Graston

About the Graston Technique®

Changingthe way soft tissue injuries are treated

Graston Technique® is an interdisciplinary treatment used by more than 3000 clinicians—including athletic trainers, chiropractors, hand therapists, occupational and physical therapists.

GT is utilized at some 450 out-patient facilities and industrial on-sites, by more than 60 professional and amateur sports organizations, and is part of the curriculum at15 respected colleges and universities.

Graston Technique is an advanced form of myofascial release or soft tissue mobilization.  The procedure is instrument assisted and isused to detect and release fibrous restrictions that produce pain, weakness,and functional limitation for the patient The technique uses stainless steel instruments that are designed to beapplied to varying anatomical parts of the body to precisely examine and treat a variety of neuro-musculoskeletal conditions.

TheGraston Technique® Instruments, much like a tuning fork, resonate in the clinician's hands allowing the clinician to isolate adhesions and restrictions,and treat them very precisely. Since the metal surface of the instruments does not compress as do the fat pads of the finger, deeper restrictions can be accessed and treated. When explaining the properties of the instruments, we often use the analogy of a stethoscope. Just as a stethoscope amplifies what the human ear can hear, so do the instruments increase significantly what the human hands can feel.

Goals for the patient:

¨       Decreases overall time of treatment.

¨       Fosters faster rehabilitation/recovery.

¨       Reduces need for anti-inflammatory medication.

¨       Resolves chronic conditions thought to be permanent.

¨       Allowed to continue engaging in everyday activities w/treatment.

Some conditions that respond well to Graston Technique include:

Medial/lateral epicondylitis/osis.                      Carpal tunnel sydrome.

Plantar fascitis                                                 Patellar tendinitis/osis.                                              Dequervain’sSyndrome                                     Acute/chronic sprain/strains

IT Band Syndrome                                         Achilles tendinitis/osis

Neck and back pain                                        Rotator Cuff tendinitis/osis

Myofascial pain and restrictions.                    Non acute bursitis.

Reduced range of motion due to scar tissue ie: frozen shoulder. 

Dr. Shawnie Lamborn

1605 S. Eucalyptus#100

86th and Garnett

Broken Arrow, OK  74012

918.249.1535

Muscle cramps and cycling

Muscle Cramps – What does the science say?

In exercise the consensus is that there’s two types of cramps – whole body cramps (fairly uncommon but extremely distressing to the athlete), and cramping of individual muscle groups (eg. just calves or quads). When cyclists talk about cramping, generally what they’re referring to is cramping of individual muscle groups during or immediately after exercise, known as Exercise Associated Muscle Cramps (EAMC).

Cramps are generally thought of as short, painful muscle contractions.

EAMC are thought to occur because the nervous system’s control of muscle contraction and relaxation is somehow lost. Most people will know from experience that stretching a cramped muscle will relax it and relieve the pain – that’s because it activates parts of the muscle fiber that regulate relaxation. There’s a variety of nutrition supplements and remedies marketed as preventing or treating EAMC by preventing changes in the nervous system’s control of muscle contraction and relaxation. But do they actually work?

Only one study identified that a sports drink delayed the time until calf cramping commenced in comparison to not drinking anything.

Does loss of body weight or Total Body Water influence risk of cramping? There’s not a lot of research in this area, but what does exist suggests that it doesn’t. As one recent review of the science described: “A careful review of the literature did not identify a single published scientific study showing that athletes with acute EAMC are more dehydrated than control athletes

 Since 1986 four controlled studies have been published, all showing no relationship between any electrolyte levels and the risk of cramping during exercise. In these studies there was no difference in electrolyte levels at the time of cramping compared to other times (or the athletes who didn’t cramp at all). And when cramping resolved there was no change in electrolyte levels that could explain an effect of rehydration or supplementation to relieve the cramping. This is probably not a surprise considering that EAMC’s are localized – they occur in a specific muscle group or groups. How would an electrolyte imbalance throughout the whole body cause cramping in only one muscle group?

Distinct risk factors for developing EAMC have emerged:

§         Aggressive pacing strategies (trying to go faster than your current personal best over a set distance).

§         Racing at a higher intensity then what you normally ride in training

§         Riding for longer than you‘re used to

§         Doing another type of exercise you’re not used to (eg. a cyclist running a one-off marathon)

Given that most people only cramp during the latter stages of a race, on an epic ride, a monstrous hill climb or after spending time off the bike, these factors are probably not a huge surprise to you. It’s also interesting to note that the volume or intensity of training does not predict cramping risk. The difference appears to be that the athletes who are over-ambitious and try to punch above their weight on any given day increase their risk of cramping.

It’s thought that some form of muscle fatigue occurs which leads to the onset of EAMC. This appears particularly true when a muscle group is working in a shortened position (eg. calves when pointing your toes in swimming, quads when you get out of the saddle and fully extend the legs of a bike). This suggests that poor biomechanics may increase muscle fatigue and lead to greater risk of cramping.

Helpful strategies to minimize your risk of EAMC :

• A good bike setup is not a bad idea if you’re a frequent cramper.
• Make sure you get at least some training sessions in at the intensity that you race at, some long rides (equal or longer than races).
• Maximizing carbohydrate consumption during a race may also help reduce cramping risk by maximizing the number of fibers being activated in a muscle group and minimizing fatigue.
• Being checked for proper spine alignment.  The spine house the nervous system and when misaligned will effect the neurologic input to the muscles resulting in decrease power, endurance, and cramping.  Getting a chiropractic adjustment may ameliorate EAMC.

www.drshawnie.com

918.249.1535

Chiropractic sports physician

Chiropractor in Broken Arrow

Heart sounds

What onomatopoeic words are used in medical literature to describe the sounds of your heartbeat?

Lub dub. 

HEALTHY SELF

“INNATE INTELLIGENCE”

Simply suggests

that the body has

the inborn

intelligence to heal

and regulate itself.

As a chiropractor I provide an optimum environment for the body to heal itself.

How wonderful to know!



'via Blog this'

Light effects our sleep and our skin

Using Light For Better Skin?

There is a body of evidence that light in the red spectrum triggers collagen synthesis. More collagen in the skin means less wrinkles and healthier skin. Since red light also has no blue spectrum, I use red light at night when it’s convenient. It’s surprisingly simple to install a $25 remote controlled stick-on color LED lighting strip over your bed. Better still, red light triggers the cellular power plants called mitochondria to work better through something called the mitochondrial transport chain. When your cellular energy is higher, you sleep better and you have more energy during the day.

Those twirly shaped bulbs emit blue light and blue light disrupts sleep. Wanna sleep better? Then Turn off the blue twirly lights for an hour before bedtime.