How Your Feet Can Cause Back Pain

One of the more common postural distortions is called, “Stooped Posture”.

This is a general term for a posture that primarily results in a pain that wraps around the lower and mid back but also includes compression of the disks in the lower (or, Lumbar) spine, very tight hamstrings and foot/ankle/knee problems.  In some cases, the head may also need to move forward (due to the abdominals pulling the ribcage downward); causing what is termed “forward head posture”.

Neuromuscular Therapy or, NMT, is a wonderful mode of Massage that aides the body in correcting its posture.  Basically, through targeting specific areas that are causing the postural distortion, NMT loosens the muscles and surrounding tissues, so that the body can move itself back into its proper alignment. 

Almost every person has something they could improve upon in their posture.  Such distortions can occur for a number of reasons such as the type of work they do, exercising improperly, non-ergonomic work stations (i.e.: computer desk/chair heights and angles) and even our emotions.  Emotions can cause us to distort our posture.  Such as, when we are nervous or sad, most people hold their arms around their stomach and curl inward.  Over time, without realizing this, their bodies become “locked” into this new posture.  Any of the above named factors can cause the body to “lock” into a postural distortion.  What results from this is a number of counter balancing acts throughout the body. 

The human body is set up in such a way to allow for it to move through gravity with the least resistance and proper balance.  If one side of the body is pushed forward, then the other side must move back to balance the body out.  Think of the body like a set of building blocks. 

You will find that a number of muscles contribute to locking the body into a “Stooped Position”.  We're going to focus on the torso and down. Muscles from the foot, ankle and the hamstrings of the thigh will pull together causing the knees to bend forward and the foot to be in a constant plantar-flexed position (standing on tip-toes). 

What we will find happens when the muscles on one side of the leg are constantly flexed; the other side is over lengthened.  When a muscle stretches too far, it becomes weak, and therefore painful.  So what will need to take place in this instance is that the locked down muscles in the back of the leg need to be released, so to allow the muscles on the front of the leg to heal and return to a neutral length. 

Tight hamstrings will pull on the pelvis, causing it to tilt to the rear of the body.  Once this occurs, the lower (Lumbar) spine (as seen below) will lose its natural curve, and could result in compression of the discs that lie between the vertebrae. The entire spine can eventually straighten, losing its flexibility and stiffening. 

When this happens, the abdominal muscles are given the chance to shorten and lock into the shortened position.  This over elongates the muscles of the back, just like in the legs.  So, pain will be felt in the back due to the over stretched and weak muscles. The muscle in the center of the abdomen, Rectus Abdominis’ main action is to bend (flex) the body at the waist, so allowing this muscle to tighten down harder than normal will definitely lead to overstretching those back muscles.  Most people will feel a strap-like pain across the low and mid back if the abdominals are involved.

____________________________________________________

                                                About the Author:

Lisa Rebaglia is a married mother of twin girls.  Her husband is a T 12 paraplegic, and is the reason she became a massage therapist in 2008.  She is a Licensed Massage Therapist in North Carolina #07809.  She is skilled in Neuromuscular Massage Therapy, Swedish, Reiki, Thai, Hot Stone, Chair, and Sports Massage.  Lisa takes an all-encompassing approach to massage, incorporating fitness, proper nutrition, and massage to allow the body to heal itself.  You can follow Lisa on Facebook, Check out her Company Facebook here, Follow on Twitter.

3 Tips for Moms of Twins Shopping for Kindergarten

Chances are that you think you are ready for Kindergarten. You've been thinking about getting your twins prepared academically and maybe even emotionally.. but you haven't received the dreaded SUPPLIES LIST!!

Okay, first thing, when you see it, do NOT panic!  Well, panic a little because we know all of this crap on the list is for ONE child, and we have 2!  Nothing like knowing you are about to drop half of your paycheck at the local Target or Walmart :)  So I am here to take a little load off of you and make you laugh too.




Tip #1: Look online at which store not only carries everything your children's new pretentious teacher has listed, but also has the best price for said items.  This is going to save you time and money, and headache. No one wants to be strolling around a store searching in vain for the "Primary Composition Journal" whilst the twins begin to smack one another inside the fabulous double seated red cart.  Especially when that fighting then knocks over the over priced but oh-so-delicious Skinny Hazlenut-accino you JUST ordered.

And what the hell is a Super Slider? And they seriously need 2 bottles of glue PLUS a 3 pack of jumbo glue sticks??? Really? I'm not droppin store names but <cough> Target<cough>.. did not have many of the things I needed on this god-forsaken list.... go get another awesome coffee.

Tip #2:

Try not to curse and say terrible things about the teacher who set forth the list as you scour the pencil section for those stupid fat pencils that your children haven't used in a year because you have been training them with normal sized pencils owing to the fact that they are easier to find AND THEY ARE NORMAL!  The last thing you want are your children walking into school on the first day of Kindergarten saying, "Hello Ms. Smith!  Our mommy says you are pretentious and need to understand that generic is just as good as Elmer's glue, and that if there is some sort of socialist movement happening in the classroom where the supplies she is buying are being shared, she is gonna cut somebody."  Nope, we don't want that.

Tip #3: Provide choices for your kids where you can, and where it is monetarily acceptable.  For instance, Backpacks/Book bags... let them choose one out of a group that you deem acceptable.  They are the ones who have to carry this thing around all year long... so let them have a say in what they are carrying okay?  Choose your battles, and they will be THRILLED that you let them choose this one. Another area to allow choice might be lunch bags, or pencil cases.  I know mine are thrilled with their Monster High and Ever After High bags!

In the end, what really sucks is when you know full well that even though you are paying taxes to support the schools, and your local "Education Lottery" is also funding the schools... you will have to provide things like Copy paper.  And you will wonder, if the teachers' salaries are the lowest in the country, and you are paying your taxes, and there is a lottery whose funds go to the education fund, why on earth are you having to supply them with copy paper (both plain and colored), paper towels, plates, Ziploc bags and on and on?

So I will give you a bonus tip:

BONUS TIP:  Unless you are willing and ready to start a crusade that you will most likely end up losing whilst making your child suffer socially, just let it go... chalk it up to one of life's suck-ass moments, and move on.  Pop a cork off of your favorite red wine, and raise your glass to no more Child Care costs, a chance to get real work done during the day (SAHMs and Working moms), and enjoy the rest of your summer.  Your kids are growing up, and the time with them is precious and short... so even in those moments when you want to tear your damn hair out... and maybe even theirs.. just remember that you love them, they love you, and everything is gonna be just fine.

Cheers! ~Lisa
Follow me on Twitter  ~ Friend me on Facebook  ~ Watch me on YouTube

5 Things They Don't Tell You About Raising Twins (or more)

Moms of multiples, gather round, and no I don't mean moms with 3 or more kids that were born as singletons.  No offense, because you certainly are no slacker, but this is stuff only moms of twins, triplets, quads, and "OH MY GOD HOW DID YOU FIT ALL OF THOSE INSIDE OF YOU" moms would truly understand..

#1 - For the first few months of their lives (if you chose to breastfeed- bless your heart), you will be a milk cow.  You will either have both children, or a machine perpetually suckling at your teats around the clock. Your husband will vie for some boob time, but seriously... the only thing you'll want to do when he grabs a hold of them is punch him in the face.  Simple say, "Dearest husband, unless you are actively helping with massage to help loosen my milk sacs because they feel like they are about to rupture and all I want to do is scream, RELEASE THE BOOBS!  You are restricted to gazing fondly until such time as I choose to stop this masochistic cycle of feeding and pumping."  And one other tip... place a stack of books next to your chosen milking station. I made it through at least 4 books per week.

#2 -  You know those leashes for children that you used to think were horribly degrading for the child upon which they were fastened? And you would look at the parents with the meanest stink eye you could muster?  Guess what??? You will be buying a couple when your babies start to walk/run and you want to walk through the mall/airport without the gigantic stroller that will never fit in a regular sized car or an airplane.  Yep, embrace the leash because when baby A decides that going left at full speed, while Baby B goes right at full speed, you'll wish you had something to reel them back in, or stop them in their tracks.  They have adorable stuffed animal ones that double as a back pack, so suck it up, and be THAT parent. We can't all have an entourage like Kate +8 or the rest of those reality moms of multiples.  And before you get all soap-boxy I am not talking about leashing your kids at the park.  Hold their hand you say, OH! Yep, I never thought of that. Let me know how well your twin 2 year olds abide the hand-holding when they suddenly see an entire store of DISNEY!

#3 - No matter how hard you try, there will come a time when each of your children throw the "you love _____ more than you love me" craptastic comment at you.  Understand that this is inevitable, and is simply a ploy for additional attention.  Unless you are showing favoritism toward one child.. in which case, you should listen, and rethink some things.  In case you didn't notice yet, I do not sugar coat!!  But hey, you love me right? ;-)  . In all seriousness, I will occasionally split up my twins, and one goes with Daddy for the day on a date, and one goes with me on a date.  That way they both have a moment where they are truly the center of attention, and they don't feel like they need to compete.


#4 - You will be faced with a "Buy 2 or 1" dilemma every single day until they are out of your home.  Buy 2 of the same dolls or 1 to share?  Buy 2 of the same dress, or 1 from 2 different styles?  Buy 2 T-Rexes or 1.  And we have not made it to the car age yet... but again.. they are both going to be driving at the SAME time, so do you buy 2 cars, or 1 that they can learn and share the driving?  Know this... whatever you do is what is right for your family.  DO NOT allow other people to tell you what you should or should not do.  Some kids are great with sharing, while others will start World War III if you say they have to share anything, including the oxygen around them.  Choose your battles, and know your financial limits. that is all I am sayin.

#5 - You will have to make a lot of tough decisions with multiples.  Keep them in the same class room when they start school?  Keep them together until the school splits them up?  Put both of them in the same activity or let them both choose different ones?  Having 2 kids at the same age going through the same things at the same time is a blessing and a curse.  It is NOT the same as having 2 children of differing ages.

Get ready to answer several irritating questions every day.

I will also add that you will have 2 teething at the same time, potentially 2 colic babies at the same time, 2 sick babies at the same time, 2 tantrums to end all tantrums at the same time, feeding baby food to 2 at the same time.  You will amaze yourself at what one or 2 people can accomplish when working as a united front.  I have 3 pieces of advice for you Moms of multiples:
1. Be kind to your spouse... they are your only ally
2. Be kind to your spouse... they are your only ally
3. Be kind to your spouse... they are your only ally



Get it? Got it? Good!

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter, Friend me on Facebook, and Subscribe to my blog!

The Good Things - stuff I want my kids to know

Recently I made a post on my Fitness and Motivation page on Facebook.  It was an article I found on buzzfeed entitled, "32 Pictures The Will Change The Way You See The World".  In one article you see 32 instances of people doing good things, positive things, selfless things... in essence, things that make up the best parts of humans.

Impromptu Christmas for a Homeless man. from above mentioned Buzzfeed Article

I wake up everyday and my first thought is, "Take care of the family, then take care of me".  And after everyone is at school/work I read about 1 chapter of something positive every morning, or listen to an audio every morning that uplifts me.  Because, I know that when I sit down in front of the computer, and scan Facebook I'm going to see a ton of sad stories, tragic news stories, angry posts, and in a nutshell... all of the things that make up the negative side of humans. Why do I scan Facebook?  Well, because a LARGE part of my home businesses are run through social media.  So I have to get on it every day.  Every single day I reach out to people and hope that I can help them in some way.  Be it, a book, or a kind word, or helping them find their fitness, or maybe even gifting them their own business.  And certainly I hear a myriad of feedback... but I never let it stop me from spreading the positive.  Haters gonna hate right?

I shared that article to remind people that there is good in this world.  I shared it to remind people that being a good person is as easy as saying hello, shaking a hand, taking time to help a stranger, looking out for your fellow man, because it is RARE, and it damn well shouldn't be.  We should be celebrating the good.  We should be "Sharing" the status' that call to action for something positive.  We should be sharing double rainbows, and soldier homecomings, and children's attempts to make us smile.  I'm going to ask a favor.  If you are a parent, like me, I want you to take a moment and make a post on your page about something good in this world.  Take a break from all the political bashing, the gun law stuff, the MEMEs that make fun of others, and post something positive.  Post a link to your Facebook or Twitter post in the comments below.  And everyone that reads this... follow those links and click LIKE/SHARE and bring some more love to the world of Social Media.

Our kids deserve a better example.  They are innately good, and innocent. They see the good in everything, and accept everyone.  We teach them to hate. We teach them to call to notice differences in skin/sexuality/faith.  If people would stop preaching their own agendas for 5 seconds to the children of this world... there would be a hell of a lot more acceptance and peace.  Let's set a good example. Let's share love.  Will you accept this challenge? And add the hashtag #ForOurFuture in your posts.