Piriformis Muscle

The Piriformis Muscle is a small, pear-shaped muscle in the back of the hip area and is our deep sitting muscle.  This muscle creates a powerful compressive force that prevents the femoral neck from fracturing.  It reinforces the femoral neck and prevents it from bending while we walk and run.  Certain exercises increase activity in the piriformis muscle allowing it to compress the sciatic nerve with so much force that the nerve...

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Muscle Fibers!

Muscle knots, which are muscle fibers that stick to each other and become adhered, are common in most people but it’s not normal to have them and they can lead to further damage.  If too much stress is placed on our muscles, tearing of the tissue can eventually leave scar tissue.  If this issue is left untreated the muscle will continue to lose elasticity and eventually cause postural stress that will cause further difficulties in the...

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Latissimus Dorsi

This muscle gives the back its beautiful V shape from behind, its a pretty big muscle and covers a large amount of the surface on the back.  It consists of 3 parts that all run into the same direction/attachment points. starts at the hip starts at the ribs starts at the shoulder blades    All 3 points run to the tuberculum minor at the humerus which is located at the upper front of the upper arm. However if the muscle...

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Wintergreen Essential Oil

WINTERGREEN ESSENTIAL OIL WIntergreen essential oil is extracted from the low growing shrub called Gaultheria Procumbens, which is from the Ericaceae plant, please don't ask me to pronounce this!!   This plant originates from North America mainly Northeast United States & Canada.  It’s the leaves that are used to make this essential oil, that has a minty scent. It’s medical uses have been widely know for many centuries, used...

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Why Foot Massage

Massage is believed to relieve pain, reduce stress & anxiety,  rehabilitate injuries and boost general health; and in today society is considered an alternative to medicine. Foot massage has been practiced for centuries to promote health and well-being.  Applying pressure to specific points on the feet during a massage can affect various parts of the body.  Your whole body will reap the benefits of a foot massage due to healing...

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LEVATOR SCAPULAE

You have trouble turning your head to look behind you, feel a burning on the top of your shoulder blade or perhaps you wake up in the morning with a crick in your neck! It could very well be your; LEVATOR SCAPULAE (levator in Latin means to lift) which is situated at the back and side of the neck and its function is to life the scapulae, such as shrugging the shoulders.  It originates from the cervical 1-4 vertebrae as 4 little muscles...

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Sacroiliac Joint (SI Joint)

The SI joint is the bony pelvis between the sacrum and the ilium of the pelvis which are joined by strong ligaments.  This joint does not have much motion and transmits all the forces of the upper body to the pelvis (hips) and legs.  It acts as a shock absorbing structure. As with any joint, the SI joint can become arthritic or its support ligaments can become loose or injured. Dysfunction in the SI joint is thought to cause low back...

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Quadratus Lumborum

After recently having many clients with tight Quadratus Lumborum Muscles, along with back & hip pain,  I thought it would make sense to cover this muscle on my next blog.  So here is some information you may find interesting! This QL muscle is found, buried deep, in the lower back and is irregular & quadrilateral in shape.  It originates from the lower border of the last rib (for about half its length) and connects the...

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Pectoralis Major Muscle

It’s the large muscle in the chest that fans from the shoulder to the breastbone.  It is commonly referred to as the “pecs” and create the bulk of the chest area.  This muscle along with the pectoralis minor, which lies beneath the major, is predominantly used to control the movement of the arm.  Its also plays a part in deep inhalation, pulling the rib cage to create room for the lungs to expand. If this muscle is too tight it...

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