Mick Smirthwaite Sports Massage Practice

17/11/2023

14/11/2023

25/05/2023

A common complaint is that running is bad for the knees..... "my knees hurt and cant run"..... in a generally fit and healthy adult with no health condition as such, the cause is more likely weak joints.

Here are two very common reasons. ⬇️

The joints are not conditioned. 👈
Beginning a running regime after a long period of inactivity. 👈

So, if this is the case what can be done? The first thing is understanding a little about how bone functions. There are osteoclasts and osteoblasts and these are responsible for clearing out old bone and laying down new bone.

The knee is a good example. Exercise stimulates the above process.

There are many variables that can be changed when building joint strength for running. Volume and intensity as well as environment or running terrain.

Building stamina needs structure. Off road running or trail running is a good choice, as it is generally softer on the knees, but builds incredible joint strength due to instability of surfaces as oppose to flat road running or a treadmill.

Diving into a full on programme from a sedentary lifestyle can also bring problems by way of over doing it and unprepared joints. Very similar to the achilles tendon..... that gets injured so many times due to activities like a weekend game of football after periods of inactivity.

Weak joints or soft bone do tend to cause pain as opposed to hardened bone. Bone is as equally important as muscle and benefits from strengthening. 🔶

None of this is complicated advice but basic advice!

07/12/2022

𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬
- Caused by a rapid contraction or a violent stretch of the hamstring muscle group resulting in various degrees of muscle fibre rupture.

- Common in athletes ( sprinters, jumpers, soccers) where quick e𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 are regular OR with (water skiers & bull riders) where the 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙 during injury.

𝐌𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐲 (Athletes)
During the 𝙨𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙝𝙖𝙨𝙚, hamstrings contract eccentrically to decelerate flexion of the hip and extension of the lower leg. To do this, the 𝗵𝗮𝗺𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 is 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 and the 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘀 is 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘅𝗲𝗱. So, the mis-coordination between these opposite muscles at Overspeed activities can be the cause of the hamstring strain.

20/10/2022

The cervical spine has an important role in providing the proprioceptive input, and this is reflected in the abundance of cervical mechanoreceptors and their central and reflex connections to the vestibular, visual and central nervous systems

Cervical sagittal alignment (or the alignment of your upper neck and head) affects sensorimotor control and the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS).

Normal posture is essential for sensorimotor control, potentially because it allows normal processing of afferent information, which goes into the brain.

Our central nervous system is our brain and the spinal cord connecting to every muscle, organ and tissue in the body, of course, so the findings of this study are relevant to everyone.

Ref: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31955048/

Fix it -> https://bit.ly/38KFpww

06/10/2022

Text neck syndrome refers to a repetitive stress injury to the neck caused by having your head in a forward position for extended period of time. The forward bending posture affects the curvature of the cervical spine, the neck and shoulder muscles, and supporting ligaments.

Something we are guilty of at sometime, but will become a real problem with our younger generation!!!!

22/09/2022

Toes are loaded with numerous nerve-ending receptors called nociceptors that are highly sensitive to actual and potential tissue damage.

Information from your feet is processed by your brain.a bunch of these nerve fibers at the same time. Those signals integrate in your spinal cord, which in turn relays that information to your brain. “It’s just a really big input,

Information form your feet is processed by your brain.

Let’s follow the stubbed toe message along its way to the brain.

First, the message passes from my foot, up my leg, and into my spinal cord, where it is relayed to neurons whose fibers climb all the way to the brain.

Up through the brainstem these fibers go, traveling in bundles to the brain itself where the message ping-pongs between the thalamus, hypothalamus, and a number of other regions scientists are just beginning to parse.

The electrical communication between these regions gives rise to the feeling of pain.

20/09/2022

Spinal segments and your body.

10/08/2022

The foot is made up of 26 bones and over 33 small joints together with ligaments, muscles and tendons which creates a structure that is stable but flexible and adaptive to its environment.
With age, the structure of the foot changes – especially in relation to the arch of the foot. Arthritis can also affect joints of the foot.

14/07/2022

Those that know.... Well you know 'Eric'

Open a can of WHOOP ELBOW!

13/07/2022

FYI

TISSUE HEALING

One of the most common issues I encounter when helping people recover from an injury or from surgery is of the healing times of various tissues. Everyone wants to be better now, but this isn’t realistic. Tissue healing takes time. We can’t rush it. And it’s important to understand that tissues heal at different rates depending on their physical makeup and blood supply, among other things. Additional contributing factors, such as diabetes, age, poor nutrition, inadequate rest, etc can further delay the healing process.

This chart shows the average range of healing times for various tissues in the body, including different grades of tissue injury for muscles, tendons, and ligaments. It can serve not only as a guide but also a reminder that we can’t force our bodies to heal faster than physiologically possible. What we can do is optimize the healing process by rehabbing appropriately, eating high quality food, getting adequate rest, and staying patient and positive throughout the journey.

Credit: .caleb.burgess

📚Axe MJ, et al. Potential Applications of Hyaluronans in Orthopaedics. Sports Medicine. 2005

13/07/2022

Something which most of us are guilty of!!!