Saturday, December 2, 2017

Ringing in the Ear / Tinnitus


Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the absence of an acoustic stimulus. It is more common in the elderly population yet it can occur in a person of any age. Unfortunately the cause is often not determined in every person.

The most common causes of tinnitus are noise-induced damage and age-related hearing loss. It is important to remember that tinnitus is not a disease but a symptom, and often serves as an important marker for other conditions. Causes include spine, cranial, or TMJ dysfunction, hyper - and hypo-tension, damaged or reduced circulation resulting in nerve damage, infection with resulting mucous, adrenal hypo-function, thiamine deficiency and food allergies /
sensitivities. People with an overactive thyroid, which leads to an increased heart rate, often suffer from tinnitus due to the consequent increased blood flow through the ears causing the ringing. Tinnitus is also one of the symptoms of Ménière's disease. Some people may experience tinnitus for a week or so after a cold or flu, this is annoying but usually subsides after the infection has gone.

There are a number of substances that can exacerbate tinnitus, due to their vasoconstriction properties. These include nicotine and caffeine. Clenching or grinding the teeth, a sign of increase stress, will often trigger ringing in the ears. Reducing stress and relieving TML dysfunction improves the tinnitus.

One of the theories for the mechanics of tinnitus suggests that damage to the fine hair cells of the inner ear from loud noise etc. causes them to remain in a constant state of irritation. Any type of stimulation of the auditory nerve is random and spontaneous instead of occurring as a direct consequence of sound wave transmitted to the inner ear.  These random electrical impulses are interpreted as noise, usually perceived as high-frequency ringing because the hair cells that are most frequently damaged respond in the high-frequency range.  The distress can be minimized by putting the person on an individualized nutritional protocol and by avoiding aggravating factors, such as nicotine and caffeine.


Reference: Weatherby, D. (2004). Signs and Symptoms Analysis from a Functional Perspective. Jacksonville, OR: Bear Mountain Publishing.

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Types of Bones According to Shape

There are many types of bones according to shape.

Long Bones
Long bones are longer than they are wide. Examples include: the bones of the limbs, except those of the wrist, hand, ankle, and foot (although the bones of the fingers and toes are effectively miniature long bones).

Short Bones
Short bones are generally cube-shaped. Examples include: the carpals bones in the wrist and tarsal bones in the ankle.

Flat Bones
Flat bones are thin, flattened bone and are frequently curved. Examples include: most of the skull bones, the ribs, and the sternum.

Irregular Bones
Irregular bones have complicated shapes. Examples include: some skull bones, the vertebra and the hip bones.

Sesamoid Bones
From the Latin, meaning 'shaped like a sesame seed'. Examples include: the patella (knee cap) and the pisiform bone of the wrist.



Reference: Walker, B. (2013). The Anatomy of Sports Injuries. Chichester, England. Lotus Publishing.

Neil Asher Advanced Trigger Point Techniques offers "The Anatomy of Sports Injuries" course, go here to check out what the course has to offer, along with other trigger point courses.

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

What are the Types of Muscle Contractions?

There are three different types of muscle contractions. A brief description follows for all three:


1. Isometric Muscle Contraction
An isometric muscle contraction occurs when the muscle contracts but does not change in length. An example would be of this is if you were holding a box or weight in front of you, and held stationary. The biceps muscle contracts but does not change in length because the body is not moving up or down


2. Concentric Muscle Contraction
A concentric muscle contraction occurs when the muscle contracts and shortens at the same time. An example would be of this is lifting the body up into a chin-up position. The biceps muscles contracts and shortens as the body is raised up to the chin-up bar.


3. Eccentric Muscle Contraction
An eccentric muscle contraction occurs when the muscle contracts and lengthens at the same time. Example: the biceps brachii muscle contracts eccentrically to enable controlling the arm while lowering an object. While the arm is lowering (getting longer), it is still contracting in order to control it.


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All these tips and more can be found in the course offered by Niel Asher Advanced Trigger Point Techniques called The Anatomy of Sports Injuries.  Very good course with lots of valuable information. Click here to review the details of this course and many others.