Pain Detective: How headaches can mask upper back tightness and tight glutes can cause a sciatic type pain!
But the reason might be because you are focusing on fixing the wrong thing!
Often when we have an injury or pain, the real issue is above or below the sore area.
The ache we feel is referred and could be stemming from somewhere else.
Here at Elite Performance Therapy, we can play pain detective to identify the real causes of some everyday aches – and give stretching and specific exercises to prevent them from recurring
Knee Pain?
ROOT CAUSE: MAYBE THE FOOT
The way our feet strike the ground has an impact on how force is directed elsewhere in the body.
Foot issues that have a knock-on effect to the knees can include anything from stiff ankles to issues with arches.
A common problem is when the foot rolls in excessively, causing the knee to revolve with it. Known as pronation, this often causes knee pain.
FIX IT: Do tip-toe raises daily coupled with regularly rolling soles over a tennis ball to ease tense muscles. Be sure to choose shoes carefully to ensure good foot posture.
Shoulder Pain?
ROOT CAUSE: MAY STEM FROM BACK POSTURE
POOR spinal posture brings the shoulders forward, giving an increased risk of a niggling pain in this area. For shoulders to move freely we need good mobility in the upper back (known as the thoracic spine).Slouch forward and try to raise your arm. As you get to the top of the range you may feel a shoulder twinge.FIX IT: Rest for five minutes a day on a towel rolled up lengthways, placed between your shoulder blades, head on a pillow. This will help to stretch and mobilises a stiff upper spine.
Foot Pain?
ROOT CAUSE: MAY STEM FROM THE LOW BACK
ACHES at the bottom of your body can be a sign of an issue that has nothing to do with the foot or the leg at all. In fact, it may originate from a problem in the lower back.
If a nerve in the lumbar area is compressed it can cause pain to radiate down the body from the sciatic nerve and into the foot. This may feel like stabbing, numbness or pins and needles in your soles.
FIX IT: Ease symptoms by holding soothing heat packs, such as a hot water bottle, to your lower back. Anti-inflammatory painkillers, such as ibuprofen, may also offer relief.
Headaches?
ROOT CAUSE: MAY BE A SIGN OF NECK POSTURE
THERE are many types of headaches with different causes but, if medical reasons have been eliminated by your GP, the neck is a common contributor.
Using smartphones and hours spent at desks or driving lead to a forward-head posture.
This places excessive load on the upper-neck vertebrae.
It can then be felt as a headache.
FIX IT: Lie on your back with a small towel under your head and gently nod your chin, holding for ten seconds. This will activate deep neck stabilisers for better upright posture. Repeat ten times.
Tingling or numbness that extends down the back of your leg?
ROOT CAUSE: MAY BE A SIGN OF TIGHT GLUTES AKA YOUR BUTT!
Piriformis syndrome is an uncommon neuromuscular disorder that is caused when the piriformis muscle compresses the sciatic nerve. Symptoms usually start with pain, tingling, or numbness in the buttocks. Pain can be severe and extend down the length of the sciatic nerve.
FIX IT: Try to avoid positions that trigger pain. Rest, ice, and heat may help relieve symptoms. A sports therapist (like us! ) can help and prevent further pain with realising muscle tension as well as specific exercises and stretches for the glutes.