Helmet pain and osteopathy
Riding on a motorcycle is a real pleasure. The feeling of freedom, adventure, and speed opens up to us.
But at any moment it can become a real pain in the neck with your hekk. But, why does my helmet hurt so much?!
When a motorcyclist is rolling along, it should be noted that he/she is carrying 1 to 2 kg on his/her head.
This is a weight that designers are trying to lower, but it still remains significant. So in order to protect the wonderful little thinking box from an accident, the cyclist must choose from a vast array of helmets.
Between full-face helmet, jet helmet and length-adjustable helmet, it’s hard to choose. Many criteria will affect the purchase: the use, the esthetics and the weight.
The different types of neck pain and who to consult
Mechanical neck pain
Comes on at the end of the day
Slight loosening in the morning
Present for certain movements and physical activities
An osteopath must be consulted
Inflammatory neck pain
Happens when at rest
Pain is present independent of area being used
Causes the patient to wake up in the night
A doctor must be consulted
After a road accident
Recurring headaches
Stress and depression
Persistent pain
A doctor and an osteopath must be consulted
Criteria for good helmet selection
- It should not hurt
- It should not compress the forehead
- The upper opening should be above the eyebrows
- It should secure the face, including the cheeks
- Hold the helmet tightly in your hands and try to move your head, it shouldn’t move more than a couple of millimeters
- You shouldn’t be able to fit your finger between your forehead and the helmet padding
How to decrease pain on your own ?
Warm-up
Repeat each of these movements ten times in order to warm-up well:
Stretching
Find this stretch and many others in a previously published article: Stretches and osteopathy
Strengthen
On your back:
Place your feet on the floor and lift your head. You will find yourself in a crunch position. Keep this position and nod your head YES and NO. Repeat at least ten times each.
On your side:
Lie comfortably on a side. Square your shoulders to lift the head off the ground. Roll your head left to right. Repeat the movement a dozen times and then roll onto your other side and repeat.
Visiting my osteopath
Osteopathy is a manual therapeutic approach to the patient as a whole. It treats the functional problems of the body by finding out their origin.
In this particular case, the neck will lose its physiological amplitude because of a collapsing of the vertebrae against one another that creates a hypomobility.
It will disturb the mechanical equilibrium of the body and creates musculoskeletal tension.
At the end of treatment, the osteopath repeats the active and passive tests in order to present the patient with the results of the consultation.
The patient should be able to notice the decrease in pain and/or the increase in amplitude of the zone.
In order to ensure that the body is perfectly stabilized, it is sometimes necessary for the patient to come for a second visit, even if the symptom disappeared after the first consultation.
Osteopathic Treatment Methods
SOFT TISSUE MANIPULATION
Soft tissue manipulation can be used in many different ways. This method is used to evaluate the condition of tissues, ease restrictions, help the body’s fluids (blood, lymph, etc.) flow smoothly and restore function.
Optimal neuro-vascular flow helps to reduce harmful fluid retention and allows the body’s immune system to work more effectively.
Throughout the treatment, Osteopathic Manual Practitioners will continuously check on the state of the body’s tissues. The goal is to gently guide the tissue back to health without over-treating.
CRANIAL OSTEOPATHY
As the gentlest osteopathic technique, Cranial Osteopathy is also one of the most significant.
It is used to assess and treat the mobility of the skull and its contents. It may also be used to assess and treat the spine, sacrum and other parts of the body. The goal of this technique is to adjust the body’s physiology by restoring balance and optimal neuro-vascular flow surrounding the Central Nervous System and all of its autonomic centers.
VISCERAL MANIPULATION
Visceral Manipulation is used to effectively treat organs and viscera of the body, including the lungs, heart, liver, spleen, kidneys, stomach, pancreas, intestines, the bladder and the uterus.
Osteopathic Manual Practitioners will gently move the structures themselves and the fascia that surrounds them to restore full movement.
Applied with gentle pressure, visceral manipulation corrections can improve the mobility of an organ, improve neuro-vascular flow surrounding the organ and ultimately help maximize organ function.
OSTEOPATHIC ARTICULAR TECHNIQUE
The osteopathic articular technique, involving gently moving two joint surfaces, is used to reduce muscle spasms, ease neurological irritations, assist in joint mobility and help reduce pain and discomfort.
It is a less forceful technique than joint manipulation.
Osteopathic Manual Practitioners will carefully prepare the soft tissues around the treatment area, positioning the patient so that there is minimal (if any) force needed to perform the maneuver.
