Tag Archives: Foamroller

Calf Stretches

By | |
Leave a comment

A common question asked in the running world is “do you stretch?” More often than you think, the answer is “yes”. Quickly followed by, “but only my calves”. Great – stretching is rarely a bad thing. But the way the lower leg muscle group tends to be stretched can be woefully inefficient. A lot of people are really good at stretching ONE of the main lower leg muscles. The other one, (in some peoples opinion, the more important one) doesn’t even get a look in, despite the fact it is used for the majority of force when running. Yikes! Running … Continue reading →

Foam Roller Workshop

By | |
Leave a comment

I’m a big fan of foam rollering. Sometimes called “poor mans massage” it is the mechanical manipulation of muscle… pretty much what I do on a day-to-day basis, just with a bit less precision. Not as precise, maybe, but it does target tissues that need work on them, which would otherwise not get sorted until you went to see a therapist. I have been extolling the virtues of foam rollers to various people in my running club – Glossopdale Harriers – for the past few months, and thought it was about time to spread the message, and, more importantly, the … Continue reading →

High Peak Marathon induced knee pain

By | | ,
Leave a comment

Since finishing the High Peak Marathon a couple of weeks ago, I (Tim) have been having issues with my knees. Actually, let me clarify that, I have been having an issue with my left knee. The right one is fine and dandy, I could hop about on that all day not really be all that bothered. It’s the left one that is causing the issues. I could be a classic runner/lifter/cyclist and just ignore the pain, think, oh, it’ll get better over time, I’ll just ignore it and train through it. But I’m not that kind of person, and I’ve … Continue reading →

I’m a cyclist. What good is Sports Massage for me?

By | |
Leave a comment

As a cyclist, you know about spending money on getting a better bike, lighter components and more aerodynamic wheels. It all makes you go faster. That’s all defined by materials and mechanics, if someone else buys the same thing as you, they can go just as fast. What if you could get something unique that could make you go faster and be a more efficient and less injury prone cyclist? No, I’m not talking about EPO, I’m talking about Sports Massage. We know that the pro’s use it on a day to day basis – and they know the performance … Continue reading →

By request – Recovery Techniques

By | |
Leave a comment

So. I ache. I was out flipping tyres and throwing medicine balls around yesterday, and although I warmed down a bit, I didn’t really do any recovery – hence, I ache. Generally at the end of a session it’s common to think that you can’t be bothered to do a cool down, or you don’t have time – you shoot off and do something else, and it’s not until the next day that you curse yourself for a fool as you wander around the house trying to make a coffee with what feels like battery acid coursing around your veins. … Continue reading →

ITBs (Illotibial Band Syndrome)

By | |
Leave a comment

ITB syndrome is relatively common among the runners and triathletes that I have treated. It’s described variously as a sharp pain on the lateral (outside) edge of the kneecap, so painful that its like someone is poking a hot pin in there and twisting it around. It can also be felt further up the Band, toward the hip, but for this article, Im going to concentrate on the knee problem. The distal (bottom) part of the ITB, and potential painful spot. As you would expect, this tends to have an effect upon running style, generally a pronounced limp, followed swiftly … Continue reading →