Happy New Year
Happy New Year to you all and best wishes for 2014. I hope the festive period wasa fun and joyous one and over-indulgence didn’t take over too much!
Within this issue I will inform and discuss the neck area and hope to show the amount of work it does. It may answer why our necks feel so tense. There will be a section on the latest research in the industry, and within Elite Therapy a price rise is set for April.
My friends and I have also decided on dates for our annual charity events. These will take place on July 20th and August 2nd. Further details are inside and also if you would like to help out or support.
As mentioned above, the dates have been confirmed for my annual Cancer Charity fundraisers. The selected charities are Cancer Research UK and Children with Cancer UK. As in recent years there will be 2 events. Our family fun day and 5-a-side football tournament will be on Sunday 20th July and our Auction evening on Saturday 2nd August. We raised a fantastic £7000 last year and hope to better that this year. If you or anyone you know would like to help, please feel free to get in touch.
Also mentioned on the front page was the increase in session prices. This will take effect on the 1st April 2014. Initial consultations will be £38 and sports massage sessions will be £22,£30 and £38 for 30,45 and 60 minute appointments respectively.
Recent Research
A study investigating exercise and cholesterol levels suggested what the intensity of the activity you perform doesn’t directly affect the reduction of you cholesterol levels. Runners and walkers were used for this research and it was the walking group that had lower levels of cholesterol following the same exercise program administered. It shows that activity in itself is the best protocol to follow, not just to work at a very high intensity.
Stretching was recently tested on males with normal and shortened hamstring flexibility. Both groups were split into a control group and a stretching group and both of the stretching groups significantly increase their range of hamstring stretch compared to the two control groups. Though this is an area that has had similar research, it is always positive to get more descent proof of the effectiveness of a suitable stretching program.
The Neck
Our neck is commonly said to be tense and tight and this article is hoping to address some of the reasons for thinking and feeling this.
The head sitting centrally on top of the spine on average weighs around 23 pounds with it’s centre of gravity being slightly in front of the spine³. This automatically makes the muscles at the back of the neck more tonic as they have to pull the head back to keep a head up straight. This also makes the muscles at the front of the neck hypotonic as the mostly provide neck flexion,or moving your chin in the direction of your chest.
For muscles to work at their most efficient, they need to be at their optimal length, which is never the case for the neck muscles unless the head is slightly flexed. This is also only taking into account the muscles that work in flexion and extension. Other muscle groups that provide lateral flexion and rotation in the neck also need to be balanced as well as shoulder muscles that originate in the skull or spinal vertebrae as they affect the neck too. The main muscles being the trapezius, the rhomboid group and levator scapulae.
With specific manipulation and stretching techniques, muscles in the neck area can be relaxed and tension reduced. This may reduce the onset of associated problems such as tension headaches, muscle spasms and cramping, being the most common.
Quick Fact
“The brain operates on the same amount of power as 10-watt light bulb.”
References
- Williams, P.T. & Thompson, P.D., (2013) Walking Versus Running For Hypertension, Cholesterol and Diabetes Mellitus Risk Reduction; Artriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology; 33, pp. 1085-1091.
- Ayala, F., Sainz de Baranda, P., et al., (2013) Comparison of Active Stretching Technique in Males With Normal and Limited Hamstring Flexibility; Physical Therapy in Sport; 14(2), pp. 98-104.
- Johnson. J., (2013) Save Your Neck, International Therapist, 106, pp. 12-14.