Finding the Right Stretch: Using AI to Alleviate Muscle Pain

As we age, new muscle pains become an unwelcome companion. Being in my mid-30s has taught me this lesson all too well. It’s frustrating when you can’t pinpoint the right stretch for that nagging pain in your upper glute and lower back after a morning swim. But what if AI could help us find the perfect stretch for our aches and muscle pains?

The AI-Powered Pain Relief Journey

In my quest for pain relief, I discovered a fascinating tool called TellMeWhereItHurtsNow.com. This website allows you to create a visual map of your pain points. Coupled with the power of ChatGPT, an AI language model, we can now get personalized stretching advice tailored to our specific aches.Let’s walk through a few experiments I conducted to test this AI-assisted approach to pain relief.

Experiment 1: Tackling Pain in Lower Neck Upper Shoulder

We’ve all experienced that annoying tension in our neck and shoulders, especially after a long day at the computer. Using TellMeWhereItHurtsNow.com, I created a pain map for this area and asked ChatGPT for advice.

Ready for this? Here’s the response verbatim.

Based on the image, it appears you are experiencing pain in the side and back of your neck area. This is a common location for neck tension and pain. Here are a few gentle stretches that may help alleviate discomfort in that specific area:

1. Neck Rotation:

• Slowly turn your head to look over your right shoulder.
• Hold for 15-30 seconds.
• Return to center and repeat on the left side.

2. Upper Trapezius Stretch:

• Gently place your right hand on the left side of your head.
• Tilt your head to the right while applying light pressure with your hand.
• Hold for 15-30 seconds, feeling the stretch in the left side of your neck and upper shoulder.
• Repeat on the other side.

3. Chin Tucks:

• Sit or stand with good posture.
• Tuck your chin down and back, as if making a double chin.
• Hold for 5-10 seconds, then release.
• Repeat 5-10 times.

What impressed me most was ChatGPT’s ability to identify the pain area visually, without me having to specify it verbally.

As someone who’s dealt with this type of discomfort, I can vouch for the effectiveness of these stretches.

Experiment 2: Pain in Lats

Next, we tackled a more challenging area: pain in the upper glute and lower back. This is a common issue for many of us, especially after intense physical activities.

I’ll summarize but put ChatGPT’s exact response below but here are the 3 suggested stretches

1. Lat Side Stretch
2. Child’s Pose
3. Thoracic Extension

The highlighted area in the image corresponds to the latissimus dorsi muscles, which are located on the sides of the back, extending from the lower back to the upper arm.

Chat GPT's exact response:

1. Lat Side Stretch
   • Targeted Muscle: Latissimus Dorsi
   • How to Do It: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Reach one arm overhead and lean to the opposite side until you feel a stretch along the side of your torso. Hold for 20-30 seconds and switch sides.
2. Child’s Pose
   • Targeted Muscle: Latissimus Dorsi
   • How to Do It: Begin on your hands and knees. Bring your big toes together, sit back on your heels, and stretch your arms forward on the floor. Allow your head to relax toward the ground. Hold for 15-20 seconds.
3. Thoracic Extension
   • Targeted Muscle: Upper and Mid Back
   • How to Do It: Use a foam roller under your thoracic spine. Lie back over it, extending your arms above your head. This stretch can help open up the upper back and indirectly relieve tension in the latissimus dorsi.

I was particularly intrigued by the Thoracic Extension suggestion, as it’s not something I’ve tried before. It’s fun when an AI actually suggests a stretch that might help alleviate persistent pain.

Experiment 3: Deep Pain in Lower Back Upper Buttock Area

For our third experiment, we focused on a more specific issue: sharp pain in the lower back upper buttock area. This type of discomfort can be particularly troublesome and hard to address.

1. Piriformis Stretch
2. Figure Four Stretch
3. Child’s Pose

These stretches progressively target the affected area, with the Piriformis Stretch being the most focused on the intense pain points.

This one was a bit more interesting cause the moderation triggers of the AI started hitting probably because of the buttocks in the screenshot. So i just quickly edited the image above and it spat out what I needed. Brilliant. The last and hardest one I shall test it with tonight. This portion hurts a lot after a run due to losing my form and running on the outside side of my feet instead of the inside. 

Chat GPT's exact response:

Based on the image, the highlighted area indicates pain primarily in the lower back region, specifically focused on the sacroiliac joint area and extending into the upper gluteal muscles. The red areas show the most intense pain concentration, while the yellow areas indicate less intense but still present discomfort.Given this location, here are 3 stretches ranked from most targeted to least targeted to help alleviate pain in this area:

1. Piriformis Stretch: This stretch directly targets the piriformis muscle, which is located in the buttock region near the sacroiliac joint.
   • Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
   • Cross your right ankle over your left knee.
   • Grasp behind your left thigh and gently pull the leg towards your chest.
   • Hold for 30 seconds, feeling the stretch in your right buttock.
   • Repeat on the other side.
2. Figure Four Stretch: This stretch targets the gluteal muscles and lower back area.
   • Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
   • Cross your right ankle over your left thigh, creating a “4” shape with your legs.
   • Lift your left foot off the ground and thread your right arm between your legs, clasping your hands behind your left thigh.
   • Gently pull your left leg towards your chest.
   • Hold for 30 seconds, then switch sides.
3. Child’s Pose: While less targeted to the specific area, this stretch can help relieve tension in the lower back and hips.
   • Start on your hands and knees.
   • Sit back on your heels, extending your arms forward on the floor.
   • Lower your chest towards the ground, feeling a stretch in your lower back.
   • Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute, breathing deeply.

These stretches progressively target the highlighted area, with the piriformis stretch being the most focused on the red areas of pain, and the child’s pose providing a more general lower back stretch.

When I Googled Piriformis & Figure Four Stretch, I couldn’t really distinguish between the two? They’re basically the same stretch. For me, I wish there was something more targeted since I’d love to find just that right stretch for me. These 3 dont quite do it for me just yet. Maybe I should ask for more options?

Experiment 4: Pain in Upper Calf Below Knee

Our final test looked at pain in the upper calf below the knee, a common issue for me when I start to loose my form in the middle of a run. I tend to run on the outside of my feet, and have to pay close attention that I run using the inside of my feet to avoid this muscle pain. I’,m particularly interested in ChatGPT’s advice here.

Chat GPT’s suggestions:

1. Peroneal Tendon Stretch
2. Calf Stretch
3. Ankle Alphabet

Interestingly, the Peroneal Tendon Stretch was exactly what my physical therapist had recommended when I described my running pain, validating the AI’s suggestion.

Chat GPT's exact response:

Based on the image, the highlighted area indicates pain primarily in the lower leg, specifically focused on the lateral (outer) side of the ankle and lower calf. The most intense pain (red area) appears to be concentrated just above and behind the lateral malleolus (outer ankle bone), which corresponds to the location of the peroneal tendons. This suggests the issue is likely peroneal tendonitis.Here are 3 stretches to help alleviate this problem, ranked from most targeted to least targeted:

1. Peroneal Tendon Stretch This stretch directly targets the affected area.

• Stand with the affected foot crossed behind the other leg.
• Lean your body weight onto the affected foot, feeling a stretch along the outer ankle and lower leg.
• Hold for 30 seconds, repeat 3 times.

2. Calf Stretch This targets the calf muscles, which can indirectly affect peroneal tendon tension.

• Stand facing a wall with hands on the wall at shoulder height.
• Step the affected leg back, keeping that heel on the ground.
• Lean forward, bending the front knee while keeping the back leg straight.
• Hold for 30 seconds, repeat 3 times.

3. Ankle Alphabet This provides general ankle mobility and can help with overall ankle health.

• Sit with the affected leg extended.
• Use your toes to “write” the alphabet in the air, moving only your ankle.
• Complete the full alphabet once.

These stretches progress from directly targeting the peroneal tendons to more general ankle mobility. Remember to perform these gently and stop if you experience increased pain

What could be next?

Maybe next step is ask it to give us a regiment of stretches if we give it all the pain maps at once so that it can optimize for the stretches to target the most muscle group that needs attention.

By the way, the tool that I used to create the pain maps to visualize all this is https://tellmewhereithurtsnow.com. It’s a free tool that allows you to make painmaps and share them with others like this via a URL Traps Painmap.

I’ve pasted the pain maps I used for this experiment below:

1. Traps Painmap
2. Upper Glute
3. Ankle Pain

A Word of Caution

While this AI-assisted approach can be helpful, it’s important to remember that this is just an experiment and have no conclusive results. Always consult with a healthcare provider, especially for persistent or severe pain.

Conclusion: Embracing AI for Better Health

You know, this whole experiment started because I was dealing with some muscle pain and just wanted to find a better way to deal with it. Lo and behold, here comes the AI revolution, and with all the articles coming out about it beating medical professionals in some test scores, I thought, “Why not give it a shot?”

So I dove in, combining AI with some online tools (including a nifty little site I made called TellMeWhereItHurtsNow.com), and honestly, I was pretty amazed at the results. It’s like having a personal pain detective at your fingertips!

But here’s the thing – while this tech stuff is cool and all, it’s not about replacing doctors or anything. It’s more like having an extra tool in your toolbox. I mean, I still listen to my body and definitely hit up my doc when things get real. But for those times when I’m just feeling a bit off or achy, it’s pretty awesome to have this high-tech helper in my pocket.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, this journey of mine from “ouch, my back!” to “hey, AI, what’s up with my muscles?” has been pretty eye-opening. And if sharing my little adventure helps someone else find some relief, well, that’s just the cherry on top. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find your own cool ways to use AI for your health. The future’s looking pretty bright (and hopefully less painful) from where I’m standing!

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