Eastside Pain Relief

I Made a Grown Man Cry…Tears of Joy!

Fri, 14 May 2021 21:16:00 GMT

I have to tell you a great story about a new client's first visit. Let's call him Roger. Roger is 65 and came in complaining of very bad low back pain that he'd been dealing with for years. He was so uncomfortable that I decided to skip the functional tests that are part of a usual first visit and to immediately try and get him out of pain. I asked him to take his shoes off and he could barely reach his feet with his hands. This simple task caused him tremendous discomfort. His immediate pain gave me a shocking view into what he has been dealing with for so long. I got him down on the floor on his back and put a foam block under his legs. I took him through a few "static" positions, where we just let gravity do most of the work to reposition his body. We finished with a few exercises to turn on some dormant muscle groups. We spent probably 30 minutes, most of it motionless. He got up, walked over to the chair, sat down and reached for his shoes. He was able to easily put his shoes back on and most importantly, he had very little pain doing it. He was shocked. He kept saying, "I can't believe it. I can't believe it. I can't believe it." He glanced over to the yoga mat where he had been for the last half hour and said "I can't believe that's all it took. We hardly did anything." Then his eyes started to water. Tears of joy.

Roger is continuing to improve and regain function. I'll never forget his first appointment and I'm guessing he won't either.

If you or someone you know suffers from chronic pain, please remember Roger's experience. Chronic pain is not a life sentence. Drugs or surgery is not your only choice. Let me help get your body in position to heal naturally. The human body is an amazing thing.

Invite Me to Your Team Meeting | Free 30-min Interactive Session

Mon, 15 Mar 2021 21:53:00 GMT

With so many people working from home now, many are finding it difficult to stay comfortable throughout their workday. In this free 30-minute interactive virtual session, you will

Learn three go-to exercises to reduce neck and shoulder pain and stiffness
Experience how shoulder and neck posture impact how your body supports your weight
See how the human body has de-evolved due to Modern Lifestyle and Tech convenience
Discover The Egoscue Method , a full body therapy for eliminating chronic and acute pain

Contact me if you are interested in this for your workgroup.

What If You Only Get One Car. This Is Your Body.

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 17:26:00 GMT

If you were lucky enough to get a new car when you turned 16, you probably loved that car. I bet you made some great memories with that car. You probably had some crazy adventures.

But I'd also bet that you no longer own that car. I wonder if that car even runs anymore.

Now imagine that when you got that car, you were told that this was going to be the only car you could ever have. You couldn't buy a new one. Ever. It's just you and that car for the rest of your life. Knowing this, would you have treated that car differently? What would you do when that check engine light went on? Would you ignore it and see if you could push it a little further? Or would you make sure it was always running smoothly?

Let's take this analogy even further, because I love analogies. You notice that your car's tires are wearing unevenly. You take it to your trusted mechanic, and he or she tells you that there is an easy fix: new tires! Just like that you are back on the road. Six months later you notice the same wear pattern is back. What do you do now? Remember, this is the only car you get. Do you just go put another new pair of tires on it? Or is something else going on. Turns out those tires are wearing unevenly because of your car's poor alignment. And not only is that bad alignment ruining your new tires, it is causing stress to other critical components in your car, which one day may lead to disaster, like not being able to suddenly maneuver or brake effectively during an emergency. So you need to ask yourself, is it time for another set of tires, or is it time to address the alignment?

Your body is an even more complicated machine than a car. Any misalignment from head to toe, front to back, or side to side affects the rest of your body. Your body is incredibly adept at compensation. If your head and shoulders are stuck forward then your back tightens up to try and support them. If an ankle has lost mobility due to an old sprain, your hips and knees might start to compensate and eventually hurt. If your pelvis is tilted forward or back from a lifestyle that is dominated by sitting, your neck, shoulders and lower back will try and counterbalance to keep you from falling over. Any of these means your complex machine can't function optimally, and can result in pain, aka, your body's check engine light turns on.

If my analogy of your first car and body makes sense to you, remember this about pain: pain is trying to help you! Your body is giving you the signal you need to avoid causing physical damage to yourself. This is also why car designers invented the check engine light: they wanted to warn you that your car needed help before you pushed it too far. You could just take a pill, buy a new chair, or wear an orthotic to try to mask the pain day after day, or instead you could try to find the root cause. This is what I do every day and I can help you. Think of me as your body's mechanic. Luckily, your body is so much more advanced than any car that if we put in the right position, if we give it the right encouragement, it will heal itself. I can get you in position to heal and even to function like you did when you were fresh off the assembly line. Remember, this is the only body you get, and you want to be ready for that next crazy adventure.

Caffeine Alternative for an Afternoon Pick-Me-Up

Wed, 16 Sep 2020 22:26:00 GMT

Feeling sluggish in the afternoon? Skip another cup of coffee or tea and pump up your afternoon slump with this caffeine free technique.

The yoga position " Downward Dog" is great for getting your brain going because it naturally pushes blood to your brain, clearing the fog to help you make it through your afternoon meetings, make important phone calls, or just feel more energized in general.

Starting and hold position for downward dog

Start on your hands and knees, with your hips over your knees and your shoulders over your hands.
Pull your toes under to grip the floor, then push up with your legs, lifting your knees and hips until you are in the pike position with legs straight.
Try to keep your heels on the ground, but it is ok if you can't.
Roll your hips slightly to put a curve into your lower back (stick your butt out).
Tighten your thighs and use your hands and arms to pull your upper body towards the floor, holding that tension the entire time.
Hold for 1 minute.
Return to starting position and stand up.

Click here for a video demonstrating this move: https://www.egoscue.com/WebMenus/ePeteInstructions/9.xml