Sue Falber VHT Practitioner

Something every woman in their 40’s needs to know ….

Perimenopause is a sequence of hormonal events and changes that lead to menopause. It’s a bit like puberty - but in reverse.

Before puberty, we have low oestrogen levels in childhood. Then comes the high and fluctuating oestrogen in the teen years (especially in comparison to progesterone).

Remember those teenage hormone fluctuations? Yep, that high and wildly fluctuating oestrogen was probably to blame.

Progesterone, however, remains low until regular cycles become established. Once our cycles have become stable, progesterone slowly increases.

Note that it is progesterone that keeps oestrogen in check. Without progesterone, our oestrogen is all over the place!

Then we have years of fairly stable, regular menstrual cycles. Our reproductive years.

Then comes perimenopause, the opposite of puberty. Progesterone is slowly lost, and as a result, we have high and fluctuating oestrogen again.

Remember that progesterone keeps oestrogen in check, so lack of progesterone causes oestrogen to play havoc.

Hence this time can feel like those teenage years all over again—tears, anger, frustration, and confusion.

But over time, oestrogen is slowly lost too, which leaves stable and low oestrogen levels during menopause (just like in childhood).

Now I need to point out, if you have no idea what is going on with your menstrual cycle then you need to be tracking. Especially in perimenopause. And especially tracking ovulation.

Because if you’re not, then it can be easy to miss the initially subtle changes that take place. It also means that you won’t have any information to take to your GP or therapist (should you need to).

So again, if you’re not, please start menstrual cycle tracking now!

Read more: https://www.sarahkeatesandrews.com/blog/im-too-young-for-this

Image by Lara Briden

Hurrah I have just done another Thing ! Successfully completed The Vagus Nerve Practitioner Course. My clients will know that I have been including some 'weird and wonderful woo woo stuff' in with my sessions and due to the fact that this woo woo stuff works and they feel lots better they accept it. I have now got even more stuff to share and can provide the scientific backing behind why the woo woo works 👍👍👍🤚🖐😽

We all lead busy hectic lives and often do not pay attention to those little ni**les that are telling us to slow down until one day it is too late and we have to stop as the little ni**le has turned into a bigger ni**le and we become incapacitated with the pain. Whilst I am speaking above of our physical ni**les the same can be said for the emotional ni**les - often the two are interlinked stress, metal anguish and anxiety can have physical symptoms as well but because we tend to be too much in our heads we tend to ignore the affect that that have on our body again until it is too late.
Take some time out for your self this weekend in the sunshine be it a quiet 10 minutes reading a book, going for a walk and noticing the signs of nature or just sitting quietly in the outdoors. Notice where your tension is in your body can you do anything to ease it - or should you be spending more time in getting those ni**les seen to before they become bigger issues.
I have appointments available for VHT sessions from the comfort of your own home - please get in touch to find out more.

1 hour for you ….

The thirst for knowledge and to keep on learning has been one of the key drivers in developing my skills as a VHT / Equine Touch and Canine Touch Practitioner. over the years for the benefit of my clients. Today I am up early and out on the road for a visit to Cambridgeshire for the Christmas VHT review and get together - a day which like many others will be full of fun and learning and of course wonderful food with the wonderful Jo Fernandes !

VHT: Vibromuscular Harmonisation Technique

What is it ?

🤚 VHT is a holistic, non-diagnostic discipline, consisting of a series of non-invasive gentle moves over connective soft tissue, which assists the body to attain the state of homeostasis wherein the body is encouraged to address any problems that it may have

🤚 As a body balancing modality, once an situation for self-address is reached the body may positively look upon any unwanted trauma, structure or disease with a view to correcting it.

🤚A postural integration modality in that after a session many clients notice the positive change in their posture.

🤚A myofascial release modality in that the moves are carried out over fascial meridian chains of the body.

🤚Also a trigger point release modality in that work is done over specific trigger points releasing the trauma in them although that is not the intent.

🤚 In VHT the practitioner takes a holistic approach by addressing the client without focus on the symptoms. The moves are gentle, and are performed in a prescribed pattern, irrespective of the clients’ complaints. Many report positive results on problems which were not the ones for which they had in fact had a session.

🤚 The VHT unique moves can be performed over loose clothing from the comfort of your own home.

Interested in booking a session then feel free to give me a shout.

I am a fully qualified, fully insured and DBS checked VHT Practitioner with over 10 years experience working with humans.

Having spent last weekend over in Northern Ireland at a VHT review working with fellow VHT Practitioners one of the highlighted issues that people are being affected with most at present are neck and shoulder issues - utilising a whole body holistic approach that works on the fascia the improvements after a full VHT session where amazing.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A HOLISTIC APPROACH

Your arms and hands are a key part of how you interact with the world around you. There are 2500 nerves endings in your fingertips, which allow you to perform complex tasks of fine motor control and to sense subtle changes in your environment. It can take something as simple as a paper cut to make you realise how important your hands are in everyday life.

Your hand, arm and elbow are influenced by the mobility of your shoulder and neck through their muscular relations and nerve supply. Alongside this, most of the muscles that control your grip, originate from your forearm and so it's important to understand the cause of any problem to ensure you receive a correct diagnosis and effective treatment.

Arm pain is commonly caused by the overuse conditions of tennis and golfer’s elbow, and nerve entrapments such as carpal tunnel syndrome and thoracic outlet syndrome.

The picture below represents what your massage therapist see in the anatomy books vs. the reality.

One breath at a time...

Sit with me, take my hand, and let's breathe together.

A nice long breath in... one, two, three, four.
And, hold it... one, two, three, four.
No, slowly release... one, two, three, four.

Now, let's close our eyes and take a good look around your "room."

"You mean my mind?" you ask.

Yes, you're in there a lot. Let's make it exactly how you want it to be. The perfect place to go when you're feeling like you need a break and to catch your breath.

Tell me what you see?

"... a big green velvet chair by a fire in a room full of books. There's a big window overlooking a quiet lake, surrounded by trees and rock."

What do you hear?

"... a loon calling, and the crackling of the fire."

Is there a chair for me?

"Yes, of course. And two cups of piping hot tea... and butter tarts..."

Lovely! Let's sit a while and take it all in.

One breath at a time.

Tell me... what do you see in your "room"?

***
Image text:
“We live inside our minds so much…” said Bear. “Make it as safe & nice & kind a place to be as possible.”

©Tara Shannon, 2021

Piriformis syndrome 1/3 ...several of my clients recently have experienced discomfort / sensitivity in their hip / buttock area which upon further palpation we have established is in the area of the piriformis ......hopefully this article and the two more below will explain in a bit more detail and give you a better understanding of the anatomy....

🔈 IT MAY NOT BE SCIATICA, THOUGH SYMPTOMS ARE ALMOST THE SAME.

The piriformis is a small muscle located deep in the buttock, behind the gluteus maximus. It runs diagonally from the lower spine to the upper surface of the femur, with the sciatic nerve running underneath or through the muscle. The piriformis muscle helps the hip rotate, turning the leg and foot outward.

As a result of overuse, injury, or strain, the piriformis muscle can tighten, swell, or spam. Sports that involve repetitive forward movement of the legs, or problems in surrounding joints like the sacroiliac joints are typical causes of piriformis syndrome.

The location of the piriformis muscle near the sciatic nerve means that when the piriformis muscle is irritated or injured, it can affect the sciatic nerve as well.

Symptoms of piriformis syndrome include tenderness and pain in the buttock area, accompanied by sciatica-like pain, numbness, and weakness that runs down the back of the thigh, calf, and foot. Pain from piriformis syndrome is often worse when walking up stairs, after sitting, or while walking or running.

Piriformis syndrome is often confused with other conditions, especially lumbar spine conditions. Attaining a proper diagnosis of piriformis syndrome is important when considering treatment for low back and leg pain.

Piriformis Muscle Self Release Ball Technique:

After finding the piriformis muscle place the release ball onto it. Then straighten the leg and lean over with your weight on the muscle and roll onto it. Roll slowly back and forth on the ball finding that Sweet Spot. Continue rolling for about 2-3 minutes and then switch over to the other side doing 2-3 sets.

More on the Piriformis. 3/3

IT MAY NOT BE SCIATICA, THOUGH SYMPTOMS ARE ALMOST THE SAME.

The piriformis is a small muscle located deep in the buttock, behind the gluteus maximus. It runs diagonally from the lower spine to the upper surface of the femur, with the sciatic nerve running underneath or through the muscle. The piriformis muscle helps the hip rotate, turning the leg and foot outward.

As a result of overuse, injury, or strain, the piriformis muscle can tighten, swell, or spasm. Sports that involve repetitive forward movement of the legs, or problems in surrounding joints like the sacroiliac joints are typical causes of piriformis syndrome.

The location of the piriformis muscle near the sciatic nerve means that when the piriformis muscle is irritated or injured, it can affect the sciatic nerve as well.

Symptoms of piriformis syndrome include tenderness and pain in the buttock area, accompanied by sciatica-like pain, numbness, and weakness that runs down the back of the thigh, calf, and foot. Pain from piriformis syndrome is often worse when walking up stairs, after sitting, or while walking or running.

Piriformis syndrome is often confused with other conditions, especially lumbar spine conditions. Attaining a proper diagnosis of piriformis syndrome is important when considering treatment for low back and leg pain.
--
www.healthy-street.co.uk

Whilst I totally agree that HRT prescriptions should be free - I don't think this announcement is actually public knowledge - however it is a step in the right direction.
Anyone that is battling symptoms of the menopause and wants to get their life back on track does need to explore the HRT option and the website link below is full of some extremely useful factual and well researched information from Dr Louise Newson one of the leading Menopause Specialists in the UK - certainly worth quoting to your Dr who may well be lacking in knowledge on the subject.

HRT prescription prepayment certificate: what you need to know Menopausal women in England will save hundreds of pounds on HRT prescriptions when a prepayment certificate is introduced in April.

🙏

Very useful article for anyone who is experiencing problems sleeping with shoulder pain and how best to manage it…

How To Sleep With Shoulder Pain | Resilience Orthopedics Shoulder pain is an inconvenience in the day, but at night it becomes a nightmare! In this article we talk you through how to sleep with shoulder pain.

Excellent IETA webinar this evening from our head VHT Instructor Jo Fernandes as always lots to think about when working on the human body and the many dimensions that fascia has and is connected to.

Sue Falber VHT Practitioner updated their phone number.

Sue Falber VHT Practitioner updated their information in their About section.

Today I was personally reminded just how amazing and powerful VHT can be as a ‘wholistic’ modality. A brilliant morning spent with the lovely Jo Fernandes who is a constant wealth of knowledge and her endless quest on researching new techniques to help with fascia release and assist VHT Practitioners with their clients and issues that everyone is facing post lockdown. Trauma is not just physical but on an emotional level it can really effect us physically without us knowing it.
Thank you to Moira Richardson for expertly fixing my broken body which included my very locked up left shoulder - which I thought was presenting as an issue in my right shoulder and intercostals - (that’s compensation for you and one of the disadvantages of working with horses) I also had an wonky pelvis with left hip forward and right hip higher and a twist in my spine as well as other bits of me that had all gotten out of synch. Working with VHT and examining Tom Myres and his fascia anatomy chains helps us to be able to work on additional connected areas to help release areas which are extremely tight and painful making it a whole lot easier for the body that we work on. The additional neck procedures that got used today are amazing and really do help release the whole of the Superficial Back Line (see diagram) once we have addressed other key areas - so anyone with neck or shoulder issues you need to make an appointment with my couch for July !

Newly detailed nerve links between brain and other organs shape thoughts, memories, and feelings Studies of interoception challenge distinctions between disorders of the brain and body—and may hold clues to the basis of consciousness

Wishing all my clients health and happiness for the New Year ! Many thanks for all your continued support during 2021 which hasn't been an easy one for many. Looking forward to seeing you in 2022 and for those of you who feel they have to make New Years Resolutions and are struggling then why not simply be good to yourself !

Something to think about if you are stressing about the forthcoming holiday season ....

Thriving With Nature Thriving With Nature - a guide for everyone. Making the most of the UK's natural spaces for our mental health and wellbeing.

Brilliant VHT review day yesterday cannot believe it’s been 2 years since we got together in person! Lots to think about as there always is and so many more ideas to try with more new stuff promised for the spring 🙂👍🙂

Whilst many people suffer from lower back pain - upper back pain is less common ...

🔈WHAT IS T4 SYNDROME?

T4 syndrome, also known as Upper Thoracic Syndrome refers to the pain in the upper back and is a much under-recognized or diagnosed condition. The spinal cord is divided into 5 segments: Cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral and coccyx. The cervical segment has 7 segments (C1-C7), the thoracic has 12 segments (T1-T12), the lumbar has 5 segments (L1-L5), the sacral also has 5 segments which are fused (S1-S5), the coccyx has only 1 segment.

T4 syndrome typically indicates pain in the 4th vertebrae of the thoracic segment of the spine. T4 syndrome is 3-4 times more common in females than in males.

💡 The Typical Symptoms of T4 Syndrome or Upper Thoracic Syndrome Include:

➡️ Diffused pain in arms
➡️ Paraesthesia in whole arm or the fore-arm
➡️ Extreme hot or cold temperatures of hand
➡️ Heavy feeling in the upper extremities
➡️ Non-dermatomal pains or aches in the forearm or arm
➡️ A crushing or tight band like pain
➡️ Recurrent complain of discontinuous pain in and around the scapular region or posterior thoracic pain
➡️ Sensations like tingling of pins or needles or numbness of the arm.

💡 What Can Cause T4 Syndrome or Upper Thoracic Syndrome?

The reason for the development of T4 syndrome depends on injury to the T4 segment of the spinal cord due to repeated bending, arching, lifting or twisting type of movement thus causing injury to the facet joints in that area. It can also be caused due to poor posture like protruding the head forward while sitting or standing, and slouching. It is common in people with cervical lordosis or cervico-thoracic kyphosis.

Women are more prone to develop the syndrome due to their structural differences from men. As the breasts develop, there is an increase in the amount of weight in the frontal part and to maintain that many would bend a little forward. The heavier the breast, the chances are more to develop T4 syndrome in women.

Treatment for T4 Syndrome or Upper Thoracic Syndrome
The treatment of T4 Syndrome solely depends on physiotherapy. An experienced physiotherapist will provide manual therapy with an impairment based approach. The sessions would start with manual therapy and slowly would progress to home exercise. The sessions would include some or combinations of the following techniques:

➡️ Joint manipulation and mobilization of the thoracic and cervical spine
➡️ Soft tissue massage
➡️ Taping or bracing
➡️ Electrotherapy viz., ultrasound or laser
➡️ Dry needling
➡️ Training in Pilates
➡️ Postural correction
➡️ Stretching
➡️ Exercises for flexibility and stabilization of the core

I have a few VHT slots available locally from the comfort of your own home over the next few weeks give me a shout if interested.

A bit more interesting reading on the brain-body connection via that wonderful Vagus Nerve that we have been incorporating into our VHT sessions with clients and having some fantastic results.

Newly detailed nerve links between brain and other organs shape thoughts, memories, and feelings Studies of interoception challenge distinctions between disorders of the brain and body—and may hold clues to the basis of consciousness

Deep breath in. Deep breath out. You’re only human and it’s ok if life feels heavy right now

Image: www.hellohappee.com

Just another reason why Vibromuscular Harmonization technique can help you - being a holistic modality we work on the whole body and address not just what you think may be the issue (the victim) but also what may be causing the problem (the criminal).
It can be very frustrating waiting months for a physio referral for what you think is a neck problem to find after you finally get the appointment you then start to experience issues in your lower back or hips and you then have to wait for another referral for the issue you are now experiencing.
VHT works on the myofascia and balancing the whole body It is NOT massage - the move is unique and in three parts each part being recognised and processed by the body to help bring about the innate body's own healing response.

🔈 TIGHT HIP FLEXORS CAN GIVE YOU A HEADACHE

ℹ️ Can tight hip flexor muscles cause a headache? Certainly, tight myofascial tissue in one region of the body can cause pain and/or dysfunction locally, but as most manual therapists know, it can also cause pain and dysfunction elsewhere in the body. There are many ways that a problem in one region of the body can affect another distant region of the body, including myofascial meridian lines of tension and myofascial trigger point referral. But another way is through mechanical kinematic chains of myofascial pulls that result in postural distortion compensation patterns. So, with this in mind, let’s examine the kinematic chain of elements that can lead from tight hip flexor musculature to headaches.

💡 A kinematic chain of elements simply refers to the links in a chain that are interconnected that involve movement. So, for example, the movement of the lower extremity involves the following kinematic “links”: foot, leg, thigh, and pelvis. Similarly, the movement links of the upper extremity are the: hand, forearm, arm, and shoulder girdle. And the kinematic links of the axial body are the: pelvis, lumbar spine, thoracic spine, cervical spine, and head. The concept is that motion and posture at one link of the chain affects motion and posture at the other links along the chain.

So, here is how it is happening:

➡️ Tight hip flexor musculature causes excessive anterior tilt of the pelvis,
➡️ which causes hyperlordosis of the lumbar spine,
➡️ which causes hyperkyphosis of the thoracic spine,
➡️ which causes hypolordosis of the lower to middle cervical spine with hyperlordosis (hyperextension) of the head at the atlanto-occipital joint,
➡️ which causes forward head carriage,
➡️ which causes tight posterior neck muscles,
➡️ which causes a headache.

✔️ CONCLUSION

When working as a manual therapist, it is necessary not only have excellent hands-on skills, but also understand how the human body functions mechanically and learn to recognize patterns of mechanics and pathomechanics that travel through the body.

Just a little reminder to make sure you pause this weekend and enjoy the sunshine.....

📷
Your feelings are valid. Please, slow down and listen to those signs, as they can be critical. Feeling overwhelmed can be incredibly important - if we listen to that feeling or state, we might just avoid a severe burnout. So trust your feelings, slow down and listen - what does this overwhelm mean to you right now, and what can you do to feel a bit better? Please note - this refers to neurotypical overwhelm.

Image description: In the centre of an illustration with a white background is a worried orange round doodle. Above the doodle is black text which says: 'overwhelm'. Under the doodle is black text which says: 'Overwhelm is NOT a bad feeling, but it is a warning sign from your body that you need to slow down, rest, and take a break. Learn to recognise when you are starting to feel overwhelmed and use this feeling as a signal to pause. When you feel overwhelmed, reflect on what choices you can make next to make things easier to manage - how can you approach things so that you feel calmer and more in control?' The artist of this image is Laura Jane Illustrations

Pandemic Fatigue has been identified by the World Health Organisation and refers to a natural response to a prolonged global health crisis. Unsurprisingly this prolonged period is taking its toll on physical and mental health, with many saying they are feeling worn down by the year behind us and uncertain how the next few months are going to pan out

Tackling fatigue | Cytoplan blog As human beings we are designed to be awake and functioning for around two thirds of each 24-hour period. Each night we are likely to feel tired, from how we have used that time, and will want to sleep for around the other third.