Complete Works Massage Blog

I recently went to a Therapy Expo in Manchester where I was tempted to purchase some very expensive "gait trainers" that would encourage me to walk correctly, a wobbly chair that looked like a toad stool which was "perfect" for the office to reduce back tension and keep you on the move literally and a whole host of other temptations.  Does this sound vaguely familiar?  It certainly will if you have experienced chronic pain - pain anywhere in the body that has lasted more than a month or so.

The Good News - Chronic Pain can be cured

There is no need to spend copious amounts of money on "gadgets" and "gizmos" as not all physical pain is real.  I know how controversial this sounds!  Physical pain is obviously real when you can feel it but the good news is it does not have to stick around long term and can go away forever.  For anyone who has changed their lives to accommodate a condition they have, this is incredible.  This does not apply to auto immune diseases, fractures or cancer.

My Story
My belief in this comes from personal experience. Once you have experienced pain, the body has the capacity to remember it in the muscles, so any repeat "episodes" such as playing football on the beach which aggravated my back sets you back to the time the pain was at its worst.  This is disheartening and by addressing it with lots of routines like daily exercises specifically to ease the back, and only wearing trainers to comfort the back which i did, you are only perpetuating the cycle of pain and actually "feeding it".  It never was simply a physical problem, it was always an emotional one as it caused so much stress and disruption to daily life.  What if my back pain was an emotional issue that set it off in the first place?  Since meeting a physiotherapist at the Expo called Georgie Oldfield who has written the book "Chronic Pain, Your Key to Recovery", i have recognised the direct link between an emotional upset in my life and the back collapsing.  It is a fact that most of us given an MRI scan would see disc degeneration, and disc bulges where the disc contents have come out of a tear in the cushion which sits between each vertebra in your spine.  The difference is, most people are not aware or in pain, so it is not a logical explanation that you have disc degeneration in your neck or back and therefore chronic pain.  I am letting go of any attachment to this injury by not spending all my savings on expensive trainers and a private plane to whisk me around the world (i wish).  I will keep you posted on the results.  So far, so good!

How Helpful Massage Therapy is for you!

I am naturally biased about this but any source of emotional discomfort or stress needs an outlet.  What better way, than spending an hour having the tension physically released from the muscles while mentally letting go of stress.  They are the perfect combination and the mind can never be separated from the body - whatever you are thinking, worrying about or losing sleep over will directly  transfer to your body as tension.   If left unaddressed, over time it will become a chronic condition. Stay on top of things with a monthly massage or whatever relaxes you mentally and physically.  Simply having your muscles pummelled is not enough!  Sport is often a good alternative to holistic therapies but too much can increase the adrenalin levels too much which are already elevated by the stress causing a host of other issues from digestive problems to insomnia.

The Facts
Dr Sarno, a rehabilitation specialist in New York has been pioneering his work since the 70s with a condition called tension myoneural syndrome (TMS).  His theory is that repressed emotions can trigger the unconscious part of the nervous system to create pain.  Basically bottling things up turns into a physical symptom which becomes the focus of our attention intsead of the underlying cause. Georgie Oldfield with Dr Sarno's blessing set up her own recovery programme for patients called SIRPA.  Hippocrates - the father of modern medicine said " it is more important to know what sort of person has the disease than to know what disease the person has".

There are 2 myths about chronic symptoms:

1. they usually have a physical cause
2. they can only be managed not cured

A study carried out in 2013 showed that 'patients suffering chronic pain are at high risk of suffering long-lasting emotional disturbances characterised by persistent low mood and anxiety'. When an abnomality is found on an MRI scan, symptoms are often attributed to this, despite the fact that many healthy people with these same structural conditions experience no pain.  Without this knowledge, patients fear they may need an operation or that their symptoms will get worse with age rather than recognising stress as a potential cause for their symptoms.  For some time, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has recommended doctors should not routinely refer patients with back pain for MRI and other diagnostic  scans unless there are clear indicators surgery may be required.  The reason being that studies since the 70s have shown spinal "abnormalities" are present in a high proportion of people who do not have pain.  Spinal degeneration is a normal sign of ageing due to the wear and tear of joints.  Most pain-free people by adulthood have disc degeneration (including bulges, protrusions and prolapses).

RSI or repetitive strain injury
This was unheard of 30 years ago when heavy typewriters were used yet nowadays it is so prevalent even though light , easy to use keyboards are used!  How does it suddenly appear?  You may have been working with computers for years before feeling pain in the wrists or forearms which is a physical symptom but often there are no signs of actual physical change in the arm/hand which indicates there is a non physical cause.

POwer of the Mind
You have an interview to go to for a job you have your heart set on, you are about to take an exam in a subject you want to study at University, or you need to make a speech in front of employees or wedding guests,  the chances are your heart is beating fast, and you may have been to the toilet a few times!  Your emotions have directly affected you in a physical way.  This is how stress turns into symptoms.

Please call Vanessa for a chat on 01491 577480 or 07906186912 if you are wondering whether a deep tissue stone massage is for you.