It’s mouthful, yes, but you use this muscle everyday when you raise your eyebrows. You might do this when you are surprised or frightened. Boo!

The front part of this muscle starts under the skin where your eyebrows are located. It then travels back to the top of the head, blending into a layer of thick connective tissue which then blends into the back (occipital) portion of the muscle. This portion rests at the occipital ridge, the bony part of the skull where the neck starts.

The occipitofrontalis is one of thirty mimetic muscles – muscles that express emotion. Prolonged stress, concentration, or fear can exhaust this muscle.

Tension can set up trigger points which can cause headaches and eye pain. It’s easy to access this muscle to massage it; you probably do it often without even realizing.

In this depiction by Primal Pictures you can see the frontal and occipital bellies, but not the connecting tissue. The muscle belly at the side of the skull is the temporalis muscle.

In this rendering by Primal Pictures, the gemellus may be difficult to locate. The muscle at the top (it’s cut off by the border) is the quadratus lumborum. Below that angling diagonally toward the hip bone is the piriformis. Below the piriformis, laying almost horizontally, is the gemellus.

The gemellus, along with the piriformis, are part of the “deep six”, a group of hip muscles responsible for external rotation. If you can kick a soccer ball with the inside part of your foot it’s because you can externally rotate your hip. Sitting cross legged also requires the strength to externally rotate. (It also requires flexibility in the adductors, another topic.)

Trigger points that develop in the gemellus can be expected to behave like trigger points in the piriformis. Hip pain and a pain in the butt would be common. Lost range of motion (hip rotation) could follow if treatment was incomplete. In order for a massage therapist to access the gemellus, she’ll have to work through the gluteus maximus, a large muscle that lays superfically on top of the deep six.

One of my clients and owner of DL Cohen Information Services, was the one to first introduce me to the Archimedes Movement, founded by Dr. John Kitzhaber. She recently returned from an Archimedes sponsored visit to our representatives in Salem. Here are some of her notes:

“Archimedes is the group I went to Salem with on the 26th [March]. John Kitzhaber started it. The head is speaking at Central Library on April 14th. Note below that PCC TV (Channel 30) is also broadcasting the presentation live.

Reframing the Health Care Debate
Tuesday, April 14, 7:00 pm
Board Room, Multnomah County Building, 501 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland
Guest Speakers: Liz Baxter, Executive Director, The Archimedes Movement

Liz Baxter, Executive Director of The Archimedes Movement, will discuss the crisis in the U.S. health care system on April 14th at 7pm. The event will be held in the Board Room of the Multnomah County Building, 501 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland. The event is free, and the public is invited to attend.

Oregon has one of the fastest growing rates of the uninsured in the nation. Health care premiums continue to rise sharply. The cost of healthcare in the U.S. is twice that of other countries yet the quality of care and the outcome is frequently less. The discussion is aimed at finding a solution that invests in our health and
guarantees all families affordable, quality health care in Oregon.

Liz Baxter joined forces with Governor Kitzhaber in October 2005, working with him to launch the Archimedes Movement with the goal of finding solutions to common problems facing Oregonians. (www.WeCanDoBetter.org). Their current focus is on the crisis in the U.S. health care system.

Portland Community Media will broadcast the discussion on Channel 30 live on Tuesday, April 14, at 7 p.m. Repeat broadcasts will be aired on Channel 30 on:
Tuesday, April 21, 7:00 am
Sunday, April 26, 6:00 pm
Tuesday, April 28, 5:00 pm

The discussion is presented by the League of Women Voters of Portland. The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government.
The League of Women Voters of Portland * 310 SW 4th Avenue, Suite 520 * Portland, OR 97204 * 503-228-1675 * lwvpdx@aracnet.com * www.lwvpdx.org”

The Pain Society of Oregon is holding it’s annual conference in early April, 2009. I have learned a tremendous amount from the Pain Society meetings I have attended over the years. It is an excellent source of health professionals who have passion and experience in working with patients who experience chronic pain.

Patients and their supporters dealing with pain are invited to attend the community portion of the conference on Sunday April 5th. Here access to the application if you want to register to attend.

The supinator (the muscle shown at the top of this picture) is a small, deep muscle in your forearm; it is located on the outer (lateral) side of the forearm near the elbow. In the forearm, supination is the action of turning the forearm into a position where your palm is facing upward or forward. The supinator muscle is well named because all it does is supinate. It’s easy to remember the action of the muscle because it puts your hand into a position to hold soup. (Not that I recommend holding soup in your hand!)

When performing bicep curls with dumbells you would call the supinator into play as you curl the weights toward your chest. See the position of the palms? They’re supinated. Using a (manual) screwdriver requires strength and stamina in the supinator. Turning some doorknobs require the use of the supinator.

Trigger points in the supinator can be dificult to distinguish from trigger points in other forearm muscles. Pain is felt near the lateral part of the elbow and at the base of the thumb. The thumb may also present with a vague numbness.

Sometimes in a car accident people injure an area that has been injured in the past. An old neck or shoulder injury can be easily aggravated by the impact of a motor vehicle collision. When the injured person goes to the doctor, the massage therapist, and the attorney for help with the accident, the patient needs to know how to deal with this new injury as well as old, preexisting conditions.

My friend and colleague, Jim Dwyer, an attorney at Heiling Dwyer & Associates, is a great source for personal injury information. One of the things he likes to educate people about is revealing to your health care team any information about current and old similar injuries. That old back problem from college soccer, the car accident in ‘98, and the foot pain you were experiencing two months before the accident are all important to document.

“Honesty and candor are critical to a full recovery and a successful claim.”

With some of you I have talked about my process of becoming an “affiliate” at Numinosity, the wellness center where my office is located. This transition will be completed March 1, 2009. I anticipate the changes should all be positive for clients. Becoming an affiliate will be similar to hiring an assistant or receptionist. The front desk folks (Amber and Cecily) will schedule your appointments with me, process payments, and handle any insurance billing.

Back in November 2008 I (finally) purchased a digital table warmer to help keep you cozy and warm in the flannel sheets during your winter massage sessions. I’ve gotten rave reviews for the new “toy” which lays flat on the table under the sheets. I turn it on about 15-20 minutes before your appointment for maximum comfort. Come in and check it out for yourself!

The rotatores are tiny, thick muscles that help “stitch” the vertebrae together. These muscles of the back compose the deepest layer and are responsible for the ability to rotate or twist your spine.

Individual rotatore muscles attach the transverse process of one vertebra to the spinous process of another; this gives it a diagonal placement which causes the rotation when the muscle is put to use. The whole group of rotatores are placed from the lumbar to the cervical vetebrae. Along with two other groups of small spinal muscles, they make up the transversospinalis group.

People with very tight or contracted rotatores may appear to have a stiff back with very limited ability to make minute, subtle spinal movements. Trigger points in the rotatores refer pain close to the source; generally a client will describe pain right next to the spine. Often releasing tension in the deep spinal muscles can make chiropractic adjustment easier. Occasionally, a client will have a “spontaneous adjustment” after trigger points are released.

The gastrocnemius is one of several calf muscles. Because the gastrocnemius cross two joints it is responsible for two distinct movements.

With its two short tendons attaching to the bottom end of the femur (thigh bone), the gastroc allows you to bend (flex) your knee. The long, inferior tendon was made rather famous by stories about a Greek warrior name Achilles. The Achilles tendon (more properly called the calcaneal tendon) crosses the ankle to attach to the heal bone (the calcaneus), allowing you to point your toe, also known as plantar flexion.

Many activities this holiday season may cause overuse in the gastrocs. Walking up stairs and escalators at the mall, inching along in traffic unable to use cruise control, and standing in line at the post office can create conditions that trigger points find attractive. Trigger points in the gastroc usually cause localized pain and pain in the arch of the foot.

Flying long distances can cause calf trouble for people at risk for deep vien throbmosis (DVT). Cramping in the calves can be caused by trigger points, poor circulation, or inadequate nutrition, especially calcium and magnesium.