Category Archives: Sports Massage

Breathing, your diaphragm and strength training

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Is it your legs or lungs that give out first when you are running? It used to be a combination for me, but lately it’s swayed towards my lungs. I find that my legs feel as though they could run forever (obviously not if I’m sprinting) but my lungs just can’t suck enough air in. On a run the other day I recalled how Mo Farah’s face looked at the end of the Great North Run…mouth wide open, gulping in air as he pushed his body to the limit seeking that first place finish. You could see him desperately trying … Continue reading →

W is for Winging

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Winging Scapulae are a sign that something is not quite right in the shoulder, and some muscles may either be out of synch with each other, or might not be working at all. When you move your shoulder, theoretically the scapula – or shoulder-blade – should move up, down and around on the rib cage. It shouldn’t really come off, or splay outward, which is known as winging. We can class this suboptimal movement as either “true winging” where the entire inner edge of the shoulder-blade is prominent away from the rib cage, or “pseudo winging” where only the bottom … Continue reading →

X is for Xiphoid Process

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The Xiphoid Process is a small piece of cartilage which is located at the very bottom of your sternum – the breast bone. Although technically a joint, the cartilage and bone of the sternum become fused together in adults, so it really is just a small protrusion. But, it is important, because your diaphragm, rectus abdominal and transversus thoracis muscles attach onto it. As massage therapists we frequently treat muscles associated with breathing – which includes the diaphragm. Any point where a muscle attaches is a potential area for tightness, adhesions or scar tissue to develop and soft tissue therapy … Continue reading →

Sports Massage in Switzerland

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The time had come for the Global Therapies team to take a break. Since starting out nearly three years ago we’ve taken a few short breaks, had the obvious break down at the Olympics last year, but not had a full battery recharge on a trip abroad. When our running club, Glossopdale Harriers, announced the 2013 annual trip was to the Swiss Alps we booked our flights and started planning. Extending the club trip by another week meant we had the opportunity to travel around the alps a little, visiting Bettmeralp, Kandersteg, and Grindelwald. Along with running shoes, sun cream … Continue reading →

V is for Vibration

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Vibration is a collective name for a few different techniques which we use during soft tissue therapy treatments. These include the somewhat slower sounding “rocking”, the faster “shaking” and the faster still “vibration”. The basic difference between these is the different speeds of oscillation, and although each speed can be used at different points of the treatment, they have much the same general effect, that of relaxing muscles and muscle groups, and potentially an entire limb. It is the oscillation of the muscle which confuses the sensory receptors in the muscle tissue (the bits that tell it where it is … Continue reading →

Dig Deep Ultra Weekend

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This week has been fairly busy for different events that we have been helping out at. First Offerton 10k and then this. The Dig Deep Ultra Weekend, with a 60, 30, 12.12 and 6 mile races organised by EightPointTwo. The days were gloriously sunny (though the runners may prefer to say it was stiflingly hot), and we were set up, alongside Outside, in the event centre, a barn on the site of Whirlow Hall Farm, which was the venue for the event. Saturday was the day for the long events – the 60 and 30 milers. Conditions were tough out … Continue reading →