Reflexive Performance Reset

Slipped disc – causes and treatment options

by with No Comment ChiropracticPhysiotherapy

The term “herniated disc” is often used to describe permanent stabbing pain in the lumbar region. In fact, it stands for the wear and tear of the mass consisting of cartilage and connective tissue between the vertebral bodies and the associated pain in the lower back.

Lack of exercise, poor posture, overweight or too weak abdominal and back muscles are among the most common causes of incorrect loading of the intervertebral discs. The result: increased wear and tear of the fragile outer structure of the intervertebral disc.

As a result, the outer ring of the intervertebral disc becomes brittle and tears when subjected to frequent and above all incorrect loading. The inside of the disc, a gelatinous mass, emerges and can press on the nerves in the back. This pressure in turn leads to severe pain and often to paralysis.

When pain no longer goes away, it becomes a burden. They restrict our everyday life and slow us down – at work and in our leisure time. We at American PT can work preventively on your back and trunk muscles to prevent a herniated disc or accompany you after a disc surgery with physiotherapy.

Through preventative exercises and applications in the field of physiotherapy and physiotherapy, chiropractic, dry needling or other curative practical procedures, we can restore the functionality of your body and thus give you back a piece of vitality and well-being.

Do you have questions about our services or would you like to make an appointment? Please feel free to call us!

Yours Michael Boettcher

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It all starts with mobility

by with No Comment Personal Training ENPhysiotherapy

Were you ever in the situation where you have back pain, visit your doctor and he tells you that you should work on the stability and strength in your back? The statement, however, only represents one side of the medal. A significant factor that can cause back pain is lack of mobility.

But what exactly do doctors, physiotherapists and sports scientists mean when they talk about mobility? In their Handbook of Training Theory (Hoffmann, 1993), Martin, D., Carl, K. & Lehnertz, K. wrote “Mobility is the ability to perform movements in a random and targeted manner with the required or optimal range of movement of the joints involved”.

In order for the musculoskeletal system to work properly, there must therefore be a minimum degree of mobility. Restrictions in mobility, on the other hand, lead to faulty signals to the central nervous system. This, in turn, affects stability and causes tension in the muscles.

Restricted mobility can have local effects or have an effect elsewhere. An example: If mobility is restricted in the ankle joint, this can lead to instability in the neck and associated tension.

In the anamnesis before treatment begins, we at American PT first try to find out whether it is a stability or mobility problem. Using the fascial roller and the fascial ball, we first release the tension in the muscle chains and then work on mobility with corrective exercises. These treatments not only help with tension, but also have a long-term effect on posture, movement sequences and energy.

If you have any questions about mobility or would like to make an appointment, please call us!

Yours Michael Boettcher

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Dry needling – treating pain with needles

by with No Comment ChiropracticDry Needling ENPhysiotherapy

In our private practice for physiotherapy, we use healing techniques to bring your body into balance in a natural way and free you from pain. Today we would like to introduce the application of Dry Needling to you.

Dry Needling is a form of trigger point therapy in which mainly myofascial points and fasciae are treated. Similar to Chinese acupuncture, Dry Needling uses sterile acupuncture needles to address trigger points in the muscle or musculoskeletal system to release tension and relieve pain. There are two forms of dry needling: intramuscular stimulation (IMS) and superficial dry needling.

In intramuscular stimulation, a sterile needle is inserted directly into the trigger point. This process initially triggers a tension reaction in the muscle, which is often perceived as beneficial. By placing the needles in the myofascial trigger point, the oxygen supply is stimulated and the blood flow in the affected muscle groups is improved. If the tense area shows inflammation or adhesions, these are inhibited by the dry needling application or disappear completely.

In the superficial treatment of pain in the musculoskeletal system, the dry needle is placed diagonally above the trigger point with a puncture depth of 3-4 mm under the skin. This is where the central nervous system comes into play. The superficial puncture triggers various mechanisms in the brain and spinal cord that contribute to pain relief and healing of the affected area.

Which Dry Needling technique is the right one for you depends on many factors, which we will clarify in advance in an anamnesis consultation.

 

Yours Michael Boettcher

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Homeoffice – risks and side effects

by with No Comment OsteopathyPersonal Training ENPhysiotherapyRegeneration EN

Due to the ongoing pandemic, more and more people are being forced to work from home, but not everyone has an ergonomic workplace available. People often work at the kitchen table or on the sofa and often lack the time or motivation for compensatory movement after work or during breaks. Especially in the dark season, when it is already dark outside after work, many people find it difficult to get enthusiastic about exercise and sports. Instead, they make themselves comfortable on the sofa with a bag of chips.

From a medical point of view, these factors can in the long term promote physical complaints such as tension in the neck and shoulder area and headaches or lead to pathological obesity and associated chronic cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, lack of exercise and an ergonomically inappropriate sitting position can increase the potential for musculoskeletal disorders. Through a prophylactic posture, the respiratory muscles tense up, breathing becomes shallower, we feel tired and exhausted and have difficulty concentrating.

Anyone who wants to prevent this should therefore provide for compensatory exercise in their free time. True to the motto “if you rest, you rust”, even small units of one hour per week can provide sufficient mobilization and relaxation. In our practice for physiotherapy and personal training, we offer not only classic physiotherapeutic applications but also an extensive portfolio of holistic training with a focus on joint-sparing movement sequences and medical muscle building.

We recognize and treat dysfunctions so that you can work in your home office in a relaxed and pain-free manner. Say goodbye to pain and make an appointment today.

Your Michael Boettcher Continue Reading

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Massage – using pressure against pain

by with No Comment OsteopathyPhysiotherapyRegeneration EN

Many of our patients come to our practice with muscle tension and pain resulting from it. Massages can help in this case. It is not without reason that massages are among the oldest known therapeutic treatments: The pressure on or rubbing over the tense area influences the tense condition of the muscles and fasciae, promotes blood circulation and relieves pain.

In our practice for physiotherapy we offer the following massage techniques:

  • Traditional massage: relaxes muscles, improves blood circulation, stimulates metabolism, relieves pain, improves posture and helps restore physical balance
  • Leg massage for runners: Improves performance and efficiency, prevents fatigue injuries, increases running speed, reduces muscle soreness after the run and accelerates recovery time and regeneration
  • Fascial massage: loosens the fasciae (connective tissue) so that the body is not pulled into a bad posture, reduces pulling and radiating pain, improves mobility, reduces muscle tension, positively influences the musculoskeletal system
  • Lymphatic drainage: Helps to remove swelling and water retention, improves mobility by reducing joint swelling, reduces recurrent spinal blockages, activates the autonomic nervous system, promotes regeneration

Conclusion: Massages can be helpful for a variety of muscle or joint pains and in the best case are performed by a trained physiotherapist. With the help of these techniques we can free you from pain, treat or prevent injuries and correct your posture – for a life full of mobility and without pain.

Yours Michael Boettcher

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Neck pain – causes and treatment options

by with No Comment ChiropracticOsteopathyPhysiotherapyRegeneration EN

The most common cause of neck pain is tension in the neck/shoulder area. These are usually caused by monotonous movements or an incorrect sitting position at the workplace. Especially in the home office, people do not pay attention to their sitting position, because not everyone has a fully equipped workroom. People often work at the kitchen table or on the sofa, which can lead to permanent incorrect strain on the spine and thus to pain.

What types of neck pain are known to occur?

If the pain is caused by tension that is not based on injury or pathologically changes in the vertebral bodies, it is called non-specific pain. Those are often caused by lack of movement, incorrect sitting posture in an office chair, shallow breathing or overweight. If the pain is the result of an injury or surgery, it is considered to be a specific pain, since the cause can be precisely determined: We adopt a relieving posture and the body tries to avoid movement and the pain that comes with it.

What other factors can contribute to neck pain?

Tension in the neck and shoulder area and resultant muscle hardening can also be favored by the following factors: monotonous movement patterns at work, shallow breathing, psychological factors such as stress and anxiety, posture problems or insufficiently trained neck muscles. The joints are stressed incorrectly or too much, we feel uncomfortable, flabby and have pain. The diaphragm remains largely inactive, the respiratory muscles are put under much greater strain, the muscles in the neck tense up and pain occurs.

How can neck pain be treated?

In our physiotherapy practice we offer various treatment options for neck pain. Starting with classic physiotherapeutic applications such as massages and manual therapy, dry needling, functional training, muscle building in the neck and shoulder area or physiotherapy on the machine. We accelerate the healing process and restore the mobility and stability of your musculoskeletal system so that you can live permanently pain-free and without tension.

Yours Michael Boettcher

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Chiropractic – Healing through adjustment

by with No Comment Chiropractic

Chiropractic is an alternative medical treatment method in which joint blockages are released with special techniques. The aim is to find and eliminate functional disorders of the musculoskeletal system in order to relieve pain and restore normal mobility. A positive side effect of the treatment is that the pressure on the nerve tracts is reduced, thereby activating the body’s self-healing powers. In our practice we offer various chiropractic treatments and would like to give you a brief overview of them today.

What does chiropractic mean?

The term chiropractic is composed of the Greek words “chiero” for hand and “practice” for action. This method of treatment was invented in the 19th century by Daniel David Palmer, who argued that various illnesses were caused by a malposition of the vertebral joints and could therefore be cured by a targeted correction of the malposition.

What does the chiropractor do?

First I look at your medical history and examine you thoroughly to determine the origin of the dysfunction. I particularly pay attention to your spine. Pain and blockages are often caused by the malposition of one vertebral body in relation to the adjacent vertebrae. These malpositions can be caused by incorrect posture, lack of movement and accidents. If muscles or tendons are affected, we can stretch them specifically or make them more flexible again with massages.

What is done during a chiropractic application?

Once the medical history is complete, we can begin treatment. There are several possible applications. During the adjustment, I guide your affected joints or vertebral bodies into a certain position with special handles and without much effort. A loud cracking sound is often audible during this process. In order to free you from this pain permanently, this procedure has to be repeated in several sessions. Mobilisation improves the mobility of your joints by moving the joint parts against each other and stretching them in different directions. Through stretching exercises and relaxation techniques, we can lengthen the surrounding muscles so that they can adapt well to the new position of the joint.

What happens after the treatment?

Once the blockages have been completely released, the stability of your musculoskeletal system is affected. With joint-protective exercises from the physiotherapeutic program, we stabilize your spine and prevent future imbalances. The combination of chiropractic application and subsequent muscle building enables you to live permanently pain-free and feel fit and agile again.

Are you interested in a treatment by a qualified chiropractor? Give us a call!

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The power of breathing

by with No Comment Altitude TrainingRegeneration EN

Many of our patients come to us with back pain. These often occur in the shoulder/neck area or the lower back. The pain is usually triggered by tension or blockages. As a result, they suffer from headaches, loss of concentration, lack of drive and general loss of performance.

In order to release tension and relieve pain, we use various practical healing methods in our practice. However, one important factor should not remain unrecognized: breathing. If breathing becomes overly superficial, the diaphragm remains inactive and the respiratory muscles are put under much greater pressure.

These muscles are basically the assistant to the diaphragm and consist, among others, of muscles in the front neck and chest area and the so-called back extensor muscle. The respiratory assist muscles perform the main part of the respiratory movement. Permanent strain on these muscle groups due to stress, poor posture or lack of movement causes them to tense up.

That is why we also focus on effective breathing when treating pain. Through focused breathing exercises we can reduce stress, encourage muscle regeneration and improve general mobility. In long-term this means more freedom of movement, calmness, quality of life and less pain. To learn more about the power of breathing, book an appointment with us.

Yours Michael Boettcher