Category Archives: Self Help

Self Help, Upper Back Muscle Knots, Upper Back Pain

How To Get Rid Of Muscle Pain In Rhomboid

Do you have burning in your back between your shoulder blade and spine? That area has a muscle called the rhomboid. There’s one on each side of the spine.

The rhomboid muscle gets blamed for pain all the time but it is usually NOT the muscle at fault!

Poor rhomboid.

Rhomboid area pain is typically caused by that area being over-stretched. The burning is a symptom. You have to figure out the cause and get rid of it.

Your neck could be involved if the scalene muscles on the sides of your neck are causing you to have a ‘knot’ in your back. The scalene muscles in your neck can have trigger points Continue reading How To Get Rid Of Muscle Pain In Rhomboid →

Causes of Back Pain, Self Help, Upper Back Muscle Knots

What Causes Knots In Your Back & How To Get Rid Of Muscle Knots Naturally

January 1 Kathryn Merrow 2 Comments

Get rid of muscles knots in your upper back naturally! — You can get rid of muscle knots in your upper back naturally!

Are you tired of suffering with miserable muscle ‘knots’ in your back? Would you like to know how can you get rid of the muscle spasms in your back naturally and forever?

The first thing is to figure out WHY you are getting these muscle knots. I’m not being silly here.

There are always reasons why you have pain. Usually the reasons involve muscles.

Muscles move bones. Without muscles, we go nowhere. But sometimes muscles get unhappy and cause symptoms like pain and knots.

It’s a big deal that muscles are usually overlooked as being causes of pain. They shouldn’t be overlooked because they are responsible for probably 90% of all soft tissue pain.

So the answer is not to attack only the area where it hurts because those are just symptoms.

The answer is to get to the root cause of your knot. Figure Continue reading What Causes Knots In Your Back & How To Get Rid Of Muscle Knots Naturally →

Lower Back Pain, Self Help

Can Your Leg Length Can Cause Lower Back Pain?

November 21 Kathryn Merrow Leave a comment

Do legs cause low back pain?

Legs do cause low back pain when one leg is shorter than the other. And about 1 out of 10 of us has a difference in leg length.

This is not the only cause but it is a commonly overlooked cause.

I had an elderly client named Bob. He had lower back pain from the time he was a very young man. He used to get his children to walk on his back to get the muscle spasms to go away.

Bob had surgery later in life. That helped some but his leg length difference was so great that, in the xrays, it could be seen that the fusing hardware had broken.

His doctors never looked at his legs as a possible cause of Continue reading Can Your Leg Length Can Cause Lower Back Pain? →

Natural Back Pain Relief, Self Help

Does Driving Cause Back Pain?

October 30 Kathryn Merrow 6 Comments

Linda’s back and hip hurt. Here’s what she told me:

“I drive for a living. Drive up to 10 hrs a day, my hip & back hurt nearly all the time. I am 51 years old. My hip (I think it’s the iliopsoas, but my rehab guy says tight quadriceps)… anyway that little muscle will go into spasm and it’s quite miserable.”

Here is what I told Linda:

I’m thinking that your seat may be not quite close enough to the wheel. That would cause you to strain the upper back muscles.

Additionally, it Continue reading Does Driving Cause Back Pain? →

Self Help, Upper Back Pain

How To Walk To Get Rid Of Upper Back Pain Naturally

October 14 Kathryn Merrow Leave a comment

Here’s a walking tip that will help your poor upper back start to feel better naturally.

Did you know there is a right way to swing or move your arms when you walk? There is!

Moving your arms correctly takes the strain off your upper back muscles.

Here it is:

Thumbs up!

Just as though you are going to shake hands.

Stand up and look down. If the backs of your hands are facing forward, that means the muscles in the front of your body are short.

Those short muscles are turning your hands like that. They are also Continue reading How To Walk To Get Rid Of Upper Back Pain Naturally →

Causes of Back Pain, Self Help, Upper Back Muscle Knots

Tight Calf Muscles Cause Back Pain

October 11 Kathryn Merrow Leave a comment

Back pain can be caused by tight calf muscles. That means your calves are stronger and tighter than the muscles on your shin. Our goal is to have soft calves.

Stretching your calves and strengthening the fronts of your lower leg (the shin) can help get your leg muscles balanced.

When you stretch your calf muscles be careful not to stretch tooooo much. Just a nice, small stretch and no bouncing.

You can strengthen your shin muscles by tilting your toes upward toward your knees. At the same time that movement also stretches your calf muscles.

Flat feet are another cause of back pain.

If you don’t have your own natural arches, running shoe stores sell arch supports that will go into your shoes. They probably work best if you wear loafer type shoes or athletic shoes. You have to buy arch supports that really have a firm arch to them and that fit where your own natural arches would be. Mushy, soft shoe liners are not the same as arch supports.

Running shoe store employees should know how to make sure they fit well. They should cost around $30.

Also, try “making” arches with the muscles in your feet. If your muscles feel like they want to cramp, back off and go slowly. Eventually your foot muscles will get better at doing this and you will to have at least some benefit.

If you have knots in your back your flat feet could also be part of the cause of those knots. Flat feet put a lot of strain on your upper back and neck as well as your lower back.

I know this for a fact because I had both flat feet and knots in my back!

But when you have arches in your feet, your head is more balanced over your body and so there is less back muscle strain.

Massage, Natural Back Pain Relief, Self Help, Upper Back Muscle Knots, Upper Back Pain

How Can A Massage Therapist Tell If You Have Knots In Your Back Muscles

October 4 Kathryn Merrow Leave a comment

Knots in your back muscles are caused by strain on the muscles (generally.) “Knots” are actually tender, contracted areas of soft tissue or muscle.

Massage therapy may be an excellent “tool” to help you get rid of your knots or muscle spasms.

How does a massage therapist find your knots?

Sometimes he or she will kind of just run into them. Either it feels ‘hard’ when all of the other tissue felt softer or a tight area will actually slow the gliding hand of a therapist as it explores and warms muscles.

A muscle knot or spasm feels like a small tight area that is harder then the surrounding tissue and perhaps raised. Sometimes it feels like a pea or even as big as a tennis ball. Sometimes nearby tissue is also tight.

Sometimes muscle knots are so obvious that just about anyone can feel them. Sometimes knots are hidden or less obvious but a Continue reading How Can A Massage Therapist Tell If You Have Knots In Your Back Muscles →

Causes of Back Pain, Natural Back Pain Relief, Self Help, Upper Back Pain

Why Do Teens Get Knots In Their Backs

May 21 Kathryn Merrow Leave a comment

Are you a teenager with “knots” in your back by your shoulder blades? Or do you know a teen who complains of upper back pain?

Why does this happen?

The muscles in the front of bodies are actually about 30% stronger than the muscles in the back of the body.

Get rid of muscles knots in your back naturally! — Get rid of muscle knots in your back naturally!

When someone spends a lot of time in positions that Continue reading Why Do Teens Get Knots In Their Backs →

Self Help

Can Your Bulging Disks Heal Themselves?

April 14 Kathryn Merrow 2 Comments

Bulging disks are always caused by something. The cause may be your posture or some other reason. But the good news is that backs heal all the time!

Sometimes just taking the pressure off the bulging disks can do the trick. Sometimes doctors will send you to physical therapy and the therapist will try to help you with your posture or weak legs or whatever is causing your back pain.

Here’s how bodies work:

Muscles move Continue reading Can Your Bulging Disks Heal Themselves? →

Causes of Back Pain, Natural Back Pain Relief, Self Help

Minerals Get Rid Of Muscle Pain In Your Back

April 11 Kathryn Merrow Leave a comment

Research shows that when you lack certain minerals your muscles get unhappy. When your muscles are ‘unhappy’ they complain by giving you back pain. Your muscles don’t function as well as they could if you have mineral deficiencies.

You only need very small amounts of minerals to make a big difference in your health.

Magnesium, potassium, calcium and, for some people, iron are the minerals that help muscles function their best.

What’s the best way to get these minerals?

Eating a very healthy diet (not the conventional American diet with lots of highly processed foods) is a good start. Dark green veggies, nuts and seeds, and other real foods have minerals and vitamins, too.

Processed foods may not provide you with what your muscles need and some of the ingredients actually steal the minerals you do have in your body! (Yellow #5, I’m looking at you. It has several different names.)

An additional way to Continue reading Minerals Get Rid Of Muscle Pain In Your Back →

SIMPLE BACK PAIN RELIEF