Stress in professional or private life can lead to serious illnesses in the long run, and those affected may be restricted in their everyday life for a long time. In the following article the causes and treatment options are presented and physiotherapeutic measures are discussed.
Common causes
Depression and burnout are now among the most common diseases. Burnout is usually caused by too much stress in private or professional life. Overtaxing tasks, bad mood at work, mobbing or too many tasks to be done are usually the triggers.
Sleep disorders, inner restlessness, concentration problems and tiredness are the classic symptoms of too much stress. If you ignore the symptoms for too long, you slip into a burnout syndrome, which usually shows itself through a psychological hole. Lack of motivation, listlessness, permanent bad feeling, insomnia, inner restlessness, stomach pain or intestinal problems are usually the symptoms that show up in the phase of burnout. It is important to take early action against the stress. In addition, you should seek a compensatory activity that can distract or relax you.
Methods from physiotherapy for relaxation
Methods from physiotherapy for relaxation are very diverse and depend on the individual complaints of the patients. A majority of patients come with severe tension in the shoulder-neck area. This is mainly due to office work with a one-sided posture at the desk.
The shoulders are often pulled up. This results in increased tone in the area of the trapezius muscle, rhomboid muscle and the short neck muscles. If the patients come with a massage prescription, the tonus can be minimized somewhat by the massage grips, but the triggering factors are not eliminated.
Side symptoms, such as sleep disorders, intestinal problems and inner restlessness cannot be permanently eliminated by this. In this sense, the massage would not help in the long term, since the actual problems are anchored in the head. It is therefore more important to create an awareness so that the patient himself notices that he cannot continue with the stress.
Besides the relaxation of the muscles, it is also important to look at the statics of the cervical spine. If there are blockages or malpositions, it can increase the tone and cause headaches and dizziness, which worsens the patient’s general condition.
- In the supine position, the cervical spine is examined and checked for malpositions.
If blockages are present, they are carefully released and the cervical spine is mobilized.
- Cranio Sacral Therapy, which is a part of osteopathy, but is also used by physiotherapists, also helps to relax. The examination refers to a movement that takes place in the skull, during which the patient’s stress level can be determined by the rhythm that can be felt. The patient lies on his back, there are no conversations so that the treatment can work.
The therapist puts his hands on the skull and feels. Certain techniques are performed, which all take place on the head. In addition, the sutures of the head are “mobilized”, which minimizes the tension on the skull.
Usually the patients are very tired after the treatment and a midday rest is recommended afterwards.
- Patients who tend to be hypotensive, i.e. who have a rather flabby muscle tone, should be treated more actively in physiotherapy. Simple sports exercises, which should be included more often in everyday life, can help. Jacobsen relaxation techniques, autogenic training, yoga and Pilates can be included in the therapy session and often work very well as relaxation techniques. Talking to patients is also very important, as they usually feel misunderstood by doctors or even family members.
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