MK Sports Therapy

10/04/2022

Congratulations to my client Ruth Dorset who completed the Welsh Marathon today. Ruth completed the run in a time of 4hrs 38mins, knocking 30 mins off her previous personal best 😳. Ruth’s goal is to complete a marathon in each of the British Isles. England and Wales done 👍🏻

www.justgiving.com/Ruth-Dorset61

10/04/2022

When one of your clients takes part in the TV programme SAS Who Dares Wins. Starting tonight on Channel 4 at 9pm. Tom Boulden

09/07/2021

The end of another incredibly busy week helping my amazing clients recover from injury or rebuild their lives after illness.

Now for some family time 👨‍👩‍👧 and hope the boys can bring it home 🤞🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

www.mksportstherapy.co.uk

www.plymouthneurophysio.com

26/06/2021

New Location!

MK Sports Therapy is pleased to announce a new, improved treatment facility.

We are now located at the Plymouth Neurophysio HQ based in Unique Mobility.

The address is Unit 1, Drakes Mill Business Park, Estover Road, Plymouth, PL6 7PS

We also provide mobile sports massage therapy, injury treatment and exercise therapy in the comfort and convenience of your own home 🏡

www.mksportstherapy.co.uk

www.plymouthneurophysio.com

26/06/2021

New toy ready to let loose on my clients 👍🏻😬

24/04/2021

🛑 Hip Flexor Strain 🛑

PATHOLOGY & ANATOMY:

📍Lifting your knee toward your body takes the work of many muscles, which are collectively known as your hip flexors. The hip flexor muscles include:

* the iliacus and psoas major muscles, also known as your iliopsoas

* the re**us femoris, which is part of your quadriceps

📍These muscles and the tendons that connect them to your bones can easily be strained if you overuse them.

📍A hip flexor strain is a stretch or tear of a muscle in your hip. You use the hip flexor muscles when you flex or lift your knee, do high kicks, or bend at the waist.

📍Depending on the severity of the injury, it can take one to eight weeks for a hip flexor injury to heal. Minor injuries typically require one to three weeks of recovery time, while more severe muscle tears can take four to eight weeks.

SYMPTOMS:

❌ Sharp pain in the hip or pelvis after trauma

❌ Sudden hip pain

❌ Upper leg feeling tender and sore

❌ Muscle spasms

❌ Swelling and bruising on the thighs or hip

❌ Tightness and stiffness after long periods of rest

❌ Cramping in the upper leg

❌ Pain when lifting your leg to the chest

CAUSES:

❗️Your muscles can get strained from overuse i.e. dancing, cycling and running

❗️An athlete who jumps or runs with high knee kicks

❗️Athletes who do forceful kicking activities, i.e. football or martial arts

❗️A hip flexor strain represents a tearing in the muscles. These tears can range from mild to severe:

* Grade I tear: a minor tear, in which only a few fibers are damaged

* Grade II tear: a significant number of muscle fibers are damaged and you have a moderate loss of hip flexor function

* Grade III tear: the muscle is completely ruptured or torn, and you usually can’t walk without a limp

⠀
TREATMENT:

✅ Immediate treatment to help relieve pain:

* Put an ice pack, gel pack, or package of frozen vegetables wrapped in a cloth on the sore area every 3 to 4 hours for up to 20 minutes at a time.

* Take nonprescription pain medicine, such as ibuprofen.

✅ Change or stop doing the activities that cause pain until the muscles have healed. E.g. swim instead of cycle or run.

✅ Stretching and strengthening exercises

✅ Warm-up exercises and stretching before activities can help prevent injuries.

✅ If your hip or thigh hurts after exercise, putting ice on it may help.

✅ When you ride a bicycle, make sure the seat is at the right height for you.

11/04/2021

🛑 Postural Imbalance 🛑

A lot of issues can stem from an imbalance at our hips through either tightness or lack of strength. Some issues include:

❗️Lower back pain 😩

❗️Knee pain🦵🏼

❗️Pain whilst running or walking 🏃🏾‍♂️🏃🏼‍♀️

❗️Pain or difficulties during bilateral lower limb strengthening🏋🏼‍♀️

We are often unaware that we have imbalances but they tend to be most common in:

‼️ Those who lean to one side or are very one side dominant

‼️ Those coming from a sport that is one side dominant e.g. football and transferring to a bilateral sport e.g. running

‼️ Those suffering with Scoliosis of the spine

‼️ Those with leg length discrepancy

The pictures below provide a visual on how postural imbalances may affect the body.
There are also pictures which display a few exercises that will help strengthen you equally.

If you feel that you are struggling with unbalanced hips and referred pain then get in touch. I will be able to provide a postural analysis and a treatment plan to get you pain free 👍🏻

www.mksportstherapy.co.uk

11/04/2021

🟢 Interesting Fact 🟢

11/04/2021

🛑 Sacroiliac Joint Pain (Lower Back Pain) 🛑
⠀

PATHOLOGY & ANATOMY
⠀
📍Lower back pain is very common, the sacroiliac joint (SI-Joint) is a major source of lower back pain.

📍Pain originating from the SI-Joint is usually underdiagnosed and usually intributed to other sources such as the hip and spine!
⠀
📍The SI-Joints are weight bearing joints, these joints distribute weight from the spine to the lower extremities through the hip joints.

📍From the front, the SI-Joint is supported by the sacroiliac ligaments. There are also strong muscles (Psoas, Iliacus) and important nerves (Lumbosacral plexus) for the thigh and leg in front of the SI-Joint.

📍From the back, the SI-Joint has strong posterior ligaments, the sciatic nerve crosses underneath the piriformis muscle, all this is covered by strong back muscles (Iliocostalis muscle, Longissimus thoracic muscle)
⠀

SYMPTOMS:

❌ Lower back, buttock, back of thigh and knee pain

❌ Difficulty and discomfort while sitting

❌Reduced mobility and discomfort when moving

❌Patient frequently changes position to become comfortable

❌Muscle spasms and tightness in the low back, pelvis, and hips

CAUSES:

❗️Leg length discrepancy

❗️Fall or a direct blow during contact sports

❗️Mechanical dysfunction (Misalignment)

❗️Sudden movements or poor body mechanics while lifting heavy objects

❗️Arthropathy (Joint disease/Arthritis)

❗️Stomach or Gastro-intestinal adhesions (Osteopathic view)
⠀

TREATMENT:

✅Anti-inflammatory medication

✅Physical therapy, Osteopathy, Massage Therapy

✅Maintain correct posture during activities and when sitting

✅Maintain a healthy weight and stay active

✅I-Joint injections: PRP (platelet rich plasma)

07/04/2021

⭐️FOAM ROLLING⭐️

❗️How often do I see or treat a client that has a foam roller and does not know how to use it❗️

👍🏻 Foam rolling is a great way to relieve muscle tension and help get those painful "knots" out of tight muscles.

👍🏻 When using the foam roller hold pressure on any sensitive areas for at least 20-30 seconds, or until you feel the tension lessen and the muscle start to relax.

Here is a little step by step guide on how to foam roll and a few of its benefits:

✅ More effective than a static stretch - its a form of "self-massage".

✅ Technique is easy and you simply apply body weight to release tight areas for as long as you feel necessary or until tightness/ pain disappears.

✅ Increases blood flow and oxygen to the tissue, helping the natural healing process.

✅ Helps increase flexibility, lengthen muscles and prevent injury.

✅ Apply long sweeping strokes to large muscles, rolling towards the heart and not over joints.

❌ It should not cause bruising or make you feel worse following a session- if this is the case please seek guidance from a qualified therapist.

❌ It's not as effective as a sports massage, its is a AID to treatment. For best results combine with treatment.

Photos:
1. Quadriceps - start above knee and roll up into hip joint.

2. Hamstrings - start above back of knee and roll up into buttocks.

3. Calfs - start at the back of the ankle and roll to bottom of knee joint.

4. Gluteals - cross ankle over opposite knee and roll over the outside edge of buttock.

5. Abductors - start above knee on outside of leg, you will need to take additional weight through opposite leg, roll up into hip.

6. Adductors - start at the inside (medial aspect) of the knee and roll up towards the groin.

7. Lower Back - start above buttocks, roll up into the middle of the back.

8. Upper Back - start in the middle of the back and roll up to the base of neck (but not onto neck) changing the position of arms to target different back muscles.

9. Neck - gently lie your head down, so that the foam roller is under your neck and slowly pivot your head from side to side. (‼️NB Be very careful not to apply too much pressure on your spine and possibly cause injury‼️)

10. Outer lower leg (Peroneals) - start above the ankle joint (lateral malleolus), roll up towards the outer knee.

11. Latissimus Dorsi - lie down on one side, with your foam roller underneath your armpit, lift your hips off the floor and roll slowly, down from your armpit, along your lats.

Happy rolling! 💪🏻

www.mksportstherapy.co.uk

07/04/2021

Hello and welcome to MK Sports Therapy. My name is Mike and I am a fully qualified and insured Sports and Exercise Therapist.

After graduating from university with a Sports Science Degree in 2002 I completed a diploma in Personal Training and Sports Therapy. Since then I have worked in the health and fitness industry as a Sports Therapist and Personal Trainer for more than 16yrs, specialising predominantly in rehabilitation.

This involved understanding, analysing and measuring a wide range of injuries and then facilitating appropriate treatments to promote recovery and performance.

I joined Plymouth Neurophysio as a Rehabilitation Assistant & Exercise Therapist in 2019. The Plymouth Neurophysio team specialise in the assessment and treatment of adults and children with all neurological conditions.

07/04/2021

https://www.csp.org.uk

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) is the professional, educational and trade union body for the UK's 60,000 chartered physiotherapists, physiotherapy students and support workers.

07/04/2021

https://www.plymouthneurophysio.com

Plymouth Neurophysio | physiotherapy services at home or work for clients with acquired brain injury, stroke, cerebral palsy etc in Plymouth, Devon

06/04/2021

💥Exercise and Pain💥

❓Can I exercise/train if I’m in pain❓
..I get asked this a lot and it all depends on your body’s response during training and after training.

‼️ Dr C. Burgess (2020) suggests that if you're suffering from pain, monitoring the following 3 activity responses can help guide you regarding when to back off or modify an exercise or activity (or the total volume of activities) and when it's likely acceptable to continue or progress:

1️⃣ Pain DURING activity

2️⃣ Symptom response for 24 hours AFTER activity

3️⃣ The TREND in symptoms over time

🤕 Ideally, we'd like to keep pain levels minimal to none (0-3/10), although in some cases moderate amounts are acceptable (4-5/10)

📉 We'd also like to see it settle back down to baseline levels within 24 hours and that the trend over time is an improvement in symptoms and activity tolerance

🚨 If we’re not achieving this, we may need to review activity levels and modify them to create the desired response

🤔 If you're having trouble figuring out how to keep your pain levels in these tolerable ranges, try to modify one or more of the following as it relates to your activity or exercise of choice:

✅ Range of Motion:
If deep squats hurt, try decreasing the depth a bit

✅ Exercise:
If an exercise hurts, choose a different one that is more tolerable and provides a similar stimulus

✅ Contraction Type:
If concentric (shortening) contraction of the muscle hurts, try eccentrics (lengthening). If that still hurts, try isometrics (contraction without movement)

✅ Body Position:
Seated shoulder presses hurt? Lean the seat back 5 or 10 degrees and try that instead

✅ Rest Time:
Increasing the rest between sets can allow you to perform a bit more volume without being limited by endurance

✅ Frequency:
If training 5x/week is too much, try dropping to 3 or 4x/week

✅ Duration:
If a 20 minute run bothers your knee, try a 15 minute one. Or perform walk-jog intervals for 20 minutes

✅ Weight/Load:
If deadlifting 315 lbs hurts, try decreasing the weight. If running on concrete hurts, run on a track

✅ Speed:
Faster speeds usually require a greater capacity from the body. Try slowing down your reps or runs

For more information regarding pain management and exercise please get in touch.

Dr C. Burgess (2020)
https://drcalebburgess.com

Dr Caleb Burgess specialises in helping athletes and active people of all ages reach peak performance in their sport or activity of choice while helping to bulletproof their bodies to stay injury free in the process.

06/04/2021

Can I have a Sports Massage ? 💭

Many people ask ‘Don’t you have to be an athlete to have a Sports Massage?’ ...
.. absolutely not 👌🏻

The techniques that are used in Sports Massage to help the body for optimal performance can also benefit those who aren’t of the sporting population due to every day stresses in life and occupation 💪🏼

Sports Massage can help in ...

📍 Reducing pain

📍 Promotes relaxation

📍 Helps to reduce stress / anxiety

📍 Promotes recovery

🟢 One of the key benefits of Sports massage therapy compared to other modalities is its ability to target muscle-tendon junctions.

🟢 A 2010 study in the journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that even a 30-second massage improved hip-flexor range of motion.

🟢 Another study conducted by Margaret Jones, Ph.D. of the American College of Sports Medicine, demonstrated a notable trend toward decreased muscle soreness in the athletes who received massage either before or after exercise.

✅ Athletes have discovered that specially designed sports massage promotes flexibility, reduces fatigue, improves endurance, helps prevent injuries and prepares their body and mind for optimal performance.

✅ For anyone participating in regular physical activity, Sports massage therapy may be a great addition to your normal regime.

For more information and to book in for a treatment please get in touch.

06/04/2021

✅ Interesting Fact ✅

06/04/2021

🛑 Sternocleidomastoid Pain (Neck Pain) 🛑

The muscle responsible for the large majority of neck pain is called the Sternocleidomastoid. This huge muscle helps us to rotate, bend and flex our neck, helping to stabilise our head, it also plays a part in chewing and swallowing.

Sternocleidomastoid Pain/Syndrome is a result of trigger points forming in the sternocleidomastoid muscle. This leads to muscular pain and other symptoms.

Trigger points are tight, sensitive areas of the muscle that can be caused by stress, poor posture, and neck injuries, among other causes.

SYMPTOMS:

❌ Neck pain

❌ Discomfort in the shoulders and upper back

❌ Headaches

❌ Pain in the ears and nose

❌ Poor posture

❌ Dizziness and Nausea

CAUSES:

❗️Chronic health conditions (such as asthma, acute respiratory infections, sinusitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, and the flu)

❗️Whiplash or falls

❗️Carrying heavy objects

❗️Poor posture (when a person spends long days hunched over a computer)

❗️Overhead work such as painting, carpentry, or hanging curtains

❗️ Sleeping in an awkward position

TREATMENT:

✅ Massage Therapy will lengthen and iron out these muscle fibres relieving the tightness

✅ Ultrasound treatment

✅ Heat packs and heat creams

✅ Lifestyle changes (addressing poor posture and imbalances)

✅ Pain management: Rest, ice, heat, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

✅ Gentle stretches and exercises can help restore strength to the neck and reduce stiffness

✅ A supportive mattress with a thin or cervical pillow