The is so much out there about weight loss and how it helps with diabeties, heart conditions, stokes etc but less is said about jont health.

The heavier we are the more stain we put on our joints and ligaments and tendons,  wich can lead to more sprain,  stains and therfore less activiy !

Apart from the obvious ligament knee strain,  the foot has to take all our weight 50% of the time when we walk and so conditions such as planta faciaitis is more common. The foot will tend to flatten in the arch and so add to calf stain. Unfortunately when ligament is over stretched it does not ever return to its original state and so the joint it supports becomes more flexible and unstable and more prone to dislocation.


As this happens, we tend to exercise less  due to joint pain and so loose muscle mass in exchange for body fat and so the cycle gets worse. At this point flat arches will affect the knee hip, spine and neck so an intervension is required to stablise the foot and increase cardio exercise. It is true that it would be best not to get into this situation however it is possible to correct and reverse these joint problems with a good trainer, postural assessment and a considered  weight management program.

To find out more take a look at my postural corrction progams and personal training page 

The term Fibromyalgia means pain in the 'fibrous, connective and tendinous  tissue' and it is very similar to trigger point pain. Both conditions do not involve the joints and are linked to depression. Fibromyalgia is however systemic and it is a central nervous system dysfunction which is responsible for amplification of the pain pathway.

Trigger points cause a localised and reproducible pattern of pain where as Fibromyalgia is often described as a ache all over but with some tender spots.
The muscles feel pulled or overworked and burn, to the touch the muscles feel soft and doughy where as trigger points are tight and warm. 
The Fibromyalgia condition seems to affect more women than men.

Massage has been shown to help with the condition, due to the chronic over tension  in the fascia & connective tissue it also  causes tension & compression of muscle fibres, nerve tissue and blood vessels. 

This chronic irritation creates fibromyositis, the  constant muscle tension creates a strain and overload on muscles and tendons and connective tissue. Constant Strain always leads to the development of inflammation.

Massage for my Fibromyalgia has shown to help because it stimulates the supply of  oxygen  to the cells  and  release of toxic metabolic waste products from the tissues into the circulatory system. 

Due to the chronic nature of the condition It is recommended that a initial sessions focus on the head neck and shoulders and later sessions include the whole body. The  recommendations are to initially have two treatments per week and then begin an exercise and stretching programme after the first ten sessions.

The massage treatment plan should be cumulative to prevent re-accumulation of tension in muscles.

If you suffer from Fibromyalgia, sports and remedial massage techniques would be recommended . If you would like to know more about how I could help with Fibromyalgia please contact me>>



    

Rugby injuries

It is just about the end of the season and and time for a rest at Chipping Norton rugby club  who I sponsor and run a sports injury clinic each Thursday evening during training sessions.

Each week I see many different injuries in clinic from the common impact injuries, over training issues, strains, sprains, bruising and chronic joint problems after dislocations etc. I use of all available techniques each week, rugby injuries respond well to sports massage, ultrasound, injury rehabilitation therapy and exercise correction for posture, nutrition etc. I have even have persuaded some of the Lads to use aromatherapy to treat muscle soreness and fatigue.  

The Club will close for a short time to give the Lads time to recover before training begins again during warmer summer months ready for the start of the new season in September.


 

Trigger point therapy - headaches & migraine - Oxford

Trigger points are localised hyper-irritable spots - lumps or nodules beneath the skin and within the belly of a muscle which can be palpated. They can be very painful and reproduce patterns of referred and radiating pain.

Myofascial trigger points are implicated in all types of musculo-skeletal and mechanical pain. 
Evidence shows that when a muscle is relaxed state & not contracted its electrical signal is silent, however when a  trigger point is present within a muscle that trigger point generates and receives minute electrical currents causing a localised spike in electrical activity.


Evidence shows within a triggerpoint there is localised tissue hypoxia ( deprived of adequate oxygen supply), increased acute inflammatory  cascade and lowered pH levels called acidosis ( increased acidity in the blood and other body tissue) 
Both of these are serious states for the body as cells require oxygen and the correct pH levels as anything outside the normal range result in irreversible cell damage. 
It is therefore not surprising that muscle function is compromised, compensatory muscle patterns occur and the patient feels a  warning massage in the form of pain.


Acupuncture, acupressure and trigger points could be said to overlap, Chinese and western acupuncture  points are said to be localised concentrations points of energy.

Trigger points are more common in postural slow twitch type 1 aerobic muscle fibres and tend to respond to overuse and stress by shortening and becoming hypertonic, they often take longer to treat because of the need for postural correction programme to deal with the original reason for the overuse syndrome. Type 2 are anaerobic and respond  quicker to treatment.

It is shown that bad posture  leads to muscle overuse and the build up of trigger points, given our desk culture and stress levels these points often are in the upper back and neck reproducing sharp pain on touch. The  referred pain often leads a path over the top of head and around the eye and consistent with the production headaches and migraines.

Our bodies will adapt to what we do most and postural patterns are learnt, we are not well suited to spend hours at a desk or in a driving position. Over time our muscles adapt shorten and are susceptible to overuse syndromes to produce these occupational mal-adaptations. The end result is our body complains and produces pain and we generally reach for the painkillers to silence the messenger  relieve the  symptoms as a quick fix.

If you  would like to know more about postural pain or desk ergonomics give me a call >>