The Barefoot Therapist

The Barefoot Therapist A runner fuelled by Werthers and Hot Chocolate. A Sports Therapist that thinks outside the shoebox 📦 Provision of Sports Massage is from a home clinic.

Sports Therapist with 40 years experience of athletics, running and physical body management, and dedicated to an active life, which endeavours to get to the source of the problem to assist the body to heal itself. Sports therapist for AEGON International Tennis Championships 2009-12, and International Davis Cup Tennis July 2010. Clients from all walks of life (juniors up to 90 years of age), and

as a sub three-hour marathon runner; I understand the mind performance required to achieve championship results. Regular clients include:· International and County Tennis Players, and liaisons with tennis coach and personal trainers,· International Running Athletes and County level Road Runners,· International Tri-athletes, and Cyclists,· Former Four times Olympian Fencing ChampionContinued Professional Development includes weekly session with Sports Massage Teacher.

Should you stretch?🤔👀Stretching has become a hotly debated topic with people taking hard stances in either direction (fo...
13/05/2026

Should you stretch?🤔👀

Stretching has become a hotly debated topic with people taking hard stances in either direction (for it or against it).

Some people will tell you that stretching is absolutely essential while others will tell you that it's a waste of time.

Of course, like with most things, there is some nuance to consider.

Stretching can help you improve your mobility, help manage pain, and help you feel more relaxed.

So if you like to stretch and find that it helps you, keep doing it!

However, commonly people will claim that stretching is necessary to prevent injuries from occurring, and that is not true.

If your main goal is to reduce the risk of injury, make sure you are strength training!💪🏃‍♀️🏋‍♀️

Strength training has been shown to reduce sport injuries by less than 1/3, and reduce overuse injuries by almost ½.

The “anti-stretch” crowd will use this information as justification that stretching is useless, but, as I mentioned above, although it's not helpful for injury risk reduction or prevention, it can still be helpful for other things.👌👍

So, if you like to stretch and it helps you, there's no problem with continuing to do it!👍

But if you don't like it and it doesn't seem to be very helpful for you, you don't need to worry that you're setting yourself up for a problem in the future if you don't do it.

However, cat's seem to do pretty well with stretching! Plus one needs to get in positions to take photos from Beachyhead lighthouse! 😉😁🐈
📷 Thank you Danny Garbett for the photo🫶👏

🔴🟠🟢 Worth a minute to read 🔴🟠🟢Most of the joint and tendon pain I see in a consultation is atraumatic. No fall, twist, a...
12/05/2026

🔴🟠🟢 Worth a minute to read 🔴🟠🟢

Most of the joint and tendon pain I see in a consultation is atraumatic. No fall, twist, and no activity anyone can point to. The shoulder that's been sore for three weeks or the knee that aches when going downstairs. The hip that complained after a walk no longer than any other.

The most common explanation people offer is that they slept wrong. That's not what happened.

What happened is quieter and slower. Muscles have lost strength while tendons have been losing capacity for months… well, they finally got asked to do something they no longer had the capacity for.

Sure, the pain feels sudden because the moment it started hurting seems sudden. But the process that got it there was a long time coming.

Nearly 30 years of this, and the pattern is consistent: atraumatic pain is almost always a capacity problem that finally became visible. The tissue didn't fail. The reserve ran out. Those are different problems with very different solutions, and understanding which one you have determines whether you rest and wait, or load and rebuild.

And very often… the answer will not be found on your X-ray or MRI. You’ll find many things on those scans, but you won’t find the answer to why thing started hurting and what needs to be done about them.

Most of the time, the proper treatment is… load your tissues to improve capacity. Regardless of most of the MRI findings.

Thank you Dr. Howard Luks for reminding folk 🫶

✅️ Best Hip Pain Exercises for Trochanteric BursitisWhilst working with the above on a client, I thought it would be use...
11/05/2026

✅️ Best Hip Pain Exercises for Trochanteric Bursitis

Whilst working with the above on a client, I thought it would be useful to share with you some of the exercises for the strengthening rehab required.

➡️ Maintaining strength and flexibility in hip muscles through hip pain exercise reduces the friction that causes Trochanteric Bursitis.

➡️ Trochanteric Bursitis is caused by the inflammation of your bursa, a jelly-like, fluid-filled sac that reduces friction between moving tissues in your body.

➡️ Inflammation can cause stiffness and pain, making it difficult to sit, walk, stand or sleep.

Click here for the exercises ⤵️ https://www.coreconcepts.com.sg/article/best-hip-pain-exercises-for-trochanteric-bursitis/

Or just be a cat....look at those hips!! 😽 😸

SydSnippets

10/05/2026

Osteoporosis 🦴💪👊😬

Really worth a listen to this podcast to avoid , and consider choices to manage it and prevent further deterioration if it's already diagnosed. 🦴💪👊👌👍

Did you know that every 12 years, our skeletons undergo a complete transformation?💪🦴🫶

Osteoporosis, a condition where bones become fragile, significantly increases the risk of fractures from minor incidents, often without any noticeable symptoms. Worldwide, it affects one in three women and one in five men over fifty, leading to pain, potential disability and loss of independence.

In this episode, Jonathan, Tim and Cyrus ask the question: How can understanding osteoporosis and implementing targeted lifestyle changes enhance bone health and reduce the risk of fractures?

Cyrus Cooper is a Professor of Rheumatology at the University of Southampton, where he is also the Director of the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit and Vice-Dean of Medicine. In addition, he’s a Professor of Musculoskeletal Science at the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences at the University of Oxford.

Tim Spector is one of the world’s top 100 most-cited scientists, a professor of epidemiology, and scientific Co-Founder at ZOE. Tim trained originally in rheumatology and epidemiology.

Make smarter food choices for your body. 🧠🦴👌🤓

🤓

Podcast link here ⤵️
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/what-to-eat-to-avoid-osteoporosis/id1611216298?i=1000652853315

RUNNING WITH KNEE PAIN: WHAT IS OSTEOARTHRITIS 🤔Osteoarthritis is the Knee Pain➡️ Let me explain…The first thing I would...
09/05/2026

RUNNING WITH KNEE PAIN: WHAT IS OSTEOARTHRITIS 🤔

Osteoarthritis is the Knee Pain
➡️ Let me explain…
The first thing I would like to make clear to any reader that has been diagnosed with osteoarthritis as a cause of their knee pain, is that the pain you feel is absolutely real, in many cases it can be severe, causes an awful lot of disability and most importantly, it deserves an explanation.

It is my strong belief that osteoarthritis is one of the most over-diagnosed, and mis-understood conditions that I see. A simple diagnosis of osteoarthritis can change someone’s life, and not for the better. 👍

So let’s put osteoarthritis in the dock, charged with meaninglessness and creating undue fear, and partake in a bit of cross-examination.

▶️ The Word Osteoarthritis is Meaningless
Let’s start this investigation with some definitions.
We’re are looking at the most common form of arthritis; Osteoarthritis. “Osteo” means related to bones. “Arthro” means related to joints and “itis” means inflammation.
So the term literally means bony / joint inflammation. Now the problem I have with this word is two-fold:

Bone/joint inflammation is more of an observation than a meaningful diagnosis. It doesn’t tell us anything about WHY the person is in pain.

It creates fear. The word osteoarthritis is synonymous with getting older, wearing out, crumbling away, disability, decreasing mobility and progressing e.g. it only gets worse.

➡️There are no ‘bad’ exercises for knee pain, or any condition for that matter. It’s just about understanding that some exercises are more stressful on the joint, than others, and additional factors such as adding weight, increased repetitions, duration, speed, surface, footwear will also effect the stress going through the joint.

Well worth a read, including rehab and stress loading exercises ⤵️ https://www.kinetic-revolution.com/knee-osteoarthritis-running-what-you-need-to-know/

Also, just watch a cat...they have got it right! Sleep, move, stretch, stare, eat, and repeat ☺🐈😼

SydSnippets

Today is about "A pain in the butt!! 😳😬😓A some point in your running lifetime you will probably experience HAMSTRI...
08/05/2026


Today is about
"A pain in the butt!! 😳😬😓

A some point in your running lifetime you will probably experience HAMSTRING or GLUTE injuries or ni**les....sad BUT true. 😬👀

See below for an in-depth article about how these muscle groups work, and more importantly how to and get back to running again....... 🙏👣🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️👌💪👏

Or just be a cat!! Look at that hip flexibility! 🐈👏😽 SydSnippets




Click on the article here ⤵️ https://www.physio-pedia.com/Proximal_Hamstring_Tendinopathy

*THOUGHT FOR THE DAY* 🤔💡Today before I head out for a run, I read the following, and it's something we may already know....
07/05/2026

*THOUGHT FOR THE DAY* 🤔💡

Today before I head out for a run, I read the following, and it's something we may already know...but worth sharing anyways.....👇

'Most athletic injuries don’t happen to muscle but to the connective tissue.

Sprains, strains, stress fractures, fasciitis, tendinitis are all injuries to connective tissue.

Even muscle tears/pulls are more a rupture of the connective tissue that holds muscle than of the muscle itself, fasciitis, tendinitis are all injuries to connective tissue.

Thanks for this👍

My additional thoughts that back this up are 👉... the cause of injuries usually involves the word 'use'.......

Oh, also 🙃🥴🤦‍♀️

Now go and enjoy your daily activity, hopefully without any injuries or ni**les 🙏💪😊


#

Balance & Longevity: A Surprising Connection! 👣💪Did you know? A recent study by Araujo et al., published in 2022, has un...
06/05/2026

Balance & Longevity: A Surprising Connection! 👣💪

Did you know?
A recent study by Araujo et al., published in 2022, has uncovered that the ability to stand on one leg for 10 seconds (other suggestions are 15 seconds, you can build upto this) isn't isn't just a test of balance; it’s a predictor of survival among middle-aged and older adults.

Those who couldn't complete this simple task faced a higher mortality risk over seven years, emphasising the importance of balance for our health as we age.

So here's a question: Can you stand on one leg for 10 seconds? 🕒💪
Give it a try and see what your balance says about your health!

This insight invites us to not only challenge ourselves but also to consider balance as a vital sign of our overall well-being.

Did you know that seagulls are excellent at standing on one leg! 💪😁


05/05/2026


As simple as A B C 👌🦶
Ok, it's honesty time...I may be a therapist and guide, advise clients about what they CAN and CAN'T do, and then the relevant rehab to deal with their pesky ni**les or injuries. I have decades of running experience to international level, sub 3hr marathon, and 5k to 100 miles, local club to European level.
And yet despite this, at times, I can still managed to give myself a **le 😬🦶
How? 🤔 Don't worry, this is an older tip for you all, and here's how the story goes.......
Simple - busy looking at the beauty around me, and not noticing the rabbit hole !🐰🐇🌼💚🌞🌊 The weather, my own mindset and - above all - the free time I had to play☺
Cue one ankle strain, not a major 'concern' as I flicked out of it quickly.....phew!😬😓
On today's run, when I felt things starting to tighten up, I stopped and did some self-treatment straight away that helped to loosen those nagging ni**les before they turned into injuries.
So for anyone with tightness in the ankle or foot, here's a simple mobilising technique to help address issues immediately, whether on the trail, road or (whisper it....😬😱😳) on the dreadmill. 🏃‍♀️👣
So here's what we do...tune in regularly for professional guidance on how to cope if you are in the same situation. 👇
Special thanks to :
Nail varnish, to make my feet a little more interesting for the video!😁 💙💛💅



https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1GMjsMCRKh/

🔴🟠🟢 ADAPTION🔴🟠🟢After a hard workout, your heart rate is elevated. Your muscles are sore. You’re fatigued. Within 24 to 4...
04/05/2026

🔴🟠🟢 ADAPTION🔴🟠🟢

After a hard workout, your heart rate is elevated. Your muscles are sore. You’re fatigued. Within 24 to 48 hours, you’ve recovered. Your resting heart rate returns to baseline. Your soreness fades. Your energy comes back. The next time you face that same challenge, it feels a little easier.

That’s adaptation. The system was stressed; it invested resources in remodeling and emerged more resilient.
In measurable terms, adaptation looks like:

✅️Heart rate variability (HRV) drops acutely with stress but recovers within a day or two.

✅️Inflammatory markers that spike briefly after exertion, then normalise.

✅️Sleep that may be disrupted for one night but self-corrects.

✅️Soreness that peaks at 24-48 hours and then resolves.

✅️Performance metrics that trend upward over weeks.

Subjectively, adaptation feels like you’re getting stronger💪🤸‍♀️👌 There’s fatigue, yes, but it’s productive fatigue. You can feel yourself bouncing back. 💪🤸‍♀️👌

This includes coming back from injury, it may take time, however your body is an amazing piece of kit! 🫶🦴🫀🫁🦶🦵💪👊



Thanks Dr. Howard Luks for the reminder

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