Category Archives: Sports Massage

Marathon time

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Ah – February. Marathon training schedules rule the roost. People counting miles, gradually building up the distance. Niggles appear, cold and flu rear their ugly heads, they get ignored, sometimes they disappear, but sometimes they grow more and more insistent. Occasional days get missed, sometimes a week but still the schedule grinds on. Some people, having not got on the bandwagon a month ago are now looking to start an “accelerated” marathon programme- get fit for 26 miles in less than 3 months. Yes. It’s February. Soon enough it will be March, the mornings are slowly getting brighter, runs will … Continue reading →

P is for Pelvic Floor

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Your pelvic floor is a hammock or sling of muscles found in the base of your pelvis. Our pelvic floor supports the bowel, bladder and in women, the uterus, all the while, playing a role in supporting the spine. The combined forces of the pelvic floor muscles form a supporting mechanism for the pelvic viscera from below – imagine interlocked fingers cradling a bowl. This hammock of muscles also interacts with the diaphragm when the abdominal pressure inside changes – as happens when we breathe. Breathing can be affected by a weak pelvic floor, possibly contributing to dysfunctional breathing patterns. We … Continue reading →

The Importance of Sleep

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The benefits of sleep and sleeping well need little introduction. But do we all get a good nights sleep? We think it’s worth spending a little time during this week (Sleep Awareness Week) to think about what you can do to promote better sleep for yourself. 6-12 March 2016 Poor sleep, reduced hours sleep, insomnia or disturbed sleep all take a toll on our physical and mental states. It can even be dangerous in some circumstances (driving, operating machinery, or even leading to bad decision-making). Many of us will experience insomnia at some point in our lives. Insomnia on a ‘temporary’ or … Continue reading →

Top 5 Recovery Methods

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Recovery is so important for anyone who exercises, regardless of the volume and intensity. The key is to not think that “recovery” means “complete rest”. One hour in the gym or running then sitting down on your backside for the remaining 167 hours in the week is not a good recipe for your overall health and well-being. When we say recovery, we mean things you can do to improve your chances of coming back to the activity stronger, being fitter, preventing injury, improving your overall health, and maximizing the time you do spend lifting weights/running or whatever activity you do. … Continue reading →

Coping with Injury

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Perhaps this is a good time to talk about injuries and coping with them, and maybe, how not to re-injure yourself through coming back too quickly. The reason for this is because I recently had my first DNF in a fell race, through an impact injury with a rock. A few days later, my knee was still pretty swollen, I couldn’t bend it so well… In fact I could barely walk up stairs. It was going to be a good couple of weeks, if not more, before I could actually get out to run, cycle, or even get on the rowing machine. … Continue reading →

Sports Massage qualifications

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There are a decent number of people out there with sports massage qualifications now. Or at least, a good number of people out there who are advertising sports massage as a service, though there are a confusing array of different qualifications that allow them to advertise themselves as such. The main qualifications out there are under the BTEC banner. They start off at Level 3 and go to Level 5, but what is the difference, and what can you expect from a practitioner of each level? BTEC Level 3 A one-weekend qualification, generally done as a continual professional development course … Continue reading →