Jennifer

It is no surprise that combination of note taking, carrying a heavy backpack, and studying for hours bent over a desk can cause headaches, neck tension, and back pain. Add on the stress of moving away from home for the first time while also trying to stay on top of course work and there is a perfect recipe for a physically and mentally exhausted human being. School is tough and it most definitely affects the body and its muscles.

Studying or note taking can cause neck tension or headaches from the bent position your neck is in for long periods of time. Often, students get mid back pain or pain between the shoulder blades from being hunched over a lap top or desk for hours a day. Back packs can also cause the shoulders to roll forward and the chest muscles to get tight which can cause an increase of pain in the mid back and neck.

Although you may not be able to change your life style much as a student, there are small adjustments you can make to help relieve tension in these areas. Stretching the neck muscles and taking small breaks can help reduce tension and headaches that can be caused by staring at a screen or textbook. Make sure you get up and move around to help relieve muscle aches. Having your laptop sitting on a stack of books at eye level with a separate keyboard lower on the desk can also help with any muscle tension. Stretch your chest muscles out to help with mid back pain and make sure that you are wearing your back pack with the chest and waist clips done up; this can help relax your shoulder and prevent that constant back ache. Lastly, book a massage to help reduce stress and help further relax those achy muscles. Your body will thank you!

Understanding when to use heat or ice on an injury is an important part of rehabilitation. Acute, sub-acute, and chronic injuries are different stages of the body’s healing process that needs to be treated differently. Distinguishing what phase of healing you are in and what methods of hydrotherapy to use is important.

Acute injuries are new and generally the most painful. Immediately after an injury occurs, the healing process begins. The body is amazingly fast at repairing what is broken, however, it can sometimes use some help. Rest, ice, compression, and elevation of an injury is the most beneficial for acute injuries. Icing a sprained ankle can help reduce swelling. The body causes swelling for a few reasons: to increase the amount of white blood cells to the injured site for healing purposes and to reduce movement of the area to prevent further injury. Although white blood cells are needed to initiate healing in the body, too much swelling also causes pain and can prevent good blood circulation to the injured site which, in the end, actually slows down the healing process. This is why icing a swollen ankle can help your body heal faster.

The sub acute phase of healing is between acute and chronic. At this time, a lot of the swelling is gone, but the muscles surrounding the area of injury are beginning to feel tight and sore. This is the best time for contrast hydrotherapy. This is when you use ice and heat both to decrease the swelling further as well as improve the circulation to the area. To do this you apply ice first, switching to heat, ice again, heat afterwards, and ending with ice. This system also helps with relaxing the muscle tightness that might be present. Chronic injuries are older injuries that have not quite healed completely. These injuries tend to have developed scar tissue and a lot of tightness in the muscles while not having swelling present anymore. Most chronic injuries react well to heat treatment.

Remember to use heat and ice with caution. Ice should be used in five to ten minute time increments to prevent any tissue damage or frostbite. When applying heat, make sure that your skin is not being burnt and adjust the temperature of the device you are using accordingly. If you have a serious injury, seek out a medical doctor for advice to how to treat it properly.