Pregnancy Massage: positioning

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Many of my pregnant clients have had treatments with other therapists and not been entirely happy. I always ask why, because I want to learn and improve on my own treatments. On more than one occasion clients have mentioned that they have been uncomfortable. 

Being warm and comfortable is vital if the client is going to relax. If they're not relaxed then you may as well not bother trying to treat because the body will reject you, it will not benefit from the treatment and the client will not have a good experience – that is after all what they want and need. I was astonished to hear from one client that she was laid on her back for the entire duration of her hour long massage. This is a big no-no. Why? Well, the growing baby inside mum is causing pressure on internal organs which move around and put pressure on various internal structures. As the uterus grows and become heavier it puts pressure on the aorta and inferior vena cava when laying on your back. Why does this matter? Well, the vena cava is a major vein which carries deoxygenated blood back to the heart. Compression of which can lead to a fall in cardiac output, low blood pressure, and decreased circulation of blood and therefore – importantly - decreased oxygen to your heart and the baby. It's the same reason you shouldn't sleep on your back, or swim on your back, in late pregnancy. There are other reasons why you shouldn't lay on your back for the massage treatment, but this is the key thing to know. The best position for a treatment is to have the client laying on her side, and for short durations on an inclined couch.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that positioning is vital. Not only for comfort of the mum-to-be but for the overall health and well-being of both mum and baby. A good therapist will adapt their treatment to make sure, 100%, that the client is positioned comfortably and safely.

Lynne

yep- me knee

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After liberal icing, compression and elevation yesterday, along with lymphatic drainage, it seems that this morning I have slight inflammation of the patella ligament (lateral portion).
Despite jumping in a cold bath after yesterdays squatting efforts, my glutes and hamstrings are feeling it this morning.
I think the answer is more ice... and longer in the bath.

So, the TGUs are out for today, I dont want to be putting pressure on the knee in any way shape or form, I imagine that its a good idea to blow out the hill training tomorrow as well, replacing it with a workout which is more focussed on upper body strength - finger strength etc.
So today, as recovery, I shall be concentrating on flexibility and mobility around the hips, specifically on glutes and adductors and the long fascial chains that are involved with them.
Without putting undue pressure or stress across the knee.

Also have another GNE player coming around for a massage - tight lumbar and hamstrings- again. But, as he says, if he wants to play tomorrow, hes going to have to look after himself.
The more you push yourself, the more you need to recover, only then will you trancend your current level and breakthrough your plateaus.
 Tim

oooh, me knee!

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After a workout involving squatting, tractor tyre flipping and squat thrusts, my right knee is slightly swollen and tender under the lateral portion of the patella. Its not an impact injury, so I suspect that my biomechanics might be a bit off when I do split squats.

I've come about to this thought because without an impact, the knee really cant do that much wrong on its own. It's when it is put out of alignment by other structures in the body- either the one below it - the ankle/foot, or the one above it - the hip - that problems are caused. This creates pain in the knee - which is only the effect- not the cause (as I may have mentioned in a previous note).

So, I have iced the offending knee (well, the patella tendon), had a cold bath after the workout, which is now becoming a habit, smeared ibuprofen gel around the area to assist in anti-inflammation, and have spent the last couple of hours with my legs above the level of my heart. Yes, this is the PRICE protocol- protection, rest, ice, compression and elevation.

Having been doing wall squats for warming up for the past few weeks makes me think that normal squats is not the issue here. The split squats are showing up a weakness/inbalance in the way I squat through one of my knees. I suspect that this is due to tight hip rotators, perhaps pulling my knee out of alignment. This is only a theory, and once the inflammation and pain has gone, I shall look into this in a lot more detail, to find out where I'm going wrong, and what I can do to correct it. (I suspect that the answer will be long slow split squats emphasising exact form). Lots of effort, but there are no real benefits to trying to cheat.

Am I being a drama queen? After all, its only a little pain in the knee after a bit of a hard workout.
I don't think so. I only have 2 knees, and it's a bit hard to run/work/walk/live with only one, and if my body lets me know that it needs a break with the signs of inflammation and pain, then I shall listen to it, and take care of it in the best way possible.

Tomorrow is meant to be a recovery day- which would mean 100 TGUs with no weight. I'm a little concerned about putting weight on my knee for the get-up, so I may change it for another recovery workout which will focus on body weight and flexibility.

Listen to your body, give it rest, let it recover properly and it will last you a life time.

Tim

Recovery Day

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I've been told by a good source that there's no such thing as overtraining, just under-recovery. So, in my training plan which Tim helped me create, today is noted as a Recovery Day. It's not the same as a Rest Day (generally no activity).  Today's recovery is aimed at getting blood moving around the body, recovering from previous training sessions and getting my body in to a good place to be able to train better/harder/faster/more efficient in the coming days. The idea in my turbo session was to keep the HR down and be able to hold a conversation - so an easy, steady pace it was. Quite nice actually not to have to do intervals or build strength, just have a nice easy and gentle spin of the wheels/legs and get some benefit out of it as well.

What else can you use Recovery Day's for? Well, as you're not going at high intensity levels you can focus on your technique. It helps to build your capacity for exercise and to help correct any imbalances that you may have developed through poor technique. So, Recovery Days are good. I enjoyed mine - 30 minutes on the turbo done before 8.30am. What a great start to the day before seeing clients and marking student papers.

Lynne

Match with the Locals

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After being called up to help out with Glossop North End the other day, I went along to provide massage support for them in one of their last games of the season. The Physio isn't generally able to come for mid-week games, so I went along to help out.

After arriving early I headed into the changing room- just a room with a physio couch in the middle, and a few bags with a variety of sprays, tapes and bits and pieces in them. After looking through them all, I managed to mix and match the supplies into a bag which suited the needs of a match. I'm sure that normally there is quite enough to make up 2 physio bags, but at this time, at the end of the season, not everything is in all the bags and it needed a little consolidating.

The guys began to arrive, and there was a marked lack of urgency in getting on the table. I was standing around looking like a spare wheel for a short time. Then one guy asked for Hamstrings to be warmed up, and another, then one with a stiff back, then hamstrings again, adductors, calf, etc.
So from a very brief overview, I can say that football, particularly when played constantly gives a lot of issues in hamstrings and lower back...

There were a couple of notable things, one guy, whom I treated on Monday has plantar fasciitis, another has the beginnings of plantar fasciitis, and there were at least 2 more which potentially looked like it might flare up. I suspect this is being caused by tight soleus, and constant playing on hard surfaces. The pitch is showing its age, is rock hard and divotted.

I also strapped up an ankle and used liberal amounts of ice spray on adductors and lower backs.
The guys have had a long tough season, especially the past couple of weeks. Some of them have played 5 matches in 5 days and are understandably pretty knackered. All I can do is help patch them up and help them get on with it.
Tim

Run with the Harriers

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So yesterdays recovery day didnt go quite as planned. I was intending on heading out to "cakes of bread" with the Dark Peak guys this evening as an endurance based workout, hence recovery yesterday. However, I was called in the middle of the day yesterday and asked to help cover a football match this evening as a therapist.

Not one to turn down such an opportunity, I knocked Cakes of Bread on the head, and realised that I would either need to do an Endurance related thing on Wed, or do something else on my designated "recovery" day and rest on Wed.

I noticed that Glossopdale Harriers have a club run on Tuesdays, so I decided to head out with them last night, and have a proper full on rest day today.
We headed off over the hills, at a fair old pace, and after a few kms, we split into A and B groups- basically being split into numbers for cars to take us back to base. I headed off with the A group up over Fairnaze (I think), and across the peaty tops, around some amazing rock formations. (some good bouldering up there I do believe... but quite a trek in with the mat).
I fell over in the heather at some point, and after a few more Kms, my knee began to hurt- however, I put that down to an impact injury rather than a biomechanical issue.

Its a good thing to remember, if you knee starts hurting, and you HAVENT hit it on something, its much more likely that the CAUSE of the pain will be in the foot or the hip. The knee pain is only the smoke- look for the fire!

15km later, after a really fast finish, we were back at the car just as light was fading. My legs were heavy, but I still managed to pick up the pace for the fast 4km home along the Pennine way track.
Once home, recovery took precedence-
Chocolate milkshake- protein, sugar, carbs.
10 mins in an ice bath- painful- but sooooo necessary, and certainly my legs are feeling much better today than they would have been,
and the remains of the spaghetti that I didnt eat before running- refuelling before bed.

Today is the most important day of the week. It is a day of REST.
If you work hard, rest easy as there is no such thing as over training. Only Under-recovery.
A little flush through on the Quads and Hamstrings would go down a treat right now, get the remaining toxins out, and continue getting fresh, oxygenated blood to the areas that really need it.

Tim

Structure and Plans

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I still have no structure to my training plan. What with moving house and getting the business up and running life's been a little hectic. But I shall remedy this tonight because for me, it's important to have a goal (or something tangible) to aim for. That doesn't have to be finishing a mountain marathon in under four hours, or making it all the way round the Bob Graham. For me it's about having a plan laid out to make sure I get out and do something. So far I've managed to go running or walking without too much trouble, and without getting hung up on times and distances. I am afterall still finding my hill legs! What I lack is a structure to keep my exercise mixed up. I enjoy pilates (brilliant for stretching fascia and keeping the body supple and your core strong), kick boxing/boxercise interests me (a total body workout to increase stamina and strength), swimming (non-weight bearing exercise is good for light training/recovery days and I find it emotionally stimulating), strength training (to keep my legs fit and strong for the steep ascents I'm challenged by in the Dark Peak) and balance. And this is just the start. So my plan for tonight is to make a plan which incorporates all types of fitness challenges plus rest, recovery, stretching and sports massage to keep muscles/fascia healthy. I'll write more about why massage is beneficial soon.

We all must remember that you get out what you put in. And, if it were easy everyone would be doing it.

Lynne

recovery day...?

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Today was written in as a recovery day. Just an hours worth of gentle cycling to get blood into the legs, wake up the neural circuits, and stretch out some fascia. Nothing serious.

Finding a place in the Peak District, particularly near Glossop, which appears to be based in the bottom of a valley, no matter which way you look, is a more interesting matter.
I settled on a route out toward the Woodhead, stopping at the sailing club and then coming back along the same route. My HR monitor had no battery, so I kept the intensity down by making sure I could talk to myself in a non-strained way all the way out and all the way back. Must have looked and sounded a bit odd, but at least I knew I wasnt unintentionally cranking up the speed or effort.

I was going to be doing Cakes of Bread local race with dpfr tomorrow, which was going to be my workout, however, I have been called in to massage and 1st aid for the local football team, which is a bonus. So tomorrow wont have a work out...
hmmm, problem solved, as Glossopdale harriers have a training run this evening. I'll drop in on that, and use tomorrow as a rest day.

And rest day means just that.
Nothing but rest and stretching. And maybe a bit of massage. Trying to keep stretching fascia to make it slowly become more supple and elastic. - its going to take months, but at the same time as gaining strength and endurance, agility will also be built up as well.

Tim

Football

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Headed over to New Mills to watch the local team in a league match against the guys at the top of the table, (and undisputed winners of the league this year).
Glossop, despite going a goal down in the first few mins played well, and didnt give up, having a number of decent chances before finally scoring late in the second half.

One of the guys was down and out before it even began- having sustained an injury to his heel in the middle of the previous game- it flared up on the day, and he was having real trouble walking around, let alone running after a ball.
As I happened to be there I was drafted into the locker room to have a look at the heel- looks like a case of plantar fasciitis, overuse and under-recovery. I STRed the tissue, releasing it around the heel, and also MET'd the soleus which was particularly tight, giving the lad a bit of pain relief. I also noticed that the Peroneus longus was under a fair amount of tension, so helped that with a bit of STR as well.
He was never going to be able to play on the day, so I ibuprofened up the heel, told him to get as much rest as possible, and under no circumstances, to play on Wednesday, if the next important match was on Sat...

as it was, Glossop drew 1-1. Shame it wasnt a win, but at least it wasnt a loss.

Tim

Derbyshire Hills

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I've been dreaming of the Derbyshire hills for a while now. I used to live up this way, only a short way from where we've landed in Glossop. Living in London has been a big part of my life but the last few years have been spent gradually learning that I didn't want to be there at all; that I should be living near to the hills again. So, we took out a map and worked out all the places in the UK that ticked all the boxes...mainly hills, green stuff in our backyard essentially, close to a decent sized town and easy for transport to the places we want to go to. Glossop it was, and Glossop it is. We've been here a few weeks now and for me that's include a couple of short trips back to London to finish off my old job. That has only confirmed that we have made the right choice.

Now, getting back to those hills. I've tried in vain to get interested in running in London; and lovely as it is, Blackheath just isn't the same as being out in the remote hills of Kinder Scout or the Derbyshire Dales. I'm three runs into my new regime. I love it. My lungs may complain but they're just going to have to adapt to the fact that running now involves going upwards....and lots of it.

I'm loving exploring the area and realising that life isn't governed by numbers (which is how I tried to gain some sort of interest in running down South). The shear beauty of the hills mesmerises me. I have to remind myself that when I'm on a run I don't stop to look at the view...well I might, but I'll only do so (with intent) when my lungs cry out for a brief rest as I hack my way across the open countryside. I'm waiting in eager anticipation for a pair of INOV8's to arrive...but in the meantime I'm more than pleased with the ten quid pair of Walsh's I found in a bargain basement. They're doing a sterling job and are working wonders at helping me build up my off-road confidence. I'm sure shoes and feet will be the topic of a blog before too long!

Lynne

Walk in the Groughs

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We went up to the groughs beyond the house today, searching for the falls that Lynne had seen on a map a couple of days earlier on a recce run.
After the morning was mostly overcast (which Lynne had spent mostly on the computer sorting out the website), we set out in trousers and softshells expecting it to be a pretty chilly wander. But within about 10 mins of leaving the house the sun was out in all its glory, beating down on us as we trekked up the path to the open access land.

After getting off of the beaten path and heading down to the falls, we came across a canada goose... which looked remarkably lost, yet quite happy with where it was- in the midst of open moorland. It had to be the most bizarre thing Ive seen in recent times. We were also sharp eyed enough to see an oil beetle toddling its way through the field.

After turning a corner and wandering up a sheep track, we did indeed find a delightful waterfall- covered in moss and dripping/ flowing with water. It had three tiers, one of which was a tad steep to scramble down, but thankfully there was a decent amount of heather to grab onto as we descended.

Once we were down and had a little light refreshment, we carried on down the water course, coming across another Canada Goose, which honked disapprovingly at us, before flying off to a nearby hillside. Instead of carrying on home, we had an inpromptu navigation lesson over some fairly untamed moorland to get to the shooting cabin, a trig point and, somewhat belatedly, home. In the process we also saw a Curlew, who may well have been nesting on the moor.

Quite a delightful day though, and I do believe I've caught the sun a bit.
Happy Easter.
Tim

Mountain Biking in the Peak

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I havent really been on a bike, and certainly not been on a mountain bike in anger for quite some time. Having got hold of Peak District Mountain Biking- the Dark Peak, by Vertabrate Publishing recently, I had a look through it, saw one that was relatively close- just over the hill starting at Hayfield, and decided that I'd give it a bash.


Starting out early- its been hot these past couple of days, I cycled over the pass to Hayfield, taking in a lovely 10%er on the way up, and dropped into the village. From there, I followed the description around the twisting and turning bridleways, and only got lost a couple of times. No matter how good a guide book is, always take an OS map- its invaulable!

There were a number of quite tricky rocky descents, which nearly gave me a bit of trouble, but I held on for grim death, and rocketed over the problem areas with no damage done. After about an hour it was becoming apparent that the sun was getting a tad warm- and this was at about 8:30am, and that I was going to have to pedal a bit faster so as not to get too burnt. (thats the theory, the faster you pedal, the less the sun hits you....)

I had plenty of energy left for the second part of the loop up over to Chinley Churn, and was rewarded with some lovely sweeping downhill track that seemed to go on forever.
Or at least til I got over excited, took the wrong turning, and had to back track uphill for about 500m. On grass. (I hate cycling uphill on grass... thats something I really need to train at).
I finished the loops after about 2h 45 mins, and wondered if I could get back to home within 15mins...

unfortunately the distance and lack of training, along with the sun had taken its toll on me, and I got back in a total of 3h 05mins, which isnt bad going for about 40km.

My legs were in a "fun" state of tiredness by the end of it all. I had DOMS after the fell race on Wednesday. Not wanting to repeat that episode I undertook some active recovery.
A glass of Chocolate milk (carbs and protein in a shot) and 10 mins in an ice bath. Well, it wasnt quite ice, as we dont have a freezer yet, but it was cold water, and very difficult to stay in for that long.
A shower was followed by stretching in the sun.

all in all a good morning, and its not even 1130 yet!

Tim

DOMS

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Ouch.
So I should have spent more time stretching out, and should definitely have done some kind of recovery workout after the Herod Farm race.
My calves feel cramped and the whole posterior chain from achilles to Glutes feel like they need to be stretched out on a rack.
I foam rollered this morning, and got on the turbo trainer to get some blood moving through them, but still there is residual soreness.
That'll learn me.

Tim

ps. DOMS is Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

Herod Farm Fell Race

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Entered my first fell race in the Peak today. I have run a couple down south, but never anywhere where there that actually been proper hills.

The Herod Farm race is organised by Glossopdale Harriers http://www.glossopdale.org.uk/, and is famed for the "2nd hill".
Normally, short fell races are run on an up and back basis- so once you have got all the climbing out of the way, there is little else to do except run like hellfire to get back down to the bottom of the hill.
Herod Farm is different.

It follows all the usual bits, like running up a hill at the beginning, followed by a descent, but then there is another ascent, up the back of the hill, to the same height, but at at steeper incline. THIS is where the race is won or lost, and it is on THIS ascent where places are generally finally decided.

There were a goodly number of very serious looking runners there, and there was a fair amount of jostling for place at the front of the crowd getting ready for the off. I decided to play it safe, and started well back in the crowd. Running up the first hill I was constantly assessing if I was going too fast or too slow, and whether I was keeping enough in the tank for that murderous 2nd bit.
I took a lot of places going up that first hill, and a few more besides on the first descent. I managed to keep running the vast majority of the way up as well.

There is an interesting thing about going up hill- at the point it gets too steep, the vast majority of people bend over, and start pushing on their thighs with their hands... Im sure that this is all well and good, and has been the way people have climbed hills for years. But surely, assisting your thighs with extra leverage from your arms simply shows that your Quads and hamstrings arent strong enough, added to which, bending double massively reduces optimal oxygen replacement, and the muscles that you are trying to use are being starved of oxygen, and just get less efficient.

Or maybe thats just me reading into it too much... but I intend to look into this in the next year.

Anyhow, I got to the bottom of the final ascent, and worked my way up it. No-one over took me up it. Admittidly I didnt overtake anyone either, but I'll call that quits.

After a blistering descent I eventually came in 31st. Not bad considering the lack of meaningful running Ive indulged in lately.
I'd link to the results, but I cant work out how to link to a pdf on the web.

My recovery was going to the pub and having 2 pints of Wrens Nest. Superb local ale. But not so good for aching legs...

Tim