Sports Massage by Vicky Heys

03/10/2024

Date - 19th OctoberTime - 10.00amDistance - 4.5 milesPlace - Accrington Train Station, Eagle Street, Accrington BB5 1LJ

07/05/2024

Rear foot or Heel-strike gait is arguably the most common footstrike pattern in runners.

Yet it gets such a bad press and is often chastised as the cause of many running related issues and something that must be remedied.

However we see no clear benefit from switching to a different strike pattern and in fact there is a case to be made that rearfoot may be more efficient, especially in longer duration endurance races.

In truth all footstrike patterns have pros and cons, and affect joint loading at the hip, knee, ankle and foot in varying ways.

All can be contributors to pain and injury and switching can be a symptom reliever by altering those loads.

However training to make deliberate and significant changes in someone’s footstrike can also lead to sudden increases in load on different tissues, potentially leading to separate issues.

What we should be doing is maybe thinking of Footstrike as a range that falls on a spectrum or continuum. As we change speed, stride length, Cadence and / or fatigue levels, then we can move along this continuum and find ourselves using various footstrike patterns that will be most appropriate for that particular moment.

If trying to change pattern to enhance performance then there may be little to no benefit in reality, if trying to change to help reduce pain and manage injury then little variations and changes could be beneficial to alter load and tissue stress.

10/12/2023

It’s that time of year when I get lots of stressed patients worrying about how they will get all their rehab done over the festive period.

Work, family, travel and other commitments can make it a difficult time to get the rehab done.

Although for those in the acute stage of injury we may well want them to try to persevere, for most, in truth, a week or so of reduced rehab or even a complete break will do no harm and may even help you refocus post Xmas.

Don’t beat yourselves up, do some, do all or have a break.

We usually have plenty of space for some adaptation in a rehab plan.

Rehab breaks can work well all year round.

16/11/2023

13/11/2023

🔈 TIGHT HIP FLEXORS CAN GIVE YOU A HEADACHE

ℹ️ Can tight hip flexor muscles cause a headache? Certainly, tight myofascial tissue in one region of the body can cause pain and/or dysfunction locally, but as most manual therapists know, it can also cause pain and dysfunction elsewhere in the body. There are many ways that a problem in one region of the body can affect another distant region of the body, including myofascial meridian lines of tension and myofascial trigger point referral. But another way is through mechanical kinematic chains of myofascial pulls that result in postural distortion compensation patterns. So, with this in mind, let’s examine the kinematic chain of elements that can lead from tight hip flexor musculature to headaches.

💡 A kinematic chain of elements simply refers to the links in a chain that are interconnected that involve movement. So, for example, the movement of the lower extremity involves the following kinematic “links”: foot, leg, thigh, and pelvis. Similarly, the movement links of the upper extremity are the: hand, forearm, arm, and shoulder girdle. And the kinematic links of the axial body are the: pelvis, lumbar spine, thoracic spine, cervical spine, and head. The concept is that motion and posture at one link of the chain affects motion and posture at the other links along the chain.

So, here is how it is happening:

➡️ Tight hip flexor musculature causes excessive anterior tilt of the pelvis,
➡️ which causes hyperlordosis of the lumbar spine,
➡️ which causes hyperkyphosis of the thoracic spine,
➡️ which causes hypolordosis of the lower to middle cervical spine with hyperlordosis (hyperextension) of the head at the atlanto-occipital joint,
➡️ which causes forward head carriage,
➡️ which causes tight posterior neck muscles,
➡️ which causes a headache.

✔️ CONCLUSION

When working as a manual therapist, it is necessary not only have excellent hands-on skills, but also understand how the human body functions mechanically and learn to recognize patterns of mechanics and pathomechanics that travel through the body.

05/09/2023

Your September practice calendar is here!

Designed to help motivate you, support you, ground you and lift you. The cycle of a month is one in which we can start again, each time seeking new sensation, feedback, discovery and direction.

The yoga calendar is free for all to use and participate with. The goal is to take the guesswork out, make it accessible, and above all make sure everyone can drop in to a quality practice that is safe and empowering.

September marks the birthday of Yoga With Adriene! As we enter our 11 year as a community, I thank you for sharing your practice with me. It is an honor to be considered your guide, and your friend.

“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing
and rightdoing, there is a field.
I'll meet you there.

When the soul lies down in that grass
the world is too full to talk about.

What you seek, is seeking you.”

RUMI

Here’s to a wonderful month! Remember, the hardest part is showing up.

Sincerely,
Adriene

Tap the link below to download your September SEEK Calendar and link to playlist!
https://yogawithadriene.com/calendar/

06/07/2023

𝐆𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐮𝐬 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐮𝐬
——
📚Gluteus Medius (GM) is typically recognized for its action an an abductor of the hip joint. However, in closed-chain scenarios (foot fixed to the ground), GM also helps control the proximal lower quarter, including the pelvis, spine and knee.

🔎Because GM is a hip abductor and operates in the frontal plane of motion, it is also intimately involved in controlling other aspects of the kinetic chain that move in the frontal plane. For instance, a lack of GM control can contribute to not only medial knee collapse (hip adduction), but also to contralateral pelvic drop (shown in this image) and lateral bending of the trunk.

🧠A lack of control at the hip, pelvis or trunk could be associated with the development of knee, hip or lumbar region pain or, depending on the activity, increase one’s risk of suffering certain injuries like ACL and MCL tears.

✅Stay tuned for my next two posts, which will show exercises and soft tissue mobilization techniques for gluteus medius.

16/06/2023

🔈 RHOMBOIDS MUSCLE PAIN

Each one of us has had muscle pain at some point in our lives. Some people, however, experience worsening and commonly occurring muscle pain in certain areas. Among this is rhomboid muscle pain, which is more common and worse than any other pain and is one of the most frustrating pains. There are many people who don’t know where exactly is rhomboid muscle situated, but they have felt pain in that region at some time or other for sure.

Pain of the rhomboid muscle is the pain, which is present in the upper back region just beneath the neck and between the upper shoulder blades. Rhomboid muscle helps in controlling the arms and shoulders. If you have spent an entire day carrying heavy load, then the rhomboid muscle bears the brunt of it. The rhomboid muscle is shaped like a triangle and is a very thin muscle. It is a skeletal muscle that is connected to the bone and helps in movement of the joints. The rhomboid muscles include rhomboid minor muscle and rhomboid major muscle.

Rhomboid muscle connects the spine to the medial edges of the shoulder blades along with helping in maintaining a good posture. If these muscles are used excessively then it causes pain. This excessive use can result from playing sports, such as golf or tennis and can also occur from carrying heavy load on the upper back and even wrong movements, such as trying to reach for something heavy from a high shelf. All the muscles in the body are composed of many tiny muscle fibers. They have to move in unison for movement of the joints and limbs. All these tiny muscle fibers build up the muscle and hence are very strong. However, if isolated and left on their own they become weak and become more susceptible to tear. This is commonly seen when an individual goes to gym. Pain in the rhomboid muscle causes difficulty in the patient in moving his/her arms and can be described as mild to severe pain in the upper back. Treatment for Rhomboid Muscle Pain comprises of rest, cold compresses and medications.

Possible Causes of Rhomboid Muscle:
* Sitting on chair for long time with poor posture especially from prolonged use of computer
* Sitting in a car for long time can strain your rhomboid muscles causing inflammation of the rhomboid muscle.

Signs & Symptoms of Rhomboid Muscle Pain

* Patient experiences pain and loss of movement. This is called as shoulder blade pain or rhomboid pain.
* Patient will also have swelling as the body is healing from rhomboid muscle pain. This will result in more discomfort.
* In some patients, there is compression of a nerve leading to acute shooting pain resulting in painful and difficult movements.

07/03/2023

17/02/2023

TINNITUS AND TMJ DISORDER

Background
There is a close relationship between certain problems with the jaw joint (temporo-mandibular joint or TMJ) and tinnitus. Scientific studies have shown that people with TMJ problems are more likely to suffer from tinnitus. Similarly, some individuals who have sustained an injury to their neck may also suffer from tinnitus. Some people with either TMJ problems or neck problems are able to alter the intensity of their tinnitus by moving their mouth, jaw, face and neck. Successful treatment of the underlying problem can be associated with an improvement of tinnitus symptoms.

What is the temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ)?
The TMJ is a complex joint as it has to allow for side-to-side and front to back movements that take place during chewing. The muscles that make the jaw move are some of the most powerful in the body. This means that quite large forces have to act through the TMJ. As a result, the joint is at risk of damage just as much as any other weight-bearing joint in the body. TMJ problems can be due to trauma, such as a ‘pulled muscle’ or a dislocation to the fibrous disc that sits in the hinge joint. Other TMJ problems may be due to longer-term problems such as arthritis within the joint.

What are the symptoms of TMJ problems?
The usual symptoms of TMJ problems are pain, which may be felt as earache, clunking of the jaw, or limitation of movement, causing difficulty in opening the mouth. Other symptoms that may arise are swelling of the joint, headaches, neck pain and tinnitus. Some people notice that when stressed, they grind their teeth - particularly at night - and this can put pressure on the TMJ.

How does the TMJ affect tinnitus?
There are three main theories behind why problems with the TMJ may cause tinnitus, or make it worse. Firstly, the chewing muscles are near to some of the muscles that insert into the middle ear and so may have an effect on hearing, and so may promote tinnitus. Secondly, there can be a direct connection between the ligaments that attach to the jaw and one of the hearing bones that sits in the middle ear. Thirdly, the nerve supply from the TMJ has been shown to have connections with the parts of the brain that are involved with both hearing and the interpretation of sound. The general discomfort associated with TMJ problems can also aggravate any pre-existing tinnitus.

How can TMJ problems be diagnosed?
Your dentist can often diagnose TMJ problems on clinical examination. If necessary, the dentist will refer you for further tests. Disorders of the TMJ may be investigated with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans and even, on occasion, by arthroscopy, which is a small procedure where a tiny camera is inserted into the joint.

What can be done about it?
A variety of treatments are available to treat TMJ disorders. If your tinnitus is related to your TMJ problem, the tinnitus may improve as the TMJ problems get resolved.

There are some simple measures that can help TMJ problems, such as a change to a soft diet, jaw muscle massage and exercises. For people who grind their teeth or clench their jaw, a bite-appliance may be made which corrects the way in which the jaw works and reduces the stresses and loads on it. This can be disposed of when normal function is restored. In exceptional cases a specialist dentist, known as a maxillo-facial surgeon, may be required to perform surgery on the TMJ.

Source: The British Tinnitus Association

06/02/2023

Pronation has long been the perceived enemy of the runner.

Yet this mechanism which is much needed in fact, often causes no issue whatsoever in runners.

But somehow people are steered and advised to limit/ avoid / alter it at all costs.

Of course if you experience issues we may temporarily do something about it to offload the structures that are annoyed and irritated for a period of time.

This study assessed if novice runners with different foot positions had more / less injury by simply wearing a neutral show regardless of their foot mechanics.

Here’s the findings but it’s important to not some of the caveats they state further on regarding unknowns and further research 👍

“There appears to be no risk that overpronation or underpronation can lead to running injuries through using neutral shoes for this special group of healthy beginners.”

This is the result of a study conducted at Aarhus University which has just been published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine under the title "Foot pronation is not associated with increased injury risk in novice runners wearing a neutral shoe."

Healthy runners monitored for 12 months

Researchers have followed 927 healthy novice runners with different pronation types for a full year.

All study participants received the same model of neutral running shoe, regardless of whether they had neutral foot pronation or not.

During the study period, 252 people suffered an injury, and the runners ran a total of 163,401 km.

"We have now compared runners with neutral foot pronation with the runners who pronate to varying degrees, and our findings suggest that overpronating runners do not have a higher risk of injury than anyone else,"

"This is a controversial finding as it has been assumed for many years that it is injurious to run in shoes without the necessary support if you over/underpronate," he says.

Rasmus Ø. Nielsen emphasises that the study has not looked at what happens when you run in a pair of non-neutral shoes, and what runners should consider with respect to pronation and choice of shoe once they have already suffered a running injury.

Focus on other risk factors

The researchers are now predicting that in future we will stop regarding foot pronation as a major risk factor in connection with running injuries among healthy novice runners.

Instead, they suggest that beginners should consider other factors such as overweight, training volume and old injuries to avoid running injuries.

"However, we still need to research the extent to which feet with extreme pronation are subject to a greater risk of running injury than feet with normal pronation," says Rasmus Ø. Nielsen.

Three key results

In the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the researchers point to three key results:

The study contradicts the current assumption that over/underpronation in the foot leads to an increased risk of running injury if you run in a neutral pair of running shoes.

The study shows that the risk of injury was the same for runners after the first 250 km, irrespective of their pronation type.

The study shows that the number of injuries per 1,000 km of running was significantly lower among runners who over/underpronate than among those with neutral foot pronation.

Journal Reference:

R. O. Nielsen, I. Buist, E. T. Parner, E. A. Nohr, H. Sorensen, M. Lind, S. Rasmussen. Foot pronation is not associated with increased injury risk in novice runners wearing a neutral shoe: a 1-year prospective cohort study. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2013; DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2013-092202