massage therapy Archives - Health Tips From The Professor

Your Popliteus Muscle And Knee Pain

February 13, 2024 by Dr. Steve Chaney

Treating Your Popliteus Muscle Safely

Author: Julie Donnelly, LMT – The Pain Relief Expert

Editor: Dr. Steve Chaney

While February is the shortest month of the year, to our northern family and friends it is the longest, seemingly endless, month because it seems like winter is never going to go away.

Where I live in Sarasota Florida, winter brings us near-perfect days and cooler nights. It’s my favorite time of year. And of course, we all celebrate the holiday of love – Valentine’s Day!

Just a bit of trivia: In 1868, Richard Cadbury released the first Valentine’s Day box of chocolates, followed in 1902 with the first Valentine hearts from the New England Confectionery Company. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland created the first commercial Valentine’s Day cards in the United States. Hallmark first offered Valentine’s Day cards in 1913 and began producing them in 1916. (Thanks to Wikipedia for all this interesting info).

I was reviewing last year as I was deciding on a topic for this month. We discussed:

*Heel pain

*Groin pain

*Low back pain

*Restless leg

*Foot pain

*We spent two months discussing various causes of headaches,

*And now we are in 2024, this will be the second month explaining some of the many causes of knee pain.

In each of these I showed, or explained to you, how to do a simple self-treatment that can help to relieve the pain. Each of the treatments are in my books, and many people have decided to just order one of the books, so they had the full treatment protocol for aches and pains from your head to your foot.

I’ve done self-treatment videos, and if you have come to the office, you know that I teach you how to do specific self-treatments that relate to your personal area of pain.

Before I change the way I do things, let’s finish off knee pain by talking about a little muscle that causes pain deep inside your knee joint. It’s a muscle called popliteus.

Your Popliteus Muscle And Knee Pain

The popliteus is a small muscle that causes a LOT of deep-knee pain. It is located at the back of your knee joint. It attaches to the bone in your lower leg, crosses the joint, and inserts into your thigh bone. You can get a good look at it and read all about it by going to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popliteus_muscle.

Because of the location of the origination and insertion points, when it contracts normally you bend your knee. In fact, its nickname is “the key that unlocks the knee.”

The muscle shortens and you bend your knee so you can sit down. However, you are sitting for a while and the muscle experiences muscle memory, so the muscle now “thinks” it is supposed to be shorter.

You then try to straighten your leg and stand up. However, the muscle is too short to make that movement, and it pulls hard on your knee joint. Since the muscle is so deep, you feel the pain deep inside the joint, and it may feel like a knife cutting into the back of your knee.

Treatment…

Fortunately, all you need to do is press your fingertips into the muscle, hold it for about 15 seconds, and then s-l-o-w-l-y straighten your leg. The pressure will force toxins out of the fibers, and straightening your leg will stretch the fibers.

Prevention…

When you are sitting for extended periods of time, simply stretch out your legs every 10 minutes or so. That will stretch the muscle before it has the chance for muscle memory to shorten the fibers.

What’s New For This Year?

This year I’m going to continue explaining why various muscles cause pain from the top of your head to your feet. The difference will be that I’ve already posted most of the self-treatments, and if you have one of my books, you definitely have all of the self-treatments.

Plus, there’s something exciting happening in 2024!

I’ve been working with my webmaster to start a yearly membership program where people can join and get:

*24/7 lifetime online access to my eBook: The Pain-Free Athlete

*a Perfect Ball (free shipping in the USA only),

*two 15 minute Zoom consultations where we can isolate the member’s pain situation, and

*access to several members-only group Zoom meetings over the course of the year.

This membership program will be renewable each year (sans the book and ball) so members will be able to quickly discover the source of their pain before it becomes an issue.

This book has been called “the bible” by athletes because they could find all their answers in it.

You can also have it in your home so you can Stop Pain FAST!

https://julstromethod.com/product/pain-free-athlete-book/

Watch for more new and exciting changes happening in 2024!

Wishing you well,

Julie Donnelly

www.FlexibleAthlete.com

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

About The Author

Julie Donnelly has been a licensed massage therapist since 1989, specializing in the treatment of chronic pain and sports injuries. The author of several books including Treat Yourself to Pain-Free Living, The Pain-Free Athlete, and The 15 Minute Back Pain Solution.

Julie has also developed a proven self-treatment program for the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.

She has a therapy practice in Sarasota, Florida, and she travels around the USA to teach massage and physical therapists how to do the Julstro Method, and she also teaches self-treatment clinics to anyone interested in taking charge of their own health and flexibility.

She may be reached at her office: 919-886-1861, or through her website: www.FlexibleAthlete.com

Your Pectineus Muscle And Groin Pain

October 17, 2023 by Dr. Steve Chaney

Treating Groin Pain Naturally

Author: Julie Donnelly, LMT – The Pain Relief Expert

Editor: Dr. Steve Chaney

The holidays are inching up on us, and this month is one of my favorites. I love Halloween because the children have so much fun dressing up and going to parties.

Back when I was a child we could roam around the neighborhood, knocking on doors and having our candy dropped into the pumpkin basket or pillowcase our moms gave us. We traveled in a pack, and our parents knew we were safe as long as we stayed in our neighborhood because everyone knew everyone.

Nowadays children go to “Trunk or Treat” parties, often with mom or dad in tow. They’re still having fun, and it’s great to see their excitement when they’re sharing with each other how many goodies they have collected.

Now, even just LOOKING at that candy makes me gain 5 lbs! Oh well!

Happy October to you and your family!

Your Pectineus Muscle And Groin Pain

Today, we will be discussing how a small muscle that most people aren’t even aware of can cause groin pain. I’ve been working with athletes since 1989 and I’ve seen this small muscle cause such pain that it was preventing the athlete from continuing with his/her sport. And it’s so simple to treat!

The pectineus muscle is in your adductor muscle group. The adductors are responsible for hip flexion and adduction.

Adduction is when you bring your leg closer to the opposite leg, such as when you cross your legs when you are sitting down. Athletes who play soccer, or who ride a horse, are heavily using their adductor muscles.

As you look at the graphic on the left, the muscles on the left side (right leg) are the larger adductor muscles.

The pectineus is shown on the right side (left leg) so that it is more visible, helping you see the location of the muscle. In reality, all the muscles are on both sides.

Since the pectineus muscle is so close to the pubic bone, it is more difficult to self-treat. You need to sit on the floor and twist yourself, so the sore side is pressing into the floor.

The pectineus muscle is often overlooked, but it can cause significant pain when in spasm or injured. Here are some of the symptoms, causes, and a simple self-treatment I have developed for a tight pectineus.

Quick Facts About Groin Pain And Your Pectineus Muscle

Causes of Spasms of the Pectineus and Adductors:

Muscular injuries of the adductors, the iliopsoas muscle, and abdominal musculature are the most frequent causes of acute groin pain in sportsmen and sportswomen.

Spasms in your pectineus muscle are also a common cause of groin pain and are often overlooked.

Pectineus pain often stems from an injured groin muscle. Common causes include running, kicking a soccer ball, riding a horse, and sitting with a crossed leg.

Symptoms Of Groin Pain Caused By Your Pectineus Muscle:

Groin pain is any discomfort in the area between your abdomen and thigh, located where your abdomen ends, and your legs begin.

Localized pain on the pubic bone, in the groin area, on one side or the other, is a primary indication of injury to the pectineus.

Pain on palpation of the involved muscle and pain on adduction (moving your legs closer together against resistance) is also an indication of injury to the pectineus.

Treating Groin Pain Naturally

You are trying to be pressing close to your pubic bone, which is shown in the graphic above.

Sit as shown and use a ball to press deeply into your adductors. Start the treatment at the very top of the muscles, close to your pubic bone, and move down toward your knee.

If you find any tender points, called “trigger points,” hold the pressure on the spasm until it stops hurting.

You can also “pump” the trigger point, applying pressure for 15 seconds, then stay where you are but release the pressure for 5 seconds, and repeat this sequence several times until the pain point stops hurting.

You may get better leverage if you lift up your opposite hip (lift up the right hip in this demonstration), bending your right leg so you can press your right elbow into your thigh to get better pressure.

If it’s difficult with the ball, use your right hand fingertips to press on the muscle on your left side.

In conclusion, the pectineus muscle can cause groin pain when injured.

If this simple self-treatment doesn’t help, it would be important to seek medical attention to determine the underlying cause, especially if it is severe or accompanied by other symptoms.

Wishing you well,

Julie Donnelly

www.FlexibleAthlete.com

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Treating Tension Headaches Naturally

August 15, 2023 by Dr. Steve Chaney

Which Muscles Cause Tension Headaches?

Author: Julie Donnelly, LMT – The Pain Relief Expert

Editor: Dr. Steve Chaney

The snowbirds are long gone! The plus is that it’s easier to get into restaurants, and the roads aren’t as crowded. Of course, the minus is the weather. August is the hottest month of the year.

August is definitely a s-l-o-w month in Florida. The temperature is in the mid-upper 90’s, which isn’t really too bad for a Floridian, but the humidity feels like it’s 120°!

You walk out of your cool house, and it hits you like a wet washcloth, immediately making you sweat from your hair to your toes.

So, it’s time to just relax, enjoy the beach and read a good book. And thank heaven for air-conditioning!

Topic Of The Month – Tension Headaches

Lately a lot of people have been coming to my office complaining of headaches that have plagued them for a long time…in one case for years!

This woman has been everywhere and had every test that the medical world could offer. Nothing showed why she had these terrible headaches. At one point she told me the pain was a 10 on a scale of 1-10. Imagine how terrible it was for her to suffer every day from such a crippling condition. My heart went out to her!

Fortunately, her problem was caused by muscles, the one thing that most of the medical world doesn’t consider when looking for a solution to pain.

In fact, if you watched my TED talk: The Pain Question No One is Asking, you may have already heard me talk about this missing link. (If you haven’t heard my TED talk, go to YouTube and enter: Julie Donnelly, Pain and I’ll pop up.)

Let’s talk about muscles and why they will cause headaches (and a whole lot more!).

Which Muscles Cause Tension Headaches?

While there are many causes for headaches, such as stress, anxiety, depression, head injury, or anxiety, and life-threatening causes we won’t go into here, one type of headache that is caused by muscular tension is known as a muscle contraction tension headache.

As shown in the graphics above, muscle spasms (colored circles) will refer pain to your head, even when you don’t feel any discomfort where the spasm is actually occurring (as seen in the graphic on the bottom, the Sternocleidomastoid muscle).

(Please don’t get confused with the Posterior Deltoid showing in the right graphic, or the jaw muscles on the left graphic…I just didn’t know how to delete them from the graphic)

Muscles in the neck and scalp can become tense or contract in response to stress, depression, or anxiety, leading to tension headaches. Fortunately, in many cases, simply pressing on the trigger points (the colored circles) will release the tension being felt in your head.

To prevent tension headaches, it is important to maintain good posture, practice relaxation techniques, and use a pillow that keeps your head, neck, and spine in a horizontal plane while you sleep.

Treating Tension Headaches Naturally

There are too many treatments for headaches to include all of them in this newsletter. If you want to know them, I suggest you get one of my books, especially Pain-Free Living or The Pain-Free Athlete.

Meanwhile, I want to share an important Julstro self-treatment that you may find works well for tension headaches:

Place a ball such as the Perfect Ball (shown in picture) or a tennis ball, on the top of your shoulder.

Lean into the corner of a wall, as shown.

Keep your head close to the wall to prevent the ball from slipping and landing on the floor.

Bend at your hips so your upper body goes up and down, causing the ball to roll along the top of your shoulder. This will treat both the levator scapulae and trapezius muscles – both are key muscles for tension headaches.

Be gentle with this treatment as it will cause pain to be felt in your head as you are doing the treatment. Only use enough pressure that it “hurts so good.”

Do 5-6 passes on each side. It can be repeated often during the day but give a little time between each session to allow the muscle to relax.

Drink a LOT of water so the acid that you’re pressing out of the muscle will get flushed out of your body.

This may look a bit confusing, but it’s simple when you follow the directions. And the best part is, IT WORKS!

How to Learn the Other Treatments for Headaches

If you go to www.FlexibleAthlete.com you can read a lot more about muscles and pain. You will also find my books and other self-treatment tools by pressing on Shop.

Have a Happy Summer! Please remember to drink a lot of water to keep yourself hydrated. 😊

Wishing you well,

Julie Donnelly

www.FlexibleAthlete.com

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Treating Restless Leg Syndrome

July 18, 2023 by Dr. Steve Chaney

What Is Restless Leg Syndrome?

Author: Julie Donnelly, LMT – The Pain Relief Expert

Editor: Dr. Steve Chaney

July is here and Florida is hot! The “Snowbirds” have gone north to the cooler weather (a goal of mine!) and life is moving in the slow lane.

Before I get started talking about our topic for the day, I want to give a big shout-out to one of my clients: Camilla Massa. Camilla is an incredible athlete in a sport called Hyrox. Hyrox isn’t well-known in the USA yet, but it’s very big in Europe. You can think of it as CrossFit on steroids – pure strength and endurance events on an extreme level.

Camilla has grown through the sport and just a few weeks ago she was ranked #15 in the world. Then she went to a Worldwide competition this past week and she came in 1st place! I don’t know where that puts her on the roster, but when you consider she was competing against the best in the sport, she has a lot to be proud of. I’m looking forward to her returning to Sarasota, and to my office for a post-competition therapy session. I want to hear all about the event!

What Is Restless Leg Syndrome?

Hopefully you aren’t suffering from restless leg syndrome (RLS), but maybe you know someone who is, and if so, this newsletter may be of some help.

It sounds so mild, but clients have told me it’s a really uncomfortable condition that affects the nervous system and muscles. The primary symptom is an unpleasant sensation in the legs that makes a person have an uncontrollable urge to move their legs. Often the legs just jump by themselves, which can make sleeping difficult.

Sufferers report sensations such as itching, tingling, burning, or overall aching. These symptoms are blamed for the overwhelming urge to move their legs.

The sensations associated with RLS are distinct from normal sensations experienced by those who don’t have the disorder, which makes them difficult to characterize. While research hasn’t been able to find any abnormalities in the brain, nerves, or muscles, it is logical that the muscles play a major role in the problem as they are the primary drivers of movement.

The interaction between the muscles and the central nervous system (CNS) is essential for voluntary and involuntary movements. Research suggests that dysfunction in this interaction can contribute to the development of RLS symptoms.

It has been observed that certain muscle-related factors, such as muscle fatigue or excessive tension, can trigger or exacerbate RLS symptoms. Prolonged periods of inactivity, such as sitting for extended periods, can lead to muscle stiffness and reduced blood flow, increasing the likelihood of RLS symptoms occurring.

Treating Restless Leg Syndrome

There are medical treatments that use medications to help relieve the symptoms, but for those solutions I suggest you see your medical practitioner.

I’d like to suggest treating the muscles from your hips to your feet to release any pressure that is being placed on the nerves as they pass through or beside the muscle fibers. I have had success in helping people release the tight muscles in their hips.

Before I share a self-treatment for your hips, I also want to suggest that anyone suffering from RLS also go to a good myofascial release (MFR) massage therapist. MFR will release tension in the fascia, the strong substance that surrounds every muscle fiber in the body.

On to a Julstro self-treatment:

You can treat all the muscles of your hip by placing a ball, such as the Perfect Ball that is on my website, or a tennis ball, on the very outside of your hip.

Lean into a wall and slowly move around until you find a “hot spot.” I call it that because you suddenly come to a point where it really hurts.

Hold pressure on the spot for 15-30 seconds. If you want, you can move back and forth just a little bit to press the acid (H+) out of the muscle.

Then move around until you find another hot spot and repeat the treatment.

Go all the way around your pelvis, along the length of your sacrum, around the top of your thigh bone, and along the crease where your leg meets your trunk.

Go slowly as the muscle takes some time to release the acid from the fibers, which then draws blood into the area and promotes healing in the muscle fibers.

I suggest you also use the heel of your hands and press down on your thigh muscles, sliding from the very top of your leg, like you’re trying to lengthen the muscles toward your knees. If you feel a bump that is painful, that’s a spasm that is putting pressure on your knee and hips. Just do your best to rub it out.

I wish I could say that these will heal the situation, but if it can give you some relief, then that’s a good thing.

If you have any treatments that have worked for you, please let me know so I can share them with others.

Next Month’s Treatment – Headaches

There are many causes of headaches, some life threatening and others that are the end result of tension or other causes that can be resolved. I’ll be sharing a few helpful techniques that have helped a lot of my clients.

Treat Yourself To Pain-Free Living

You can locate the source of your pain, and then see how to do the Julstro self-treatments that can stop the pain FAST!

Treat Yourself to Pain-Free Living has 21 colorful charts that show you where to treat to relieve pain that you are experiencing, and over 200 clear photos that explain how to do each self-treatment.

You don’t need to live with pain – you can STOP PAIN FAST!

Treat Yourself to Pain-Free Living

Wishing you well,

Julie Donnelly

www.FlexibleAthlete.com

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Relief From Calf Cramp Pain

June 20, 2023 by Dr. Steve Chaney

Stretching Your Calf

Author: Julie Donnelly, LMT – The Pain Relief Expert

Editor: Dr. Steve Chaney

Florida is heating up and midday is pretty warm, but the rest of the USA is just entering the best time of year (if you love warm weather). And I think the best part is that the days are longer so we can get out and enjoy life more.

But as we exercise more, especially in the heat of summer, we often experience calf cramps. You may have been exercising, running, or cycling, and suddenly your calf cramps and stops you in your tracks.

Or the calf cramps may not strike until you have gone to bed. They strike with no warning. You jump up at night with your calf screaming in pain. The calf cramps may even curl your toes and send shock waves all the way up your leg.

You want relief and you want it fast. What do you do?

What Causes Calf Cramps?

The National Institute of Health (NIH) states that “the cause of leg cramps is unclear.” Isn’t that encouraging!

There are just so many potential causes of calf cramps that it’s impossible to narrow it down. Some common causes are pregnancy, exercise, dehydration, insufficient levels of certain key nutrients, and electrolyte imbalances.

Electrolytes are minerals that have an electric charge. You get them from the foods you eat and fluids you drink.

I’ve learned that the vitamins and minerals that impact cramps are: B¹, B¹², D, magnesium, potassium, and calcium.

I’m not a nutritionist so I’m not going to expound on nutritional causes, deficiencies, or solutions. For that advice I suggest you go to a highly trained nutritionist for advice. I’ve learned a lot by watching John McDougall, MD and T. Colin Campbell, PhD on YouTube.

However, my world is muscles, so that’s where I focus my attention in today’s article.

Muscle Contractions, Spasms, And Cramps

A little clarification of terms. A contraction is when the entire length of a muscle fiber shortens. A spasm is when a small section of the muscle fiber ties up into what is sometimes thought of as a knot. A spasm happens slowly, so you rarely realize that the spasm is occurring. However, a cramp is when 100% of the muscle suddenly contracts 100% of the way and becomes as hard as a rock and feels like it is all knotted up.

There is a very complicated set of actions that enable us to do something as simple as picking up our cell phone and calling a friend. You don’t need (or want) to know all the steps, so just suffice to say that each muscle fiber pulls with exactly the right power to make the movement we want to perform.

For example, let’s say you want to pick up a pen, maybe 10% of the fibers in your lower arm (that move your fingers) will contract. But if you want to pick up a bowling ball, maybe 25% of your muscle fibers will contract. If you then need to pick up your refrigerator, maybe 100% of your fibers will contract. (All numbers are guesses just to demonstrate a principle).

Regardless of whether you are contracting 10% or 90% of your muscle fibers, they will always contract 100% of the way. Muscles don’t start to contract and then make a U-turn and stretch – and that’s the problem. The muscle will always contract 100% of the way before it will allow you to stretch it.

If you try to stretch while the muscle is contracting, you are potentially tearing the fibers. So, the idea is to help the muscle fibers complete the contraction, and then stretch.

This really hurts! But then, a cramp also really hurts!

Relief From Calf Cramp Pain

I suggest you try this now when nothing is happening. You sure don’t want to be trying to figure it out while your calf is cramping.

Cross your leg as shown in this picture.

Grab both ends of the muscle and push them together as hard as you can.

Hold the squeeze until you are breathing normally.

Release, breathe normally for a minute, and repeat.

The second time isn’t going to hurt. You’re only doing the second squeeze in case there are some muscles that didn’t finish the contraction, so you’re helping them along.

After the cramp has stopped, then you can safely stretch your calf muscles.

Stretching Your Calf

There are two muscles of your calf that you will be stretching: the gastrocnemius and the soleus.

To stretch your gastrocnemius, as shown in the picture to the left, put one leg straight behind you, and bend your opposite knee.

Lean forward, bending the knee in the front while keeping your back foot planted on the floor.

You’ll feel a nice stretch in your calf as the gastrocnemius is being gently lengthened.

To stretch your soleus muscle, follow the picture on the right and bend your back leg, again keeping your foot planted on the floor, and straighten your forward leg.

Hold each stretch for about 15 seconds to allow the muscles to slowly lengthen.

Let Me Show You How You Can Treat Yourself

I’ve been teaching people how to self-treat since 1989. As you know, I’ve written several books to show you how to self-treat to release tight muscles from your head to your feet, and I also have an MP4 program called the Julstro System that shows you how to release every muscle that causes the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome and trigger finger.

Did you know that I also do Zoom Consultations? I work with people all over the world. Zoom allows me to demonstrate to them what needs to be done, and then watch them to see if they are doing it correctly.

If you would like to work with me on a one-on-one basis from the comfort of your own home, just go to https://julstromethod.com/product/private-consultation/. We’ll set up a date and you’ll be off to getting the relief you are seeking.

Wishing you well,

Julie Donnelly

www.FlexibleAthlete.com

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

The Iliopsoas And Lower Back Pain

May 16, 2023 by Dr. Steve Chaney

Relief From Lower Back Pain

Author: Julie Donnelly, LMT –The Pain Relief Expert

Editor: Dr. Steve Chaney

May was the start of the beautiful weather when I lived up in New York. April showers began to bring May flowers. Of course, here in Florida we have flowers all year, so it’s our friends to the north that are enjoying a glorious array of colors during this month. For us May is the beginning of the hot weather.

The Snowbirds are leaving Florida and heading back up north. Safe journey. I’ll miss you! It’s funny having friends that are gone 6 months of the year.

But it also means that life is beginning to slow down for us. With most of the snowbirds gone, driving is easier, the stores are less crowded, and we can park at the beach. The weather is still beautiful so we can still go outside to ride a bike, jog, or play the sports we enjoy. This leads me to talk about preventing lower back pain as we become more active.

The Anatomy of The Psoas And Iliacus Muscles

In this month’s newsletter we will be discussing the psoas and iliacus muscles and how they can contribute to lower back pain. Anyone who has come to my office with lower back pain, hip/groin/knee pain, or sciatica is familiar with these two muscles being the root cause of all these conditions.

There is more to the story of each of these conditions, and I have covered them thoroughly in previous newsletters, and in each of my books. Today I want to really explain the “why” of how a muscle in the front of your body plays such havoc with the back of your body.

The psoas muscles (shown in brown in the figure on the left) originate on the FRONT side of the lumbar vertebrae and the iliacus muscles (shown in purple in the figure on the left) originate on the inside curve of your pelvis. They join very close to your pubic bone and become one muscle group called the iliopsoas muscle group, and they play a critical role in hip and core stability.

The iliopsoas muscle group runs together to where it attaches on the top/inside of your thigh bone.

The Role Of The Psoas And Iliacus Muscles

The psoas muscles pull you forward so you can bend over, and the iliacus muscles lift your legs up to take a step. Together they are responsible for flexing your hip joint, which is important for movements such as walking, running, climbing stairs, and sitting down.

Additionally, these muscles play a vital role in maintaining good posture and providing stability to the pelvis and lower back. In fact, the only time they are not contracted is when you are standing straight and still.

When these muscles are tight or weakened, they can cause significant problems, including:

*Low back pain.

*Groin pain.

*Hip pain.

*Knee pain.

*Sciatica.

How The Psoas And Iliacus Muscles Cause Lower Back Pain

When the psoas muscle becomes tight from repetitive, or overactive, use it can pull on the lumbar spine. An analogy I use frequently is just as pulling your hair hard can hurt your skull, the psoas muscle pulling hard on the front of your lumbar spine will cause the bones to hurt.

The pressure causes excessive curvature of the lower back. This excessive curvature can cause compression of the lumbar discs and joints, leading to pain and discomfort.

Since your iliacus muscle originates on the inside curve of your pelvis (hip), when it is tight it is common for a person to have hip pain that feels like it’s deep inside the hip. And it IS deep inside the hip, so much so that you can’t get your fingers in more than ¼ of an inch to press on the muscle. Fortunately, when you come into the office I can get far into the muscle and release the deep spasms that are causing the problems.

Additionally, since they merge and insert into your thigh bone, tight psoas and iliacus muscles can cause imbalances in the pelvis, leading to asymmetrical movement patterns that can contribute to lower back pain and a lot more!

Conversely, weak psoas and iliacus muscles can also cause lower back pain. When these muscles are weak, they are unable to provide adequate stability to the pelvis and lumbar spine, leading to excessive movement and strain on the lower back muscles. This strain can lead to muscle imbalances and compensations, which can ultimately cause lower back pain.

How The Psoas And Iliacus Muscles Can Cause Arthritis Symptoms

Think of this situation: the muscles are tight and pulling hard on the bones. You are trying to move in the opposite direction, but the muscles are preventing you from moving in that direction. The more you try, the more the bones hurt.

In fact, as the tight muscles pull on the bones, they can actually start to tear the muscles &/or tendons away from the bone. The body sees this as a “MAYDAY,” an emergency distress signal. The pressure on the bones causes inflammation to occur. You are also in danger of the muscle severing either from the tendon, or from the bone. So, the body sends out the rescue squad of bone cells to hang on to the tendon.

Now you have:

pain when you try to move.
inflammation (“itis”) at the site of the insertion.
and the joint is stiff, possibly even pulled out of normal alignment.
…you have all the signs of arthritis or bursitis.

You may be given strong drugs that can have serious side-effects, when all that’s wrong is the muscles are tight and preventing the bones/joints from moving smoothly.

Relief From Lower Back Pain Caused By Your Psoas And Iliacus Muscles

Don’t start by stretching! It can cause the problem to get worse!

Everyone thinks about stretching, but when a muscle is tied up in knots, you definitely don’t want to try to stretch it. You can make it much worse, or you may even tear the fibers.

You may have already heard the analogy I use to explain why stretching can hurt your muscles.

If you took a 12” length of rope and tied enough knots in it to make it 10”, and then you stretched it back to 12” again, what did you do? You made the knots tighter, and you overstretched the fibers that are not in the knot. And in the body, both ends of this rope (muscle) are attached to a bone &/or a joint!

First you need to untie the knots — then you can stretch safely.

You can go on YouTube University and find lots of ways to stretch, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything that tells you how to untie the knots.

So, I’ll tell you.

How to Find the Knots in the Iliopsoas Muscle Group and Untie Them Safely

As I said before, you can’t really get into either the iliacus or psoas muscles that are deep in your trunk, but you can reach them where they insert into the inside of your thigh bone.

Sit as shown in this picture.

Turn your hand as shown but come all the way up to the top of your leg, right where your leg attaches to your trunk, just to the outside of your pubic bone.

You may even find it easier to press into the muscles with your fingertips, keeping your hand turned as shown in this picture.

When you find a “hot spot” you are pressing onto the spasm on the iliopsoas muscle group.

What To Do Next To Stop Back Pain Fast

I’ve discovered a LOT of ways to eliminate pain, and I’ve been doing it for my clients for almost 35 years. However, it was frustrating that I could only reach clients who lived near my office.

When I started getting my own injuries, and then I needed to create self-treatments when I couldn’t get help from any of the professionals I went to during that time. I finally worked it out, and that’s the basis for each of my books and video programs.

In the case of low back pain, hip/groin/knee pain, and sciatica, I suggest getting my book: The 15 Minute Back Pain Solution

You CAN find, and successfully self-treat the muscle spasms (knots) that cause pain!

Wishing you well,

Julie Donnelly

PS: Have you watched my TED talk: The Pain Question No One is Asking? If not, go to YouTube and enter: Julie Donnelly, Pain and I’ll pop up. I think it’s really interesting. If you also think it’s interesting, please share it so I’ll get invited back to go further into why muscles cause pain.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

About The Author

Julie Donnelly has been a licensed massage therapist since 1989, specializing in the treatment of chronic pain and sports injuries. She is the author of several books including Treat Yourself to Pain-Free Living, The Pain-Free Athlete, and The 15 Minute Back Pain Solution. She is also often chosen to speak at national conventions, medical schools, and health facilities nationwide.

Julie has also developed a proven self-treatment program for the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Hip And Knee Pain Relief

April 18, 2023 by Dr. Steve Chaney

A Common Cause For Pains From Hip To Knee

Author: Julie Donnelly, LMT –The Pain Relief Expert

Editor: Dr. Steve Chaney

Spring Is In The Air

I remember as a child we sang “Though April showers may come your way…they bring the flowers that bloom in May…”

Of course, here in Florida we are blessed with flowers all year, but there is still a lovely feeling that happens in Spring. It’s still cool enough most days to go out running, and the humidity is still low.

Traffic will soon be easing up as our friends from the north start their trek back home, and daylight savings time is giving us more time to get to the beach for sunset. Lovely!

Fun Facts About Spring….

The earliest known use of the term “spring cleaning” was in 1857
The word “spring” has been used for the season since the 16^th century
The first day of spring is called the vernal equinox
On the first day of spring, the sunrise and sunset are about 12 hours apart everywhere on earth
Spring fever isn’t just a saying. Experts say the body changes due to the temperature and can cause an upset in your health.
The actual start of spring varies from March 19^th to the 21^st, but it is commonly celebrated on the 21^st.

Do you like to garden? Now is the perfect time to get your gardens planted so you’ll have home grown veggies for the entire summer. For me, it’s also a great time to do some spring cleaning and get the house in order before the summer closes all the windows and the air conditioning becomes our indoor relief.

But these activities can also cause a strain on muscles, so don’t forget to take care of yourself.

A Common Cause For Pains From Hip To Knee

There are times when I am led to sharing a treatment because I had a run of clients all suffering from the same source muscle. That is what happened for this newsletter. In March I had at least six clients come to my office, all having different symptoms, but all stemming from the same source.

My clients complained of hip pain, thigh pain, knee pain, and pain down the outside of the lower leg.

In this case it was the Tensor Fascia Lata and two of the three Gluteal muscles: Medius, Minimus. The Gluteus Medius is directly over the Gluteus Minimus, so treating one will actually treat both. And the Tensor Fascia Lata is right next to both these muscles.

All these muscles insert into the same area of the hip, and for different reasons, they all cause hip pain. Also, each muscle refers pain to a different location, so you think you have a problem in these referred pain locations, but they are all coming from your hip.

This is one of the many times when working on one area will solve many different problems.

Take a look at these Trigger Point charts:

To read the charts, look at the shaded area (which shows where pain is felt) and look for the muscle name in the same color. Then follow the arrow to the same-colored round circles with “x”. This is the trigger point (spasm) that is the source of that pain pattern.

You’ll notice that the spasm (trigger point) for the purple pain pattern is in the Gluteus Minimus at the outside of the hip, but the pain pattern goes to the outside of the thigh, the knee, and all the way down to the ankle.

The spasms for the Tensor Fascia Lata is in the same place on the hip, but the pain pattern is the hip, the thigh, and the outside of the knee.

In each of these cases the pain is being felt along the insertion points for the muscles.

Hip And Knee Pain Relief

To relieve the muscle spasms that are causing the problem, use my “Perfect Ball” (You can use a baseball or tennis ball, but my Perfect Ball is just the right size and hardness for the job). Then, either lie on the floor or stand up and lean into a wall as shown in the two photos below. Lean into the ball, easing your pressure onto the ball gradually. As the muscle releases it will hurt less and less.

Then you can rotate your body, so the ball is pressing into the front of your hip or rotating so the ball is rolling toward the back of your body. You will likely find multiple painful tender spots. Each spot is a spasm that is putting pressure on your bones or is pulling on the tendon (called the IlioTibial Band – ITB) that is putting pressure onto your lateral knee joint.

You can also treat these muscles by using a length of 1” PVC pipe as shown in the picture on the left.

This picture was shared with me by an athlete. An avid runner, she couldn’t get down on the ground, nor was there a wall that she could press into, but using the pipe and a street sign pole, she was still able to release the tight muscles that were preventing her from running.

This may not be perfect for you, but if you are an athlete, it could be just what you need when you’re unable to treat yourself as shown above.

You REALLY CAN Treat Yourself

Since 1989 I have been working with people who are experiencing severe &/or chronic pain. During those years I’ve managed to figure out why they are in pain, and how they can stop the pain by treating themselves.

It is wonderful when someone can come into my office and I can work directly with them, but I’ve found that the key is the self-treatments I teach them to do at home. With the self-treatments you can release the tension multiple times every day, retraining your muscles to stay relaxed.

Thousands of people have been able to stop pain fast because they have followed the simple techniques I teach.

You can stop pain fast too! Even chronic pain releases when you treat the source and not just the symptom!

To enable you to know where to treat, and how to treat the muscles that cause pain, I’ve produced several “How To” books and DVD programs.

Visit my shopping cart to see the full line of pain-relief products that will help you overcome:

Shoulder pain
Neck pain
Carpal tunnel symptoms
Trigger finger
Low back pain
Hip pain
Sciatica
Knee Pain
Plantar Fasciitis

In fact, you can get relief for pains from your head to your feet!

Next Month’s Topic

In May I’ll be sharing about the muscles that cause the #1 repetitive strain injury in the entire world!

If you have, or know someone who has, low back pain, you won’t want to miss next month’s article.

Wishing you well,

Julie Donnelly

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Relief From Shin Splints

July 19, 2022 by Dr. Steve Chaney

What Causes Shin Splints?

Author: Julie Donnelly, LMT – The Pain Relief Expert

Editor: Dr. Steve Chaney

July is here and Florida is hot! The “Snowbirds” have gone north to the cooler weather (a goal of mine!) and life is moving in the slow lane.

For me, the slow down time is giving me the opportunity to work on some big projects that are planned to bring my work to massage therapists all over the USA. If your massage therapist is interested in expanding their techniques, please tell them to contact me so we can chat.

I’m also finishing up the editing of my newest book: “Pain-Free Golf. The Secret to Your Best Golf Game Ever!” I’m grateful and want to give a shout out to John Ma and Rebecca Saggau for their help in making this a much better book.

This month’s topic is on Shin Splints, and next month I’ll be talking about something most people aren’t aware of…bone bruises.

I hope you enjoy all the outdoor activities that go with the month of July.

What Are Shin Splints?

If you are a runner, play any sport that involves a lot of running, or if you drive for long distances, you may have experienced pain &/or burning along the front of your leg, next to your shin bone. This pain is commonly called Shin Splints.

I’ve searched all through the internet and while I’ve found LOTS of articles about the cause of shin splints, the definition of shin splints, and treatments such as rest, ice, various meds, etc., I’ve never found anything that resembles the self-treatment I’ve been teaching for years and that is in each of my books.

I’m going to share that self-treatment with you. A plus is the treatment for the muscle that causes shin splints is also one of the main muscles that cause plantar fasciitis. So, you may get some pain relief that you weren’t even expecting.

What Causes Shin Splints?

The Tibialis Anterior muscle cause shin splints. The tibialis anterior muscle runs along the outside of your shin bone (the tibia bone), merges into a tendon at your lower leg, crosses over your ankle and then inserts into your arch. When it contracts, it lifts your foot and rolls it toward the outside. Because of these attachments, it is also a key muscle in a sprained ankle and in plantar fasciitis, but these are topics for different newsletters.

The muscle fibers are directly on your shin bone, so when they are tightening due to a repetitive strain, such as running or pressing down on the gas pedal while driving long distances, they start to tear off the bone. You can visualize this by considering how you rip meat off a bone while eating a steak or spareribs.

As the muscle is slowly tearing away from the bone you feel pain along the entire length of the bone, and it really hurts! Fortunately, it’s easy to release the tension in the muscle. Plus, as you’re doing the self-treatment I’m showing you, you are pressing the fibers back on to the bone, so it stops them from ripping away completely.

Relief From Shin Splints

You can get immediate relief from shin splint pain by treating your tibialis anterior muscle.

Begin to warm up the muscle by putting your leg straight out and running your opposite heel down the length of the muscle.

Right at the point where the picture is showing the model’s heel on her leg is the point where you’ll find the most sensitive trigger point.

Continue from just below your knee to just above your ankle joint.

Next kneel down as shown in the picture on the right, placing the ball at the top of the muscle and right next to your shin bone.

Notice the way his toes are bent. This will help prevent your arch from feeling like it’s going to cramp as the muscle pulls on the insertion point

Begin to move your leg so the ball is rolling down toward your ankle. Stop when you find a tight point.

When you get to your ankle you can roll back up toward your knee again. Ultimately it won’t hurt, but if it’s especially painful in the beginning just lighten up on the pressure. You may even need to lift your leg off the ball at first which will allow blood to come into the muscle fiber and help lessen the tension.

This technique has helped so many people over the years, I know it will help you too!

How To Treat Yourself For Pain Relief

I’ve written several books and programs that teach you how to self-treat for pain from your head to your feet. The Shin Splint treatment is just one technique, and if you’ve been receiving this newsletter for a long time, you’ve seen many others.

My books are a good resource and will explain why muscles are causing your pain or discomfort, and how you can stop it fast.

Wishing you well,

Julie Donnelly

www.FlexibleAthlete.com

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Treating A Calf Cramp

June 21, 2022 by Dr. Steve Chaney

Stretching Your Calf

Author: Julie Donnelly, LMT – The Pain Relief Expert

Editor: Dr. Steve Chaney

Do you ever jump up at night with your calf screaming in pain?

Do cramps curl your toes and send shock waves all the way up your leg?

Have you ever been exercising, running, or cycling, and suddenly your calf cramped and stopped you in your tracks?

What Causes Calf Cramps?

The National Institute of Health (NIH) states that “the cause of leg cramps is unclear.” Isn’t that encouraging! There are just so many potential causes of calf cramps that it’s impossible to narrow it down. Some common causes are pregnancy, exercise, dehydration, insufficient levels of certain key nutrients, and electrolyte imbalances.

Electrolytes are minerals that have an electric charge. You get them from the foods you eat and fluids you drink.

I’ve learned that the vitamins and minerals that impact cramps are: B¹, B¹², D, magnesium, potassium, and calcium.

However, my world is muscles, so that’s where I focus my attention in today’s article.

Muscle Contractions, Spasms, And Cramps

If you try to stretch while the muscle is contracting, you are potentially tearing the fibers. So, the idea is to help the muscle fibers complete the contraction, and then stretch.

Treating A Calf Cramp

I suggest you try this now when nothing is happening. You sure don’t want to be trying to figure it out while your calf is cramping.

Cross your leg as shown in this picture

Grab both ends of the muscle and push them together as hard as you can.

Hold the squeeze until you are breathing normally.

Release, breathe normally for a minute, and repeat.

The second time isn’t going to hurt. You’re only doing the second squeeze in case there are some muscles that didn’t finish the contraction, so you’re helping them along.

After the cramp has stopped, then you can safely stretch your calf muscles.

This really hurts! But then, a cramp also really hurts!

Stretching Your Calf

There are two muscles of your calf that you will be stretching: the gastrocnemius and the soleus.

To stretch your gastrocnemius, as shown in the picture to the left, put one leg straight behind you, and bend your opposite knee.

Lean forward, bending the knee in the front while keeping your back foot planted on the floor.

You’ll feel a nice stretch in your calf as the gastrocnemius is being gently lengthened.

To stretch your soleus muscle, follow the picture on the right and bend your back leg, again keeping your foot planted on the floor, and straighten your forward leg.

Hold each stretch for about 15 seconds to allow the muscles to slowly lengthen.

Let Me Show You How You Can Treat Yourself

Wishing you well,

Julie Donnelly

www.FlexibleAthlete.com

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Relief From Neck Pain

April 19, 2022 by Dr. Steve Chaney

What Causes Pain In Your Neck?

Author: Julie Donnelly, LMT – The Pain Relief Expert

Editor: Dr. Steve Chaney

Happy Spring! My friends and family up north told me that it was a looooog winter, so I’m sure all you “Snow Birds” are thrilled to have Spring here at last.

Here in Florida, the flowers are blooming, and we’re still enjoying beautiful weather in the 70’s and low 80’s. And, of course, we are ignoring the thought of the summer coming soon.

Please Help Me

I’ve learned that for TEDx to invite me to do another talk, I need to have my current talk, “The Pain Question No One Is Asking”, shared with many people, plus I need to have comments so I can respond. If you haven’t watched it yet, you will learn a lot about pain and how to treat it. Plus, you can help me by commenting on it and sharing it with your friends.

Maybe you have already watched it, if so, thank you. Would you mind watching it again and adding a comment?

In either case, you can either go to YouTube and put in “Julie Donnelly, pain” or if you’re reading this newsletter online, you can go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSrxURd8ZJk&t=133s.

Thanks a lot!

What Causes Neck Pain?

This month I’ve had so many people come in with neck pain and headaches, that I decided I need to share what causes neck pain and a treatment with you. There are a lot of different treatments for the neck, some you can do, and others that you need me to do for you.

Neck pain and headaches are widespread because there are so many things we do every day that cause these two kinds of pain. A big problem is our cell phones, and we can’t get rid of them, so we just need to know how to constantly be aware of it and treat ourselves frequently.

It’s amazing how fragile our necks are, and how vulnerable they are to injury, yet for most of us we go through life with nothing more than a headache every now and then.

If you have had a car accident you may have suffered from whiplash, which causes horrific headaches, because the bones of your neck have been forced out of alignment. In many cases neck pain is either caused, or complicated, by tension in a muscle called Levator Scapulae.

As you see on the graphic to your left, the muscle originates on the first four cervical vertebrae, and inserts into your shoulder blade (the scapula).

When it contracts you lift your shoulder, making the nickname for this muscle be “the shrug muscle.”

Your brain goes into your spinal cord, and then your spinal cord passes through the center of the vertebrae all the way to the bottom of your spine.

However, when the muscle is in spasm (tied in a knot) it is pulling down on the cervical vertebrae at the very base of your skull. This pulls the bones to the side and down and pushes the bone into your spinal cord on the opposite side.

Frequently a client will come in with neck pain, or headache pain on one side, but I find the muscle tension on the opposite side.

Spasms in the levator scapulae muscle will also tilt your head to the side, and it can cause pain to your shoulder and down the upper/center part of your back.

Relief From Neck Pain

There are several effective ways to treat your neck and shoulders, the following are just two of them. I have written books that teach many more self-treatments in case you want to learn more.

Put a ball, preferably the Perfect Ball, on the very top of your shoulder.

Bend at your hips and put the ball on the corner of a wall, pressing the top of your shoulder into the ball. Then move up and down so the ball is rolling across the top of your shoulder, from the front toward the back of your shoulder.

The goal is to lengthen the Levator Scapulae muscle, so it takes the strain off your cervical vertebrae. The Perfect Ball is ideal for this task because it is solid in the center and soft on the outside, preventing bruising to your bone.

A second way of treating your shoulder muscle is to press your thumb into the “well” at the front of your shoulder, just above your collar bone.

And press your fingertips into the back of your shoulder, as shown in the picture to the left.

Deeply press your thumb into your fingers, tightly squeezing the thick piece of muscle that is between your thumb and fingers.

Then slowly drop your head in the opposite direction so you can stretch the muscle fibers.

You Can Help Yourself Relieve Pain Quickly

I’ve been helping people release pain since 1989, and back in the beginning I realized that the only way people stay out of pain is to either come to see me almost every day (not a great option!) or learn how to continue their therapy at home. That’s why I wrote my books, to help you help yourself on a regular basis.

Treat Yourself to Pain-Free Living has over 200 pictures, colorful charts to show you where you feel pain and where to treat to relieve it, and detailed explanations that explain how to treat painful muscles from your head to your feet.

Clear and easy to follow, people have told me they call it “their bible for finding solutions to pain.”

The 15 Minute Back Pain Solution has been written specifically to address the muscles that cause low back pain, sciatica, sacroiliac joint pain, and even knee pain.

Pictures and graphics, and detailed text will explain how to do each step.

If you have either carpal tunnel syndrome or trigger finger, you’ll want to get the Julstro System For Hand/Wrist Pain And Numbness.

A specialized tool was developed to enable you to get the proper strength and focus on the spasms that cause both these problems. The TotalTX tool also can be used for problems from your shoulders to your lower legs, and it’s all in the “how to” book included with the Julstro System.

Plus, with each one of these products you will receive a gift of a Julstro Perfect Ball (a $9.00 value) so you’ll have the tool to reach difficult spots, and to do all of the treatments taught in the books.

Wishing you well,

Julie