CJS Muscle Therapy

01/08/2025

🔥 Still struggling with lower back pain? You might be making it worse without realising it.

Here are 3 common mistakes that I see all the time in the clinic:

1️⃣ Pushing through the pain – "It’ll go away" often leads to bigger issues.
2️⃣ Too much rest – Staying still for days slows your recovery.
3️⃣ Slouching at your desk or sofa – Poor posture = extra pressure on your spine.

✅ At CJS Muscle Therapy (Wooburn Green), I help clients treat the root cause of their pain — not just the symptoms. With targeted Sports & Remedial massage, I’ll get you moving better, faster.

📍Based near Beaconsfield / High Wycombe?
📅 Book your session now and start feeling the difference:
👉 cjsmuscletherapy.co.uk/book-online

09/07/2025

Some of you may have met Poppy over the years. Some (her) would say she is the hardest worker on the team and never stops. Well today is Poppy's 8th birthday. As requested by her, the day will be full of cuddles, food, treats, walks and maybe (if she's lucky) the odd pheasant to chase if she can find one.

Happy birthday Poppy!

23/06/2025

The Transverse Abdominis is the deepest of the abdominal muscles, and plays a vital role in the stabilisation of the core (and whole body!) and protection of the lower back from harm.

It attaches to the lateral inguinal ligament, iliac crest, thoracolumbar fascia and the internal surfaces of the lower six ribs, and it inserts onto the re**us sheath to the linea alba. In short, it is extensive and acts like a corset around the abdomen, resulting in it being a major stabiliser of the back.

If this muscle is not working to its most optimum then it can cause serious dysfunction within the body, with the result being that you could experience lower back pain, and the potential for other soft tissue complaints in different areas of the body, due to compensation patterns. It can also hinder sporting performance if it is not firing correctly, due to how it stabilises the body when performing movements.

‘Traditional’ exercises for the Transverse Abdominis include exercises such as the plank. If you are new to exercise or are in the early stages of your rehabilitation plan, then I suggest that this exercise is a little too advanced, as it can put unnecessary pressure on the lower back if it isn’t performed correctly.

As time progresses though, the Transverse Abdominis needs to be trained in unison with other muscles to truly integrate it, and to encourage global stabilisation in the body. However, like most muscles you need to ensure that you know how to engage it before you integrate it into the ‘bigger’ more complex movements.

Do you know how to engage and train the Transverse Abdominis and core muscles? Do you suffer from lower back pain and don’t include Transverse Abdominis exercises into your routine or think crunches are the answer? If you answered yes to any of the above, then now maybe the time to get in contact.....

16/06/2025

09/06/2025

Lateral Epicondylitis aka Tennis Elbow.

This condition is an inflammation or tendinopathy of the muscles of the forearm and generally occurs after overuse or repeated action of these muscles.

Although it is more commonly known as ‘Tennis Elbow’, it is really important to note that the majority of people who present with this condition don’t actually play tennis or any racquet sports.

You may find that you experience pain around the lateral side of your elbow joint, with discomfort travelling down the forearm when you:

• Lift or bend your arm
• Grip small objects, such as a pen
• Twisting movements, like when you open a jar or turn a door handle

It can be a debilitating condition that not only can stop you from playing the sports that you love, but can stop you from performing everyday tasks.

Soft tissue massage works really well at reducing symptoms. The best and lasting results come with a combination of massage, dry needling and strength exercises. These will allow you to achieve great results and become pain free.

30/05/2025

If struggling to perform everyday movements is impacting your life, then something may need to change....

26/05/2025

The SIJ or sacroiliac joint is the connection between your spine and pelvis. It is a common area of dysfunction and can be a cause of lower back pain.

If you experience pain in the area shown in the picture, find it difficult to bend forwards or straighten your spine or rotate it, then you may have a hypomobile (reduced movement) or dysfunctional SIJ.

It is quite common to have a dysfunctional SIJ, and I see quite a lot of patients that present with it in clinic.

If you want to reduce pain and/or increase mobility in that area, then a balance of mobility and strength work is key.

Head over to my YouTube channel if you want some great exercise advice for increasing mobility at the SIJ.

23/05/2025

Hip flexors. I've spoken about them previously and their impact on lower back and hip pain (and even hamstring pain), but do you know how to specifically target them with a stretch?

My video shows how to target one of the hip flexors, iliopsoas (actually it's two muscles - iliacus and psoas major, but lets not split hairs) in one of the most effective ways.

If you are sat down a lot during the day (at a desk, drive a car etc) or participate in a sport that involves a lot of hip flexion (kicking) or where you are in a flexed position (cycling, rowing) then include this into your routine if you aren't already. Your hips, lower back and the rest of your body will thank you for it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFbdewfb_wA

A great, static stretch for the hip flexors. If you have short, tight hip flexors, an anteriorly rotated pelvis or dominant hip flexors that need to be lengt...

19/05/2025

What's your goal, and I'm not talking about just becoming pain free?

I mean, what really puts fire in your belly?

Is it being able to run around and play with your children or grandchildren? Maybe it's getting back to playing the sport that you so desperately want to play.

Now, how are you going to get there? Do you have the tools and motivation to go it alone, or are you going to get advice from professionals?

Results take time and don't happen overnight. Hold on to that goal and use it as your driving force. Be patient and work hard, but never forget, you don't have to do it alone.

16/05/2025

12/05/2025

Strengthening exercises. Stretches. Hot and cold therapy. You've tried all of them to reduce your lower back pain.

Well, have you tried Sports and Remedial Massage?

Sports and Remedial Massage isn't about a quick 'rub of the skin' to reduce your pain. A skilled therapist (🙋‍♂️) will look into your history, your lifestyle etc, and won't just focus on where you feel the pain (9 out of 10 times where you feel the pain is a symptom and not the cause), but expand to look at you as a whole. You should also be offered advice (lifestyle, stretching, strengthening) for when you're outside of the treatment room to reinforce your treatment plan.

So if you haven't tried Sports and Remedial Massage to reduce your pain, then maybe now is the time.

09/05/2025

Do you suffer with chronic lower back pain?

Maybe you have tried many back mobility exercises that have helped a little, but have never got to the real issue.

Have you thought about trying mobility exercises or strengthening exercises for the hips?

It has long been recognised that chronic lower back pain and reduced hip mobility are interwoven, and that improving mobility and stability at the hips, can reduce lower back pain.

The paper below shows how a randomised trial helped reduce lower back in individuals using hip mobility and hip strengthening.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sara-Winter-2/publication/273151451_Effectiveness_of_targeted_home-based_hip_exercises_in_individuals_with_non-specific_chronic_or_recurrent_low_back_pain_with_reduced_hip_mobility_A_randomised_trial/links/5b43ee4e458515f71cb88d7c/Effectiveness-of-targeted-home-based-hip-exercises-in-individuals-with-non-specific-chronic-or-recurrent-low-back-pain-with-reduced-hip-mobility-A-randomised-trial.pdf