Arm pain, numbness or tingling?

I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen in over 45 years yesterday (yes, that dates me 😏)…when I shared that I teach posture therapy for a living she asked "can it help pain, numbness and tingling in my arm?“. My answer was yes! I’ve helped multiple clients reduce and even completely get rid of this referral pain by helping them change their posture through corrective exercise.

Tingling and numbness in your arm(s) typically is the result of compression in your cervical spine. This compression is often a result of years of forward head posture and rounded shoulders and that posture is often the result of many years sitting at a desk. Can it be fixed after so many years? Well, it can definitely be helped. I’ve helped clients in their 80’s change their posture and feel better so, as a Dove Chocolate wrapper quote read “it’s never too late and you’re never too old”!

The best way to determine which postural imbalances are causing your pain is to come in to Pain Free Clinic of Denver for a postural evaluation. Click here to schedule your postural evaluation now.

I created a video with two of my favorite exercises designed to help restore proper head and shoulder position thereby giving relief to a myriad of aches, pains and tightness including tingling in hands and arms. Please be aware that these exercises are not medical advice, so if you’ve been told not to do these types of exercises then you’ll want to skip it altogether.

I recently took a client who had neck pain and nerve sensations in her arm through these two exercises and after doing them twice through she said, “I’ve been seeing a PT for 2 months and while I got a bit of relief, I couldn’t get rid of the nerve pain and now it’s gone. How did you do that?!?”

I didn’t do it, she did. She did two exercises that changed the position of her head and shoulders and found immediate relief.

Ready to give it a try? If so, contact me at info @painfreedenver.com.

Your Shoes, Your Feet & The Function Run

I found this picture on Facebook and it is brilliant! Which picture is the best representation of YOUR feet in YOUR shoes? 

When your toes are all squished together like the picture on the left, your metatarsal bones are pushed in too and that results in pain overtime. 

This inward pressure can result in:

• Bunions (no they aren't just hereditary)

• Hammer Toes

• Tight, restricted or inflamed fascia of the foot, called plantar fasciitis

Consider the effect on our feet since most of us have worn shoes with a tight toe box ever since our very first pair of shoes 😟.

Bunions 

A calcification of the first toe joint on the inside of the foot near the big toe, as the big toe begins to push toward the second toe. 

This bump often becomes even more irritated by the pressure of tight toe-box shoes. 

• Dr. McClanahan DPM at Northwest Foot & Ankle says “Bunion formation only exists in cultures that wear conventionally shaped footwear with a tapered toe box, toe spring, and an elevated heel.” 

• It it also true that calcification results from postural imbalances and compensations between the hip, knee and ankle that cause an improper foot strike.

Hammertoe: 

Toe(s) that form a bend at the mid-toe joint, as if the toes are trying to grip the ground.  

• Hammertoes are quite often linked to toe compression in restrictive shoes...as seen in the shoe picture above. Dr. McClanahan noted that shoe-less populations very rarely exhibit hammertoe.

• Hammertoes are also quite often the result of improper foot strike, which is the result of feet, ankles, knees and hips that aren't functioning properly. 

SOLUTIONS for foot problems:

• Change your hip, knee and ankle function by improving your posture

• Improve your gait & foot strike (I've included an exercise below to help)

• Strengthen your feet

  • If you've worn orthotics or motion control shoes, you've weakened your foot overtime

• Go barefoot as often as possible

• Swap out your conventional shoes, including running shoes, for shoes that allow your feet to work properly and build muscle. Here are my two favorite brands:

  • Xero Shoes

  • Flux Adapt

• Get Correct Toes...these are proven to help with bunions and hammertoes, not to mention plantar fasciitis and other issues I will discuss in this email series. I sell these in my office for locals.

The best fix is all of the above. 

I can tell you from personal experience that when I switched to Xero shoes a few years ago, my feet were tired at the end of the day and felt sore (like good workout sore) when they hit the ground in the morning...but my feet are much stronger and that tired sore feeling is long gone.

Many of my clients said the same thing, and also added that their foot pain, hip pain and even back pain was greatly reduced after wearing the zero drop, wider toe box shoes. 

Remember, just changing the shoes is only a part of the solution. You have to change your posture and alignment in order to improve your foot strike. 

For one of my favorite exercises to improve foot strike + hip function + shoulder function, Egoscue’s Function Run, shoot me a quick email.

Is Shoveling Snow a Pain or a Great Workout?

Hurt your back shoveling?

For some yes & others no. The key to staying pain free is the posture, alignment and breathing you use during the work.

I created this short video that quickly explains how to shovel with correct and safe posture alongside. Check it out!

Protecting your back is more than just bending your knees and using your legs to lift things. The way we sit, stand and move is important in terms of protecting our spine for as long as we want to be able to live and move comfortably.

PS - Here’s a download with four exercises that help realign your body after shoveling…but, you can also do these before so you go into the work with better alignment!

How often do you hear about someone who threw their back out shoveling? This happens for a number of reasons with misalignment and muscle dysfunction/compensation at the top of the list. If your hips are tucked under and your spine is in flexion (like the guy in the video), even if you bend your knees, your back is in danger because you are putting a ton of pressure on your spine. However, if you hinge your hips (check out our hip hinge article) + bend your knees + exhale as you lift, you protect your spine. In a proper hip hinge position your glutes are working and with proper breathing your core is working.

Back pain isn’t caused by shoveling, back pain is caused by years of improper loading.

The great news is that even years of poor posture and alignment can be changed. Just ask Anne, my 88 year old client who wasn’t able to get up and down off the floor at 88 but now in her 90’s can!

As a certified Egoscue Affiliate + a Foundation Training Instructor and a Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist I was able to teach her corrective exercises designed to improve posture, get her muscles moving and firing correctly resulting in her ability to get up and down off the floor + move better and feel better!

Need help now? Here are three things you can do now to start healing and feeling better:

• Download the Pre/Post Shoveling Exercises

• Find out what postural imbalance is causing your pain? Sign up for a postural evaluation

• Fast track your healing with Individual Training Packages