Peggy Boyd- Founder of Surgical Alternative

I have been dealing with clients in severe pain from herniated discs, bulging discs, hiatal hernias, peripheral nerve damage, nerve entrapments, pinched sciatic nerve issues and many more symptoms that people think they either have to have surgery for or just deal with the pain. The reason I started blogging was so that I could reach and help some of those people that suffer from these and many other painful conditions. At Surgical Alternative we can help!

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Deep Tissue Massage Benefits

Deep tissue massage is designed to relieve severe tension in the muscle and the connective tissue, focusing on the muscles located below the surface of the top muscles. Deep tissue massage is can be a great benefit for those individuals who experience consistent pain, athletes involved in heavy physical activity, and clients who have sustained physical injury. Deep tissue massage is often misused to explain a deep pressure massage which is a separate category of massage therapy, used to treat particular muscular-skeletal disorders.

The following are a couple benefits of deep tissue massage:

Deep tissue massage Benefits – Can increase blood flow by losing the muscles are the vessels allowing improved circulation
Deep tissue massage Benefits – Can provide stress relief by loosing of tight muscles
Deep tissue massage Benefits – Can reduce Chronic Pain
Deep tissue massage Benefits – Can also lower your blood pressure

The main thing to know about deep tissue massage is that if done improperly can result in damage to the muscles or can result in a more serious injury. That is why all of our therapist are highly trained in advanced deep tissue massage techniques to ensure proper use

Through the use of advanced deep tissue massage techniques we provide effective non-surgical treatments for carpal tunnel, hiatal hernias, bulging discs, sciatica (sciatic pain), plantar fasciitis and much more. Surgical Alternative is now located in Lutz near New Tampa. We proudly service Tampa, St. Petersburg, Land O Lakes, New Port Richey, Wesley Chapel, Trinity and all surrounding areas. If you are in pain or just need a decompression session, please call today, or schedule your appointment online!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Golfers- How we can improve your Golf Swing?

Peggy Boyd, founder of Surgical Alternative Tampa discusses the use of our cranial structural and advanced deep tissue massage techniques to improve your golf swing and range of motion.

Through the use of our cranial structural and advanced deep tissue massage techniques we provide effective non-surgical treatments for carpal tunnel, hiatal hernias, bulging discs, sciatica (sciatic pain), plantar fasciitis and much more. Surgical Alternative is now located in Lutz near New Tampa. We proudly service Tampa, St. Petersburg, Land O Lakes, New Port Richey, Wesley Chapel, Trinity and all surrounding areas. If you are in pain or just need a decompression session, please call today, or schedule your appointment online!

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

How Surgical Alternative Can Help You!!!

I started Surgical Alternative to provide the best most effective and personalized alternative therapy treatments for those in pain. Here are a couple way we can help you return to a pain free life.

We can restore and improve your functionality
We can restore and improve your pain free R.O.M
We can restore and improve your independence
We can help you get back to doing the things you love
We can permanently get rid of aches and pains you thought you had to live with for the rest of your life
We can help you function at a more efficient level
We can get rid of scar tissue from old injuries
We can give you hope when other therapies have only managed pain or had limited benefit
We also Restore balance in imbalanced pelvics/hips
We help correct longer leg length balances
We rehabilitate soft tissue structurally from MVA

Through the use of our cranial structural and advanced deep tissue massage techniques we provide effective non-surgical treatments for carpal tunnel, hiatal hernias, bulging discs, sciatica (sciatic pain), plantar fasciitis and much more. Surgical Alternative is now located in Lutz near New Tampa. We proudly service Tampa, St. Petersburg, Land O Lakes, New Port Richey, Wesley Chapel, Trinity and all surrounding areas. If you are in pain or just need a decompression session, please call today, or schedule your appointment online!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Surgical Alternative-Tips for a long day at your desk

Here are some general guidelines for proper sitting posture:
• Maintain the normal curves of your spine – Do not sit slumped or bent forward. Use a cushion or rolled towel if your chair does not provide adequate support for your lower back
• Place feet comfortably on the floor or footrest –Your feet should rest on the floor or footrest and not dangle.
• Knees and hips and elbows should be bent at a right (90 degree) angle –Avoid crossing your legs, cross your ankles
• Sit close to your work – Locate frequently used materials within arm’s reach. This will help you avoid awkward movements and excessive reaching, bending or twisting of your spine.
• If you have limited legroom, try sliding forward on the chair slightly and lowering your knees – This will allow you to get closer to your work. Also, use a cushion or towel roll for added low back support. This position is not recommended for extended periods of time because it increases pressure on the back of the legs.
• Perform some of your work standing, if the job permits – This can reduce some of the pressure on your back
• Keep a good sitting posture while driving – Keep the seat close to the steering wheel. Use a small cushion or pillow for additional support to your low back.

Stretching every hour or two is also a good strategy to preventing back pain from sitting too long. Hold each of these stretches for a minimum of 20-30 seconds and do several repetitions.
• chin tuck
• shoulder blade squeezes
• seated Hamstring stretch

So now that you know about good posture, what will you do?

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Unnecessary Surgery- Surgical Alternative

Unnecessary surgery has had considerable debate and some outlandish accusation in recent years. I often get asked why I’m still show passionate about what I do after 15 years and one of the big reasons is to give people a surgical alternative. According to the Harvard school of Public Health, the unwarranted or unnecessary surgeries could be as high as 30% in the United States. The most come reason for unnecessary surgery is the uncertainty of the physician about the effectiveness of an operation. We are blessed to live in a time where we have access to so much information and can research the information given to find alternative methods to heal themselves. A lot of my new clients have the same concerns that you, my husband and friends have. If this is so effective at relieving pain, why I haven’t heard of it and secondly how effective is it. One of the main reasons you may not have heard about it, is simply money and marketing. Until the internet, alternative therapies were mainly just word of mouth and most traveled within the same circles. But now we have access to other types of alternative therapies that many use to. Look at the amount of vitamins and supplements we now take.

I have always been fascinated with the body and its ability to heal itself and though unnecessary surgery we limit that ability. As we become more educated about our bodies and how to better take care of them, I hope alternative therapy becomes a viable option and not just an afterthought or a last chance. Our techniques, like those in the medical fields, continue to evolve to find new way to heal the body using a non-surgical approach.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Improper Running- How much pain can it cause?

In one of our previous blogs, we discussed collapse arches and how shoes can play a major part in causing the injury. Another big culprit is running. I’m not trying to say that running is bad; it has been a big part of my life and many others as well. Injuries from running can vary and can be caused by many different reasons. They can range anywhere from not having the proper footwear to improper stretching to not knowing how to run properly. When we run the force and impact exerted on the body is great. Improper running can cause the body to be out of balance leading to tight and pulled muscles or in some cases permanent damage. We have all seen people running down the street that look as if their body was in some type of convulsion, arms and legs flailing everywhere. As a therapist that has been working with athletes, muscles and structural balancing for over 15 years, I know the importance of proper techniques and how the body reacts when things are imbalanced. As our body ages, the trauma and injuries we incurred throughout the years tends to come back with a vengeance. I guess that’s why a lot of our clients are in the 35+ age group. In our bodywork sessions, we use cranial structural rebalancing which involved releasing the restrictions through pressure point in the cranium allowing the body to return to normal. We then use several advanced techniques including deep tissue massage to loosen the muscles around the restriction allowing the skeletal structure to remain in balance. Think of it like this, if you have two teams playing tug-o-war that are constantly pulling on each other, it is almost impossible to keep the rope in the same place. Well, that is also what your muscles are doing to your skeletal structural. No matter how many times you realign your skeletal structural if your muscles around the restrictions are pulling everything back out of alignments then the pain will continue. Running can be a fun and enjoyable way to exercise, just make sure you do it properly. In our upcoming blogs we will be discussing the treatments and successes we have had with professional and amateur athletes such as golf and tennis players.

At Surgical Alternative, we have been dealing with clients in severe pain for over 15 years now, that are suffering from herniated discs, bulging discs, hiatal hernias, peripheral nerve damage, nerve entrapments, pinched sciatic nerve issues, collapsed arches and many more symptoms that people think they either have to have surgery for or are told they just have to deal with the pain. Surgical Alternative is now located in Lutz near New Tampa. We proudly service Tampa, St. Petersburg, Land O Lakes, New Port Richey, Wesley Chapel, Trinity and all surrounding areas. Please call today, or schedule your appointment online!

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Herniated and Bulging Discs Treatments-Non-Surgical

Many are confused by exactly what are bulging discs and viable non-surgical treatment options. The more general term is called a herniated disc.

Herniated or bulged discs will be an extruded disc, where the disc will actually tear through the tough outer shell and will push into the spinal space. It can cause compression to the nerves in the spinal-cord causing you to feel significant pain, weakness, or numbness.

Many people ask me how I got this or where did this come from. The answer is that there are many factors that can contribute to herniated discs or bulging discs.

One of the big contributing factors is obesity; the heavier you are the more likely you are to putting stress on your spine. Increasing you chance of experiencing a bulging or herniated discs. Lifestyle can also be a big factor, if you have a lax lifestyle that doesn’t involve any type of exercise or other strenuous activities over the years your muscle will weaken making it easier to have bulging or herniated discs. Other causes can be a simple injury such as a blow to the back, a car accident or some other trauma to the body can easily cause a herniated disc as well. Another big factor is aging; as we begin to age our spinal structure begins to weaken causing the chances of you incurring bulging discs or herniated discs to increase significantly.

Depending on where the injury on your spine may have occurred your symptoms can will be different. A herniated or bulging disc in your neck can cause significant pain in your arms, chest, neck, and hands. If the injury occurs in your lower back you may feel pain in your legs and lower region. Because the spine controls some many areas of the body you can feel pain or discomfort in many areas of the body.

At Surgical Alternative, we have been providing effective treatment options for bulging discs and herniated discs for over 14 years now, using non-surgical methods. We are passionate about what we do and spreading the message so that we can reach and help some of those people that suffer from these and many other painful conditions. Surgical Alternative is now located in Lutz near New Tampa. We proudly service Tampa, St. Petersburg, Land O Lakes, New Port Richey, Wesley Chapel, Trinity and all surrounding areas. Please call today, or schedule your appointment online!