Did you know that pain does not necessarily come from where you feel it?
Pain experienced in the lower back or neck and shoulder may in fact have its origin in the spine. All muscles in the body are innervated by spinal nerves – so every muscle is linked to the area of the spine where its root nerve emerges.
If a tree’s roots are well-nourished and not cramped, its branches and leaves will be healthy, strong and flexible; similarly, if your spine has space between the vertebrae and your root nerves are not compressed by other tissues, the muscles they serve will be nourished, supple and balanced.
If there is an anomaly of the root nerves, however, because of a narrowing of the inter-vertebral spaces, there will be compression of the nerve root, and you will experience shortened muscles, pain in the body, weakness and tingling sensations. The muscle whose root nerve is compromised is like a leaf that can’t get enough nourishment because the tree’s root is cramped – both become small and pale.
Inter-vertebral compression can be caused by an injury to one or more vertebrae, repetitive stressing activities, or an imbalance in the interconnection of the vertebrae, and it results in both a shortening of the paraspinal muscles – the small muscles that connect to the vertebrae above and below – and compression of the nerve root.
What is the treatment like?
Treatment focuses on assessing the muscles involved in the pain pattern and identifying the corresponding root nerve in the spine. Using acupuncture, we activate the nerve root and access and relax the deep paraspinal muscles to open the intervertebral space and release the constricted nerve root.
Using massage, acupressure and movement, we soften and stretch the tissue and joints around the spine as well as the affected muscles, creating a real and sustainable change in the condition.
Pain or imbalance that originates not in the nerve root but in the muscle itself also benefits from this treatment – treating the nerve root causes a reset of the muscle innervation and initiates a healing process in the painful muscle.
My work is focused on addressing the root causes of your health challenges and empowering you to become and remain well through enhanced understanding and lifestyle modification.
Western medicine typically offers medication to temporarily suppress or alleviate symptoms of illness, both physical and mental. While allopathic care is certainly warranted for acute and life-threatening conditions, it fails to offer effective or lasting solutions to people with chronic stress-related issues like anxiety, insomnia, pain, and digestive disorders.
Such health problems are a message from our intuitive core that we need to change our current way of doing things. Learning how to thrive in your life starts with learning from your symptoms, not just pushing them away or judging them as negative. When we approach these matters mindfully, we can achieve true healing and genuine balance.
