| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
by Dr. Max Widmer, Chiropractor "To rest is to rust" is a popular German saying which reminds us that the body needs exercise. And in effect, we are all aware that a little more exercise would do us good. However, many people interpret the word "more" quite differently. Thus in the summer some people begin to absolve a daily jogging program to ease their bad conscience. Very often, however, they risk breaking records in doing so and this can lead to aches and pains in knees and ankle joints. Others buy themselves a book on sports exercising which they read while sitting in front of the TV. Surely the happy medium lies somewhere between these two extremes. Do I really know what is good or bad for my body ?This is an important question – and the reply is quite obvious. We cannot know unless we have the required special knowledge which is only available from professional specialists. In this particular area we have chiropractors. Our two tennis stars, Marc Rosset and Martina Hingis, are both aware of this and have placed their trust in the diagnostic knowledge and skills of a chiropractor. The same knowledge and skills are also available for you to take advantage of ! The saying "to rest is to rust" is completely wrong when we look at the common exercises of of head rolling and neck stretching : Here the saying, "rest to avoid hurting yourself!" would be more appropriate. Depending on the outgoing position of the cervical spinal column and its neighboring cervical vertebral artery, head rolling can lead - even with young people - to a normal reduction in arterial blood flow, which in extreme cases (see below) can even lead to a one hundred percent blockage when rolling and bending the head from one side to the other. Depending on the wear and tear of the cervical spinal column and the age of the cervical arteries, this exercise can obviously lead to a circulatory problem in the brain, to dizziness or perhaps even to injuries.
Since the cervical joints are not ball-and-socket joints, their construction allows only slight pushing movements and together some turning movements. Any kind of head rolling exercises thus always pose a risk. .These joints do not like bending sideways, backwards or forwards, or for that matter any kind of abrupt movement. Thus, try to avoid making headstands, bending to the back at the hairdressers (for hair washing), sitting bent in front of the TV, leaning forward at your desk while reading and, of course, the all too common dangerously low settings of car head rests. In fact, following a recent examination of a patient in my practice, it became clear to me that problems with the cervical spinal column can even be caused by wearing bifocals ! People who wear such eyeglasses are unconsciously always looking for the right sharp focus point of their glasses by continuously repositioning their head, and this too can result in neck pains.
Stretching the neck is another well promoted exercise, acclaimed in a vast number of medical practices and clinics for rheumatic diseases as well as numerous exercise books. Therapists make their patients aware that they have a shortened neck musculature and then recommend stretching exercises. The fact is, however, that these muscles belong to the postural musculature, and these muscles have been short in all humans since our development from quadrupeds to hominids. Any exception to this so-called constitutionally inherent and normal shoulder-neck musculature only confirms the rule. It is thus advisable to avoid stretching the neck (see photo right), not only to prevent the muscles from being stretched, but also from overstretching the ligaments and joint capsules or cervical spinal column, and to avoid exercising the vertebral joints beyond the individually allowed norm.
If you really want to do something good for your cervical spinal column, strengthen your neck with the following isometric exercise: Stand in front of a mirror and hold your head and neck straight. Now, using your left resp. right hand, put a minimum of pressure on the side of your head, forehead and the back of your head for about ten seconds. Repeat about five times. You will know if you are performing this exercise properly when your head and neck remain straight and when your head instinctively exerts the same pressure as your hands. And here are three additional tips:
I wish you a beautiful summer. Dr. Max Widmer, Chiropractor One page back
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
