Body Balance Massage

Come see Bre in June! Text/Call 563-334-2033

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563-334-2033
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Get in to see Bre Harpole, LMT in April for a facial massage! Half off when you book a 90 minute massage with her! Call/text 563-334-2033 to get on her schedule.

Tennis elbow from typing? Here’s how that can happen and what to do about it. We can also treat this injury in the clinic with great success. Call/text 563-334-2033 to get an appointment!

The Keyboard Claw: Why Typing is Tearing Your Elbow 🛑⌨️

Do you spend 8 hours a day typing at a computer or aggressively clicking a mouse, only to develop a deep, burning ache right on the outside bony bump of your elbow? Does it suddenly feel excruciatingly painful to lift a coffee mug, turn a doorknob, or shake someone's hand?

Most office workers are shocked when a doctor diagnoses them with "Tennis Elbow," especially since they haven't touched a tennis racket in their lives! But you don't need to play sports to destroy this joint. You are subjecting your forearm tendons to a massive, non-stop isometric tug-of-war. Welcome to Lateral Epicondylitis. Let’s dive deeply into the elite 3D anatomical map above to witness the micro-tearing happening in your arm.

The Anatomy: The Extensor Cables
Running along the top of your forearm are thick muscles (the Extensors) that lift your wrist and fingers upward. All of these powerful muscles merge into one single, highly stressed tendon that anchors directly onto the sharp bony bump on the outside of your elbow (the Lateral Epicondyle).

[Getty Images: Lateral view of the forearm musculature highlighting the extensor carpi radialis brevis and its origin at the lateral epicondyle]

The Biomechanics of the Glitch
When you type on a keyboard or hold a mouse, you naturally c**k your wrists slightly UPWARD so your fingers can hover over the keys. To hold your heavy hands in this elevated "claw" position for hours, those forearm muscles must lock into a violent, non-stop isometric contraction. The massive green tension arrow represents this brutal, relentless pulling force.

The Consequence: The Anchor Rip
Your forearm muscles never get a single second of rest! The continuous, exhausting tension travels straight up the muscle and dumps 100% of its force directly onto that single tendon anchor at the elbow. Over months of typing, this tendon is pulled so violently that it actively begins to fray and micro-tear off the bone (the vibrant glowing red and white zone)! The sharp, burning pain when you lift a coffee mug is your frayed tendon literally ripping further away from your skeleton!

[Shutterstock: High-definition 3D microscopic rendering showing collagen degradation, micro-tearing, and severe fibroblast inflammation at a tendon-bone junction]

How to Break the Cycle

Drop the Keyboard Legs: Flat is better! Flip your keyboard over and push those little kickstand legs down. A completely flat keyboard forces you to keep your wrists perfectly neutral, instantly shutting off the green arrow of exhausting tension.

The "Wrist Flexor" Stretch: You must loosen the tight cables! Hold your arm straight out, point your fingers down to the floor, and use your other hand to gently pull your hand toward your body. Hold for 30 seconds to physically stretch the burning extensor muscles.

The Rubber Band Drill: Put a thick rubber band around the outside of all five fingers and slowly open your hand against the resistance. This strengthens the opposing muscles and pumps healing blood into the torn elbow tendon.

Save this crucial structural breakdown to save your elbows, and tag a desk worker! 👇

APRIL SPECIAL!!

Come enjoy a facial massage with Bre Harpole, LMT.
Call/text 563-334-2033

*Pair it with a 90 minute massage and the facial massage is 50% off!

The Body Balance Facial Massage has 9 comprehensive steps:

1. Cleanse - Remove impurities from the surface of your facial skin, neck and décolleté

2. Exfoliate - Eliminate dead skin cells to reveal a smoother texture and prepare the face, neck and décolleté for light therapy

3. Professional Light Therapy

Red: The anti-aging & healing properties of red light therapy stimulate collagen & elastin production for firmer, smoother skin. Reduces the appearance of fine lines & wrinkles. Improves circulation for a healthier glow. Speeds wound healing & tissue repair. Reduces inflammation & redness.

Blue: Kills acne-causing bacteria for fewer breakouts. Helps regulate oil production. Soothes irritated or inflamed skin. Can reduce the appearance of pores over time.

Yellow: Boosts oxygen supply to skin cells for a radiant, refreshed look. Improves skin tone & reduces dullness. Reduces redness & irritation. Supports lymphatic flow for decreased puffiness/swelling. Promotes an even complexion.

4. Mask - Lightweight oil-free hydration. Revitalizes tired or stressed skin. Calms irritation & redness. Tones & tightens.

5. Deep Muscle Work - Lifts & tones facial muscles

6. Lymphatic Drainage - Reduces puffiness & swelling, aids in cellular detox, reduces sinus pressure, inceases circulation

7. Gua Sha & Cryoglobes - Sculpts the face, boosts skin recovery

8. Moisturize - Supports skin barrier, protects against environmental stressors, improves elasticity, prevents dryness

9. Scalp Massage - Increased circulation and tension relief with relaxation and calmed nervous system

We use and sell only Ilike Organic Skin Care Products

Call/text 563-334-2033 to get on Bre's schedule!

First, there was text neck and now cellphone elbow. Basically, any repetitive motion you are doing everyday can cause issues with your body. We can help. Text/Call 563-334-2033 to get on the schedule.

The Cellphone Elbow: Why Your Pinky Finger Goes Numb 🛑📱

Do you spend hours scrolling on your phone in bed, or holding it up to your ear during long calls? Have you started to notice a bizarre, electrical tingling, burning, or complete numbness exclusively in your pinky finger and the ring finger next to it? Does your grip suddenly feel weak when you try to open a water bottle?

Most people panic, assume they are getting Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and start wearing wrist braces. But if the numbness is strictly isolated to your pinky and ring finger, your wrist is completely innocent. You are actively strangling a major neurological cable on the opposite end of your arm. Welcome to Cubital Tunnel Syndrome (Cellphone Elbow). Let’s look at the elite 3D anatomical map above to witness the physical trap you are creating while scrolling.

The Anatomy: The "Funny Bone" Cable
Running from your neck all the way down to your pinky finger is a massive electrical cable called the Ulnar Nerve. To get to your hand, this cable has to travel through a very tight, narrow biological tunnel directly behind the sharp bone on the inside of your elbow (the Medial Epicondyle). This exposed nerve is what you hit when you strike your "funny bone."

The Biomechanics of the Glitch
When you hold your phone up to your face, or lie in bed with your phone resting on your chest (the Action Pose above), you are forcing your elbow into extreme, acute hyper-flexion. You lock the joint completely closed for hours at a time. The green arrow represents this violent, sustained pulling force.

The Consequence: The Neurological Strangulation
Because the yellow nerve has to wrap around the back of the elbow joint, keeping your arm sharply bent pulls that nerve incredibly tight! It violently stretches the raw yellow cable directly against the hard, sharp white bone of your elbow. The glowing red and white friction zone is your nerve physically fraying and suffocating under the extreme tension. The blood supply is literally cut off! The numbness in your pinky is your nervous system screaming for oxygen because you are strangling the cable at the elbow!

How to Break the Cycle

The 90-Degree Rule: Stop scrolling with your elbows completely bent! Keep your arms as straight as possible, or rest the phone on a stand so your elbow never bends past 90 degrees.

The Towel Splint: People curl their arms up like T-Rexes when they sleep, worsening the nerve crush! Wrap a rolled-up towel loosely around your elbow at night with medical tape to physically stop the arm from bending while you sleep.

Nerve Gliding: Do not forcefully stretch the arm! Straighten your arm out to your side, palm facing up, and gently tilt your head away from the arm, then bring it back. This smoothly "flosses" the trapped nerve through the swollen elbow tunnel.

Save this elite structural breakdown to save your hands, and tag someone addicted to their phone! 👇