<![CDATA[Touch Point Therapy, massage therapy for Huntingdon - Blog]]>Sun, 27 May 2012 07:40:00 +0000Weebly<![CDATA[How to quickly touch your toes]]>Wed, 16 May 2012 19:38:57 +0000http://www.massagehuntingdon.com/2/post/2012/05/how-to-quickly-touch-your-toes.htmlDo you find it difficult to touch your toes?  You are not alone.  Research has shown that half the population cannot touch their toes due to tight hamstring muscles.  Experts blame this lack of flexibility on poor lifestyles.  Tight hamstrings can lead to a range of problems: back pain, knee problems, hip pain, muscle strains.

Now a study published by Coventry University shows that the Bowen Technique, a gentle remedial complementary therapy, reduces hamstring tightness and increases flexibility.  This effect was observed after a single treatment with most of the participants either being able to touch their toes or showing a significant improvement after a single treatment!

Have a look at the complete article on Bowen research

Do you have tight hamstrings?  Try a Bowen session and let me know how you get on.  Depending on where you live, you could even book a session with me.

]]><![CDATA[Springtime tips for Gardeners]]>Wed, 28 Mar 2012 11:12:28 +0000http://www.massagehuntingdon.com/2/post/2012/03/getting-your-body-ready-for-spring.html Springtime marks the end of winter hibernation.  Gone is the desire to curl up in front of the telly, or to curl up to read a good book.  The desire to sleep loses its appeal.  With the warm spring sunshine, you feel the need to get out of the house, to soak up sunshine, to get active. Bear in mind that you need to recondition your body for all that outdoor activity. Start the season right with these simple tips.

Start slowly and gradually

Whether it’s taking up a new sport, running, or gardening, you need to increase your activity levels gradually.  Doing too much too quickly, is a recipe for injury!

Remember to warm up

Your body is a complex system – it needs to be “readied” for activity.  Starting slowly and gradually really pays off.  Do some gentle aerobic activity such as marching in place for five minutes or take a quick walk around the block.  This gets your heart working, starts the blood circulating, wakes up the muscles and the nervous system.  Having warmed up the body, gently stretch your neck, arms, and legs.  This short routine gets the body ready to do more strenuous activity.

Work smarter, not harder

Whatever your activity, focus on using your body “smarter, not harder.” Pushing yourself too hard in one session, will make your muscles feel sore and tired the following day(s). ( If they ache for days, then you really have done too much. A massage can really help ease the pain.) Take regular rest breaks - it helps the body recover.  Remember to stretch the muscles you’ve been using.  Switching activities gives your muscles a rest as you are using different muscles.  Pain tends to develop when you are using the same muscles for extended periods of time.

Following these tips - starting slowly, warming up, and working smarter will give your body time to adapt and adjust to your new level of activity.  You can enjoy doing the things you want to do and feel good doing them!

Oh, I nearly forgot - another excellent tip is to schedule a maintenance massage session.  This will get your body into tip top condition.    A maintenance massage will release any tense, tight muscles that could limit your activity or lead to an injury.  Go on, get outside, and enjoy yourself! 

Were this tips helpful?

]]><![CDATA[Please open your mouth]]>Sun, 19 Feb 2012 14:01:22 +0000http://www.massagehuntingdon.com/2/post/2012/02/please-open-your-mouth.htmlI've just done another course on integrated myofascial release.  The course was entitled "myfoascial release for the temporomandibular joint (TMJ)".  This is basically the joint that allows your jaw to open and close.

When doing this type of bodywork, you don't just work on the joint in question.  In myofascial work, you look at the body as being interconnected, a restriction in one area will affect another area, so you work on the supporting structures.  Structures that affect the jaw include the neck and the shoulders as well as muscles in the face. 

Release work was done on the neck and shoulders.  Then work was done on the muscles that control the jaw in particular the pterygoids. (Sounds like a type of dinosaur!)  This is where you have to open your mouth!  This is also where you make the amazing discovery that the body holds secret tensions of its own.  These tensions are only revealed when you put specific pressure on the muscles.  Wow!  Who would believe that small muscles in the face can be so tender!

Fantastic feeling once the work was done!

So what happened for me?  I discovered that working on the jaw changed how I felt when walking.  My body moved more easily!  A wonderfully feeling of free movement.  Who would have thought that working on the jaw would release the hips and legs! 


]]><![CDATA[The new buzz in bodywork - fascia]]>Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:15:32 +0000http://www.massagehuntingdon.com/2/post/2012/02/the-new-buzz-in-bodywork-fascia.htmlFor a massage therapist,  what are the main tissues of the body?

Well, I thought I knew: bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments.  As a bodyworker, we were taught that massage worked on and affected the muscles and their associated tendons.  Muscles mattered.  Now the buzz word is fascia.

So what is fascia?  It is the body's connective tissue that covers and connects everything in the body.  What does it look like?  It is easiest to see as the delicate but strong white tissue that covers a leg of lamb.

Why is fascia creating a buzz? It has some amazing and important properties:  fascia connects all parts of the body- it is your "body stocking".  When you move one part of your body, there is a subtle pull/stretch in another part of the body.  This also means that when there is a restriction in one part of the body, there are effects throughout the body.  

Fascia is affected by habitually poor posture, trauma, and inflammation.  Fascia reacts to these conditions by shortening and becoming more rigid.  The body loses its flexibility.  Movements become restricted and painful.  Restricted fascia can exert  a tensile strength of over 2000lbs so it can have quite an effect on the body.

What does this mean for you?
  • If problems keep re-curring, it could mean that the area that is giving you problems (such as the knee) may not be the actual problem.  A restriction in your hip could affect your knee.
  • Does massage only give temporary relief?   Maybe you need a session of myofascial release.  Stretching the fascia will give your muscles more room to move.
]]><![CDATA[Musings from a massage therapist]]>Mon, 01 Aug 2011 20:41:59 +0000http://www.massagehuntingdon.com/2/post/2011/08/musings-from-a-massage-therapist.htmlThe dangers of modern living

We have all heard of DVT but the media coverage has tended to link this with flying. DVT's aren't solely linked with flying. Our inactive lifestyles are a major contributing factor such as sitting for long periods of time, driving long distances, etc.

What are the signs of a possible problem? 
  • An ache or pain in the calf that does not change with activity (i.e. it is constantly present).  If the pain was due to muscle exertion, it would ache when walking or other such activities.
  • You don't remember doing anything such as straining the muscle to cause the pain.
  • There may be associated swelling in the leg and the skin of the leg may feel warm to the touch.
If these signs fit,  then you need to quickly see your GP to rule out a DVT.

Look at http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/Deep_Vein_Thrombosis.html for further information and more details relating to DVT symptoms.

A recent study has suggested that women who are not very active are at more of a risk of DVT.   Women who sat for more than 41 hours were at greater risk than women who sat for less than 10 hours/week.   A short review is available here: http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/05/get-moving-more-health-risks-of-sitting-reported

Bascially, remember to try to put a bit more physical activity into your day.  Your body will definitely thank you for it!
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