaphor.  “Pinch” means different things to different people. Scary stuff sometimes –after all, you wouldn’t pinch a live electrical cable. There is lots of scary pinched nerve stuff on the web as well.

We have known for years that peripheral nerves, nerve roots and sympathetic rami and ganglia can be flattened and a bit ratty yet the owner has no idea of his/her battered looking nervous system – kind of like arthritic change in joints don’t have to hurt either, which is something we are more familiar with..

Juicy info to add:

We all have pinched nerves. They do it all the time –flex your elbow and your median nerve almost bends on itself and still works. It probably enjoys the workout.

The reason we sometimes think a nerve is pinched is that they can become sensitive to various stress and mechanical stimuli and they sometimes react with a “zing or zap”. They usually get better with a some knowledge and encouragement to keep wriggling. A true mechanical pinch is quite rare.

This links into Neuroscience nugget 2 “There is plenty of space where nerves join onto the spinal cord”.

The emerging nerve root complex only takes up about one third of the diameter of the space in the intervertebral foramen. Blood vessels and adaptable fat take up the rest. People are rarely told that.   It’s hard to squish them and the root complex loves a bit of a wriggle and “floss” to let a bit of air and light in (as an old anatomy teacher told me once).

For more NOI Neuroscience Nuggets and information from David Butler go to NOIjam at www.noigroup.com

Neuro Orthopaedic Institute (NOI) Australasia organizes over 100 seminars a year throughout the world; NOI’s faculty members are active in many conferences, university programs and other postgraduate education sessions. The company reinvests in education and clinically based research and Noigroup Publications has grown from the demand for resources to support this emerging research.

“Neuroscience nuggets”

Neuroscience nuggets are information nuggets – pieces of biological information based on statement or metaphor that can be used as educational analgesia, explicit education or part of overall story telling. We have collected over 100 of these for a book and will release one or two a week with a short description and references if appropriate.

 

 

By PSI Physical Therapy

Facilitating your core muscles – through breath

Why is this important to you? Most Americans are dissatisfied with their current health care costs, and are apprehensive about their future expenses. By mastering efficient breathing you give yourself the best opportunity to diminish the risk of dysfunction of core musculature & pelvic floor dysfunction. Core dysfunction & pelvic floor dysfunction can present in many ways, including:

  • Low back instability
  • Alignment disorders
  • Walking abnormalities
  • Balance issues
  • Arm & leg muscular imbalances
  • Incontinence
  • Pain during sex
  • Woman’s health issues

Disorders of breathing and incontinence have a stronger association with back pain than obesity and physical activity. 

According to Julie Wiebe, MPT, Clinical observations linking urinary urgency and low back pain have been reported and two previous studies have suggested an association between incontinence and back pain. This study provides initial evidence for the association between back pain and disorders of incontinence and respiration.
Another issue to consider is the use of the acceptable or healthy weight range (BMI 20 to 25), rather than underweight (BMI < 20), as the reference category for analysis of obesity data. This is consistent with previous studies and accounts for the fact that being underweight has also been shown to be associated with back pain. This study has shown that women with disorders of continence and respiration have a significantly higher prevalence of back pain than women who do not have these disorders.

Anatomic connections of the diaphragm: influence of respiration on the body system.

The diaphragm muscle not only plays a role in respiration but also has many roles affecting the health of the body. It is important for posture, for proper organ function, and for the pelvis and floor of the mouth. It is important for the cervical spine and trigeminal system, as well as for the thoracic outlet. It is also of vital importance in the vascular and lymphatic systems.

How does the diaphragm stabilize your back?

Respiration plays a significant role in postural control, however, the postural demands of the activity performed can influence the function of the diaphragm. We believe, this may confirm that the diaphragm is critically involved in stabilizing the spine during postural activity. This is in agreement with previous report, in which was proven that the diaphragm and transversus abdominis (but not other abdominal muscles) continuously contribute to respiration and postural control. The combined tonic and phasic activity of the core muscles; diaphragm, pelvic floor, transverses abdominus, and multifidus represents important feedback for central nervous system. This system coordinates respiration and control of the spine during limb movements.