Over the many years practicing as a dentist, I have acquired knots and adhesions which require consistent body work. Long hours of static postures and the need for precise repetitive movements can cause a lot of lactic acid to buildup which ends up in calcium deposits in the muscle fibers. Those who have a desk job working on the computer for long hours, those who are in other fields of health doing operative procedures like the dentist may have similar issues. Regular massage therapy is very helpful. Personal training sessions are also very beneficial and healing! But the need for regular body work session can really add up in cost.
Another consideration was that often a massage therapy session makes me feel amazing. But the job must be done daily. If the rate of injury exceeds the frequency of healing and restoration, our body will inevitably be left with the consequences of the injury. So these adhesions will not lessen unless there is some form of daily or semi-daily intervention.
For this, I highly recommend exercising regularly. But even with that, there are some deeply engrained adhesions that just need direct manipulation to see any results.
Here is what I started to do.
EMS Neck Massager Once Daily:
Electrical Muscle Stimulation
Below is an AI overview of its benefits:
Overview
Purpose: EMS uses electrical impulses to induce muscle contractions.
Applications: It is commonly utilized in physical therapy and rehabilitation settings to help strengthen and rehabilitate muscles.
How It Works
Mechanism: Electrical impulses mimic the natural signals from the brain that cause muscles to contract.
Devices: EMS devices typically use electrodes placed on the skin near the targeted muscles.
Benefits
Rehabilitation: Helps in recovering from injuries and preventing muscle atrophy.
Strengthening: Can enhance muscle strength and endurance, making it beneficial for athletes and individuals undergoing physical therapy.
EMS therapy at a spa or therapy center can be pricey. I researched some products and tried the FORTIQ and the SKG neck EMS/TENS neck massagers on myself.
FORTIQ: it hurts my skin, so my husband uses it
SKG: this was perfect and effective. when use with a little water, it contracts and exercises my neck muscles quite deep. When a flareup begins from my left hip muscles, shoulders, and climbs up to my jaw, I stretch the device over my jaw muscle (cheek) and it has prevented an onset of a headache every time, loosening the tense neck and jaw muscles.
Bodhy:
Who loves deep tissue massages? I do. But it is a lot of hard work on the massage therapists’ end, and also one of the more costly types in any spa for this very reason. The Bodhy massager is shaped to the curvature of the upper back with bumps that can press in deep the areas of adhesion. For long drives, I make sure this is sitting behind my upper back and it helps me get through the drive without my back flaring up. Essentially, I am deep tissue massaging specific spots that the Chiropractor even said will never resolve, during the drive or when sitting for long hours, and it prevents a headache from flaring up and soften the hard adhesions.
My husband who is a fan of the foam roller with spikes says he does not feel the pressure as deep as his spiky foam roller, but he has benefited from the spine curvature it has and that is focuses along the spine vs being a flat roller across the full back. Because this allow the shoulder blades to pull back naturally, and any ‘hump’ in the back also straightens out.
Doubled Physical Therapy Rubber Balls:
This is something a physical therapist had me started on. Two of these rubber balls in a mesh bag makes it amazing to roll up and down the spine, without it crushing on the vertebrae itself.