Shoulder Pain: What You Can Do To Ease It If You’ve Been Putting Up With It For Weeks… Let’s talk about shoulder pain, and the most common cause most shoulder injuries share in common – overuse. Now, when it comes to aches and pains, there are just two ways that bring them on. 1. You can have an accident [Ouch!!] With an accident... for example you could have a fall or have a collision. You know exactly the moment it happens as there’s an incident that happens that’s usually accompanied by a pain that makes you want to yell and curl up into a ball We call this type of pain – acute pain. 2. Is related to something you’re doing that causes annoying, persistent pain that just won’t go away. This is the most common one we see here in the clinic, and we call this chronic pain. Chronic shoulder pain is identified as pain that’s always there. It’s the reason you go to grab your shoulder after lifting something heavy or when you go to reach for something in the back of the cupboard, and isn’t always put down to one particular movement or activity. Those who have this type of shoulder pain often feel doomed, as if they were just plagued with bad shoulders. But here’s the thing, there’s simple ways to ease it, and to help fix it! The faster you book an appointment, the faster you get to being PAIN FREE! Schedule an Appointment Now with us at no risk! Let me tell you a quick story about a patient we saw a few weeks ago… Bill, 52 from Lakeway, came to us after struggling with chronic shoulder pain for a whole six months… He played Golf at a high level, so having to put up with shoulder pain every day was beginning to affect his performance and get in the way of his “range- time”/ practice sessions. Not good when he was heading into tournament season and his playing partners were depending on him! After a few weeks of hands-on physical therapy with massage and personalised exercises, Bill returned to the course, able to play 18 holes, multiple days in a row without pain [ or the need of anti-inflammatory meds] ! But even if you’re not involved in a sport like Bill, this doesn’t mean chronic shoulder pain like this isn’t happening to you (or won’t either)… This same type of shoulder pain can be caused by all sorts of things – ironing, painting, a job where you have to lift heavy objects, and even from sitting hunched over at a desk all day. So what can you do about it if it’s happening to you (or if it suddenly comes on)? Well first, I want you to know that ‘overuse’ doesn’t specifically mean doing an activity ‘too much’ (so I’m sorry to say it, but something like ironing isn’t the culprit of your bad shoulder!). Overuse actually means doing an activity the ‘wrong way’ too much. Let me explain… In Bill’s case, he was performing a shoulder exercise in the gym to enhance his golf performance, using bad body mechanics while in the wrong position – which we discovered was causing his shoulder pain in the first place! But gym and exercises aside, it could just be that you could have weak muscles in your arms, back and shoulders, poor posture when sitting and standing, or you could have even spent most of your life sleeping in an awkward, twisted position! Whatever it is, all of these things can be the culprit of nagging shoulder pain. So let’s look at some ways you can ease irritating, daily shoulder pain that disturbs your sleep and gets in the way of almost everything you do… Use Ice And Heat
Whenever you’re feeling achy or painful, such as at the end of a very busy day, ice is by far the best way to ease the pain. Apply an ice pack for ten minutes or so [little, but very often, like every 1-2 hours]. And when to use heat? When you wake up in the morning the muscles are likely to be a little stiff and cold from not moving all night, applying a hot pack will help you move your shoulder with more ease. Again ten minutes should do it. How Do You Sleep?
Hands On Physical Therapy And lastly, if you’ve been putting up with the pain for several weeks now, (even months), getting some hands-on treatment is going to help ease the pain fast. In fact there isn’t a faster way to ease shoulder pain than by going to see a Physical Therapist… Physical Therapy will be able to soothe and relax tight aching muscles, as well as give you personalised exercises that will help strengthen your muscles and make sure your posture is perfectly aligned. Combine all these tips along with a trip to see a Physical Therapist, and you will feel a dramatic drop in the pain you’re currently suffering from. These are only a few recommendations to try. If you would like more information, you have a couple of options. Download our Shoulder Report: The 7 Ways To (…Naturally) STOP! Annoying, Daily, Irritating Neck And Shoulder Pain…From Disturbing Sleep And Causing Severe Headaches! OR… Phone the clinic (512) 261-8699 and speak to one of our Specialist and see of Physical Therapy is right for you.
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THE IRON WILL APPROACH Whether you’re a recent grad, weeks from graduating to maintenance, or new to Ideal Protein, we all have choices. In a perfect world, we would all choose the “Iron Will” approach, eating nothing that would compromise fat burning. Good candidates for this “Iron Will” approach are individuals who are very new to the program and haven’t mastered a strong set of healthy eating habits. Also, for those with only a few weeks left on the program, following the “Iron Will” approach will ensure you meet your goal when expected. Otherwise, you will extend your time on the program by ~1-2 weeks by eating foods that would compromise your fat burning. Be sure to keep that in mind. If you’re celebrating outside of your home, bring a large platter of veggies and some Walden Farms, big mixed greens salad, packets of mangosteen or chat with us at your next visit for some other creative side that is IP friendly. Click here to learn more about our Ideal Protein program! If you plan to use the “Iron Will” approach, here are some key phrases you can use to excuse yourself politely from eating things you don’t choose to eat: The Crafty Dismissal: “Ooh, that looks delicious! I’m stuffed so I’ll just have to take it home for later.” (Then store it in your freezer ‘til graduation day) The Firm Hand: “Thank you for respecting the fact that I have some personal goals I am working on, and, while that looks delicious, it would compromise my goals so I’ll have to wait. Thanks!” The Medical Excuse: “My doctor recently told me I am pre-diabetic. I really have to watch out for foods that spike my sugar levels. I’ll have to pass.” The Allergy Excuse: I recently found out I am allergic to that! No thanks!” Many have used this many times and it works!! The one question you might get is, “Wow, what happens when you eat it?” and your response can be as simple as this. “You don’t even wanna know!” That’ll stop the conversation right there. THE ONE DAY PASS APPROACH
Thanksgiving and Christmas come once a year and there will be a number of dieters who feel they’ve earned a day off Ideal Protein. If you choose this approach, here’s how we’d like you to proceed if you choose this. 1.Moderation is KEY. Let’s not undo all the healthy habits we’ve built on this program. Practice regulating portion sizes- eat only 1-2 teaspoons of your favorite holiday foods and do not go back for seconds. Skip the cookies and pies- they’re so full of fat and fast-acting sugar-- it’s not worth it. Plus, if you don’t moderate, you may feel very sick the next day…ew! If you plan to use your pass, talk to your coach about entering Phases 2 and 3 prior to the day of slip-up. 2.The “One Day Pass” is just that- ONE DAY ONLY. You are not authorized to spend the whole week of Thanksgiving eating this way. It’s not healthy and it’s destructive to all the new healthy habits you’ve worked so hard to build- don’t undo all your hard work! If you plan to use your pass, talk to your coach about entering Phases 2 and 3 prior to that day. 3.If you use the “One Day Pass” you must go to boot camp the next 3 days following Thanksgiving. This means ultra-low-carb veggies and NO restricted food items (bars, puffs, ridges, etc.) Your pancreas needs to rest and recuperate from the holiday foods, PLUS this will get you back into ketosis quicker. Call (512) 261-8699 to set up an appointment and get your health on track now! |
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March 2022
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