K is for Knee

When we think of the knee (which is a modified hinge joint), and indeed any form of hinge, we would be mistaken to think that it is a simple joint – but it is far from that. Look at the snapshot on the left which shows a front on view of the right knee. You can see there’s a lot of muscles, tendons and ligaments and other (hidden) soft tissues all converging around this joint. Injuries to ligaments are probably the most common at this joint, and unfortunately often quite debilitating. In addition to ligament injury the knee is at … Continue reading

J is for Joints

Joints are the hinges in the body which allow for movement, some quite freely (e.g. the shoulder), and some with barely any movement at all (e.g. suture joints between the skull bones). The structures which limit movement at any joint are muscles, ligaments and tendons, plus the actual structural design of the bones forming the joint. Other factors which limit range of movement can be nerve length and activation, fascia and skin, edema (swelling), soft tissue apposition, joint fluid viscosity (how easy the movement is) and fluid quantity. The most common type is the synovial joint, an example being the … Continue reading

Marathon training

As the London and Manchester Marathon places have just been released, there are a number of first time marathon runners (and also more experienced runners) who are about to start training in earnest for the events early next year. For those of you who are planning on running a marathon, read on! We have worked with many marathon runners in the past and all have benefited from ensuring their training programmes include regular sports massage. Why is that? Well the simple answer is that regular maintenance massage can help to keep your muscles healthy and injury free, which is of … Continue reading

Psychology of Sports Massage

The benefits of sports massage that are published are very often limited to the physiological aspects, and with good reason, because it’s easier to quantify them (e.g. measuring circulation or chemical levels in blood). However, the psychological benefits are naturally more qualitative, and being unmeasurable they are therefore difficult to explain in a scientific way. However, the field of sports psychology is not insignificant, and as such we should not shy away from the emotional and mental benefits, just because we can’t speak from an evidenced position. As it is difficult to speak from a research based position, clinical expertise … Continue reading

I is for ITB

Illiotibial bands – or ITBs have been mentioned a number of times before on this blog. However, it’s always good to revisit things as there is pretty much always something more to say. If you are a runner or a cyclist you may well have had some kind of issue with the Illiotibial Band, the connection of fascia from the hip area down to the knee area. If you have issues either in your hip or in your feet which make your gait somewhat less efficient than normal, the ITB can “tighten” and pain results in the knee area. It … Continue reading

H is for Habits

Definition: An acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary. Habits…we all have them, even if we don’t realise it. They are the things which shape us, create the person we are, the body we have and the mental attitude we hold. They are behavioural routines which tend to be unconscious and often (apparently) very difficult to alter. As we all know, habits can be positive or negative, and often it is the mental battle to change from negative to positive which defeats us. One recurring area we deal with at Global Therapies relates to postural habits. … Continue reading