Monday, March 26, 2012

Therapeutic Treatments In Massage Chairs


You can now find a number of helpful therapies contained in today's massage chairs. Technology is enabling more types of therapies to be included into these recliners. They are perfect for home use on a frequent basis. Here are some of the more beneficial therapeutic treatments you can find in a massage chair.

Traction or stretching of the spine helps with greater mobility. Mechanical traction is defined as the application of a mechanical force to the body in a way that separates or attempts to separate the joint surfaces and elongate the surrounding soft tissues. There are a number of ways to accomplish traction.

Spinal traction is used to distract the joint surfaces and stretch soft tissues. Joint distraction is defined as the separation of two articular surfacesperpendicular to the plane of the articulation. Traction applied to the spine or spinal traction is performed by some massaging chairs.

A massage chair uses segmentation supine traction. This is a 3-point bending method for spinal traction. It causes tensile stresses in the anterior spinal region directly above the roller. The subject is supine and the rollers push up vertically against the spine. The body weight on each side of the roller (cranial or caudal) is pulling the spine by gravity. The subject's weight towards the surface of the earth, while the rollers push upward in between. The force of the traction is affected by the subject's body weight and the angle of the chair back.

Leg elevation can also be performed by a massage chair. Leg elevation is defined as havingthe calves in the case of swelling above the elevation of the heart. The massage chair is reclined while the leg rest is raised. The patient can adjust the level of the legs at or above the level of the heart.

There are some massages for the cervical spine such as the kneading massage. The kneading massage is a side to side motion performed by the rollers. The rollers use side to side strokes of 3 inches for each roller.

The kneading motion is used for pressure and deeper penetration. It delivers long strokes for the major back and shoulder muscles. The kneading motion helps to elongate the muscle fibers. Elongating the muscle fibers is believed to help reduce muscle tension, increase flexibility and improve blood flow.

Rapid tapping is used to loosen the major backmuscles. Massage chairs perform an invigorating tapping massage. The tapping massage is a rapid succession of quick little blows. The rollers gently invigorate the muscles and loosen up the soft tissue areas.

Rapid tapping can help improve blood flow and to relax muscle group. When the spine is misaligned, then the other muscles must pick up the slack. In addition to their normal load, they must also carry extra weight from a misaligned spine. The tapping massage helps to reduce this tension.

Heaters have been located in the leg rest, seat and the chair back. Each area has independent heating controls. Heat is applied by activating the heating elements in the chair. Heat is an aid to reducing stiff muscles or joints and is also used to increase flexibility and range ofmotion.

It is great that so many new therapies are being included into massage chairs. These are some of the more important therapies that are now available. I think that massage chairs are the most convenient way to get regular massage therapy.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Is Your Big Toe Joint Pain and Suffering From Swelling? Gout vs Bunion


Feet and toes are abused daily and taken for granted "until a problem comes up causing you to focus your attention to the problem area. Common problems include redness, dryness and cracking which can be attributed to improper care and poor maintenance. If you are suffering from joint pain and swelling of the big toe, it could be the common bunion.

Bunions are areas of the big toe that can become red and sensitive. Usually the symptoms develop over a period of time and can manifest themselves like:

or The base of the Big toe is swollen and irritated
or The toe is abnormally bent toward the inside of the foot toward the smaller toes.
or The toe is red and can be painful at the joint base.

Usually this is the result of wearing high heeled shoes if you havenarrow toes. Common padding can be used to help relief pain, irritation and potential infection, but surgery may be necessary to align the toe to the proper position. Bunions can occur in one or both feet.

Gout is a form of arthritis and can be felt as an immediate sharp pain in the big toe without notice. You can awake with twinges of pain and soreness in your big toe without knowing the causes. The pain may last for several days and go away but the condition can re-surface at any time as you grow older.

Over 2 million people in the U.S. alone deal with gout and most often it afflicts men more than women. Gout usually develops in men over 30 and can be more likely to occur if overweight and diagnosed with high blood pressure. Women can suffer from gout, but usually postmenopausal women are affected more. Gout most likely affects the big toe first, but can cause issues in wrists, knees and other joints.

In summary, proper sizing of your footwear is important in keeping your feet healthy from issues like bunions. Bunions are preventable where gout is a more serious issue to contend with. If you are dealing with joint pain and swelling in your big toe, your shoes may be the root cause.

Friday, March 9, 2012

What to Do afterwards Root Canal Treatment?


When the nerve of a tooth becomes infected, root canal treatment can save the tooth. How do you know if you have an infected tooth? Some of the signs are heat and cold sensitivity, swelling and pain, or a bad taste in your mouth. Or, you may experience no symptoms at all and not realize that you have a dental problem.

To get at the infection, he makes an opening through the top of the tooth down into the pulp chamber. With a file, your dentist dental (or Northfield) carefully cleans out the infected tissue and shapes "the canals to receive the filling material. X-rays are taken to make sure that all of the infected pulp is removed.

Root canal therapy often takes two or more appointments to complete. A temporary filling or crown is placed to protect the tooth betweenappointments.
After each appointment when anesthetic has been used, your lips, teeth and tongue may be numb for several hours. Avoid any chewing until the numbness has completely worn off.

Between appointments, it's common (and not a problem) for a small portion of your temporary filling to wear away or break off. If the entire filling falls out, or if a temporary crown comes off, call your dentist so it can be replaced.

It's normal to experience some discomfort for several days after a root canal appointment, especially when chewing. To control discomfort, take pain medication as recommended. If antibiotics are prescribed, continue to take them for the indicated length of time, even if all symptoms and signs of infection are gone.

To further reduce pain andswelling, rinse three times a day with warm salt water; dissolve a teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water, then rinse, swish, and spit.
To protect the tooth and help keep your temporary in place:

Avoid chewing or sticky foods (especially gum).

or Avoid hard foods and hard substances, such as ice, fingernails and handmade cards.

or If possible, chew only on the opposite side of your mouth.

It's important to continue to brush and floss normally. Usually, the last step after root canal treatment is the placement of a crown on the tooth. A crown covers and protects the tooth from breaking in the future.
If your bite feels uneven, you have persistent pain, swelling, bleeding (bruising) or you have any other questions or concerns, call your dentist right away.

Ifafter root canal treatment has been performed to tooth still harbors bacteria or irritants which keep the tissues surrounding the root of the tooth from being healthy (inflamed), then the treatment has not been successful. Some signs of failed root canal treatment can include tooth pain (ranging from very mild to extreme) and tenderness or swelling in the gums in the area near the tooth (ranging from very slight to pronounced). These signs can either:

or Persist from the time of the root canal treatment.

or Be transient (varying week to week or month to month.

or Appear even though the tooth has been asymptomatic for years.

In other cases a tooth may have been, and continues to be, without symptoms but the tissues surrounding the tooth are identified as having thepresence of persistent inflammation by way of a x-ray examination by a dentist. In these cases, if retreatment is not a possibility, then the tooth should be extracted.