Lantern Pike

That was a short, sharp lovely little race. As we drove over to Hayfield from Glossop, Lynne remarked “you’re going up that”, as we looked at a hill ahead of us. Oh. It is not a long hill, but it is a bit of a shock to the system. We got there in good time and parked in the field- the weather was nice going on ugly- Sunny spells interspersed with sudden downpours. We wandered around, and recced the first 200 yards or so, just down to the stream – noting the small chicane around a fence- definitely a good … Continue reading

Healing muscle strains – Treatment

As mentioned in a post earlier this month (Processes involved in healing a muscle strain) what treatment aims to do initially in a muscle strain is to reduce pain, swelling, bleeding and secondary tissue damage by utilising PRICE (protection, rest, ice, compression and elevation). At the acute stage treatment is, as mentioned, to follow the PRICE protocol. You should immediately stop the activity which caused or aggravated the injury. Protect the area, limit movement either with bandages or splints and keep it away from danger. From the perspective of a massage therapist you may think that there is little that … Continue reading

Pain

We all experience pain, be it emotional or physical, at some point in our lives. Some people are lucky and only experience pain when they are injured, like when they twist an ankle running in the fells or cut themselves accidentally while chopping vegetables. Other people seem blighted with pain, going from illness to illness, often (and frustratingly) without a specific cause. But pain is pain, whatever the cause or reason for it. And the level of pain we feel is on a continuum, and it is difficult to be precise about this as ones own pain tolerance is unique. … Continue reading

abdominal massage and spasming diaphragms

If you’ve read the post about the Mount Famine race, you may remember I mentioned a spasming diaphragm. This is a bit of a wierd one which I first felt a good few years ago when I was running in Japan. (just for fun, I must hasten to add… trying to lose weight to get better at climbing) Sometimes, as I was running, I would get a really really bad pain in the abdomen, on the right side, just below the ribs. I knew it wasn’t stitch- I’ve had that before, and it went pretty much as soon as I … Continue reading

Mount Famine

Well, what a race. Brutal is a word you could use. We got over to Hayfield with plenty of time to wander up and have a quick look at the final run in- and also at the start. Which is quite a daunting crazy hill straight up the side of a hill with a large amount of rather lush vegetation. Changed and numbered up, I was running my first race in club colours- Glossopdale, and having had a couple of races in which I was put somewhat at a disadvantage by letting others charge off and waiting til the back … Continue reading

Processes involved in healing a muscle strain

The first aim of treatment in healing a muscle strain is to reduce pain, swelling, bleeding and secondary tissue damage by utilising PRICE (protection, rest, ice, compression and elevation). Encouraging circulation, after the acute stage, through gentle massage lymphatic drainage can help recovery. There are three stages to healing a muscle strain: inflammatory, proliferative and remodelling. Inflammatory: this is the body’s reaction to the injury and preparation for the repair phases. The inflammation stage is when the immune system increases circulation to the injury site, with the aim of producing edema (swelling). Pain will be felt at the site, which … Continue reading