Bowen Wellness Centre

04/07/2020

🔈 STRENGHTEN YOUR ERECTOR SPINAE MUSCLES

The Erector Spinae muscle group is the biggest tool in your arsenal against fighting the human arch-nemesis known as gravity. This is a large muscle group in your back that is responsible for a whole lot!

So let’s learn about how they work and what can happen if they start losing their battle.

Your Erector Spinae muscles consist of three muscles: the Iliocostalis, Longissimus, and Spinalis.

Running parallel to the spine, the erectors span from the base of the skull to the pelvis. The primary function of the Erector Spinae muscle group is to hold us upright, hence the name erect! But if you’re sitting for long periods of time with poor, leaned over posture, those muscles are going to be in a lot of pain.

▶️ The Erector Spinae Muscles

Spinalis

This helps you look up with your head, and turn it side to side. It’s the smallest of the three muscles, and it sits closest to the spine. It is divided into three sections: the Thoracis, Cervicis, and the Capitis.

Longissimus

This helps turn the head to the sides as well. But it also enables you to bend to the sides and extend the spine. It also has three sections (much like the Spinalis): the Thoracis, Cervicis, and the Capitis.

Iliocostalis

This muscle group also helps bend to the side and extend the spine. It also has three parts to it, though slightly different names than the previous two sections: the Lumborum, Thoracis, and the Cervicis.

Strengthen, Don’t Stretch!

These muscles already get stretched all day! If you think you may have weak or dysfunctional Erector Spinae muscles, there are a few straightforward ways to start rebuilding strength.

First and foremost is to work on improving your posture by sitting tall and not slouching throughout your day. This is going to be very difficult at first, so don’t beat yourself up about it. Just continually bring attention to your posture throughout the day, and if you find yourself slouching, remember to sit tall again. Think about pulling your head back, like you are eavesdropping on a conversation behind you. The simplest exercise for recruiting the spinal erectors is known as a superman.

🔑 To perform the Superman's Exercise:

Lay face down on a mat or flat surface, with arms outstretched.
Keep your hands and arms straight throughout the exercise.
Raise your hand and legs 4-5 inches off the ground.
Hold for 5 seconds, then return to starting position.

Source: MoveU, Pop workouts

03/07/2020

🔈 MUSCLES THAT MAKE UP THE ERECTOR SPINAE

The Erector Spinae muscle actually consists of three columns of muscles, the Iliocostalis, Longissimus, and Spinalis, each running parallel on either outer side of the Vertebra and extending from the lower back of the skull all the way down to the Pelvis.

The Erector Spinae provides resistance that assists in the control action of bending forward at the waist as well as acting as powerful extensors to promote the return of the back to the erect position. During full flexion (i.e., when touching fingertips to floor), the Erector Spinae Muscles are relaxed and strain is borne entirely by ligaments of back, however on the reversal of the movement, the Erector Spinae in conjunction with the Hamstring muscles and Gluteus Maximus muscles (buttocks) is primarily responsible for the extension of the back (straighten the spine) as well as more specific movements such as the extension of the neck and sidewards movement of the head.

The furthest from the Vertebra of all the Erector Spinae muscles the Iliocostalis muscle is chiefly responsible with assisting extension and laterally flex of the vertebral column, maintaining erect posture as well as bending the vertebral column to the same side. The Iliocostalis Muscles origin attachment point is the Lumbosacral Fascia, the inferior 6 ribs (thoracis) and ribs 3 to 6 (cervicis). The insertion attachment points are the angles of ribs 7 to 12 (lumborum and thoracis); transverse processes of cervical C6–C4 (cervicis).

THE LONGISSIMUS DORSI MUSCLES
The Longissimus Dorsi Muscle the longest of the back and is made up of 3 distinct parts, the Capitis, the Cervicis and the Thoracis.

1. The Capitis Muscles are used to hold the head erect as well as rotating toward the same side of the muscle that is contracting. The origin attachment points are from the lateral of the top four and it’s insertion point is mastoid process of the skull.

2. The Cervicis Muscles are responsible for bending the top of the neck and assist in keeping the cervical spine erect. The origin point from narrow tendons from the lateral of the top four and it’s insertion points are from the lateral of the cervical vertebra 2 through till 6.

3. The Thoracis Muscles assists in the motion of backward and sidewards bending, keeping the spine erect and pulling the ribs downward to help with breathing. It’s origin attachment point is from the Lumbosacral Fascia and it’s two insertion points are the transverse processes of the , and laterally the lower nine or ten ribs, just where they begin to curve away from the spine.

THE SPINALIS MUSCLES
The Spinalis muscles are the closest to the Vertebra of all the Erector Spinae muscles and consists of two muscles, the Cervicis and the Thoracis.

1. The Spinalis Cervicis origin points are from the lower ligamentum nuchae: spinous processes of C6 or C7 and the insertion point of attachment is the spinous process of the axis. The Spinalis Cervicis Muscles work closely with the Spinalis Thoracis muscle to extend and laterally flex vertebral column such as when you try to stand tall to increase your height by extending the gap between your.

2. The Spinalis Thoracis origin points are from the inner portion of the Lumbosacral Fascia as well as from the spinous processes of T11 to L2. It’s insertion points are most if not all of the spinous processes of the upper from T2 to T8. The Spinalis Thoracis muscle work closely with the Spinalis Cervicis muscles to extend and laterally flex vertebral column such as when you try to stand tall to increase your height by extending the gap between your.

Tomorrow a post on how to STRENGHTEN YOUR ERECTOR SPINAE MUSCLES. Stay tuned.

25/06/2020

🔈 NECK, SHOULDER & BACK PAIN AS A RESULT OF CARRYING YOUR HANDBAG ON ONE SHOULDER

♾ WHY SHOULDN'T YOU CARRY YOUR HANDBAG THIS WAY?

Many women carry their handbags on one shoulder, and they tend to favour the dominant, stronger, or non-injured one. Even if the bag is empty and very light, the natural slope of the shoulder means they are going to have to elevate the scapula/shoulder girdle with contraction of the upper shoulders and neck to prevent the bag from sliding off. This isometric contraction overuses and abuses the muscles of the neck. If the bag is heavy, it's even worse because a more powerful muscular contraction is needed, and the strap of the bag digs into the musculature of the shoulder, causing direct physical irritation and cutting off local blood circulation.

♾ WHERE DOES THE PAIN COME FROM?

Due to your body’s efforts to redistribute the extra weight, your muscles tense more and as such become stiff. The trapezius muscle and the muscles that go from your shoulder to the base of your neck, which sits on top of your shoulders, may spasm and therefore tighten, resulting in a lot of stiffness in the upper back, shoulder area and neck. This may lead to pain when turning your head and the development of arthritis in the lower neck. Some may even develop tension headaches from constantly carrying heavy handbags. As the muscles in your shoulder and neck area spasm, it can result in pain from the back of your skull that radiates around to the front.

♾ ADVICE

It's better to either wear the bag across the body or to use a backpack.

19/06/2020

17/06/2020

16/06/2020

BACK, PELVIC, HIP OR LEG PAIN?
BREATHING PROBLEMS?
POSTURAL PROBLEMS?
PELVIC IMBALANCE?
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[STRUCTURES TO FOCUS ON]
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There are 6 🗝 structures which from my own treatment experience you should always keep in mind and work on if you suffer from back and leg pain: the QUADRATUS LUMBORUM (QL), the GLUTEUS MEDIUS et MINIMUS, the ILIOPSOAS, the PELVIC FLOOR, the MULTIFIDUS and the THORACIC DIAPHRAGM!
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In this post I will focus on the first 3 mentioned above:
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The QL is a low back stabilizer, helps to depress your ribs during exhalation, and acts to laterally flex and extend the lumbar spine.
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The GLUTEUS MEDIUS/MINIMUS stabilizes the pelvis when you walk or run and abducts the leg away from the body.
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The ILIOPSOAS (HIP FLEXOR) has a vital role in everyday activities like walking and running. It connects the spine to the lower extremity. It functions as a powerful hip flexor and a stabiliser of the spine and trunk during other movements. It has an important role with breathing as it attaches to the diaphragm and therefore gets affected during emotional and physical stress. Psoas is also known as the muscle of fear… Prolonged stress means a contracted or tight posas muscle!
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When these muscles become tight or facilitated, they can cause intense back, pelvic, hip or leg pain, postural problems, breathing problems and stress related aches/pain. The pain you will usually feel where your glutes meet your low back at the top of your pelvis, but when bad enough, it can refer down the leg similar like sciatica.
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The Iliopsoas and QL muscles are generally tight on most people in our sitting society. Both can compress the spine when they become tight! If both are on one side tighter than on the other it will compress on the same side of the spine and can damaging the joints on that side + squeezing the disc to the opposite direction.
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Credit: Sports Physiotherapy Stefan Duell

12/06/2020

In order to realign your pelvis, you need to stretch the tight or overactive muscles, strengthen or activate the weak or inhibited muscles and also train your brain to keep the pelvis in the normal…

09/06/2020

Back issues can be ADDRESSED by BOWEN THERAPY