Tag Archives: Techniques

G is for Golgi Tendon Organ

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A golgi what? I hear you saying. We agree, it’s not the most enticing blog title, but bear with us. The golgi tendon organ (GTO) is an important neuro-physiological sensory receptor of the peripheral nervous system (which basically means it connects the brain to the outside world) which we, as soft tissue therapists, need to know about. So we thought we’d share some of that knowledge with you. These sensory receptors are found wrapped in the collagen fibres of tendons. They primarily detect increases in tension in the tendon, and therefore muscle tension. Their primary job is to protect muscle … Continue reading →

Lower Back Pain Trigger points from the QL

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Now Lower Back Pain is quite a big subject, (minor understatement), and for the sake of not sitting here and writing an entire book, I’m going to limit this to a client I was treating last night. Whilst driving, he was getting significant pain in the far lower back, right down where the back meets the bum- the lower lumbar area going into sacral area (L5-S1). He has had no history of spinal problems, no slipped discs, hernias or anything like that, and has to stretch the area out when driving because it hurts. Now, originally you would assume that … Continue reading →

Pain under the foot? Plantar Fasciitis.

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Ever got out of bed, put your foot on the ground and felt like you were standing on a pin? Then after ascertaining you AREN’T actually standing on a pin, trying it again, and having to go through an excrutiating few minutes as you wander around with this horrific shooting pain right underneath your heel? Welcome to the world of plantar fasciitis, or, policemans heel. I’ve been a victim of it, and have treated a good number of people for it, from footballers to people who haven’t been able to get fitted for ski boots because of the pain. What … Continue reading →

ITBs (Illotibial Band Syndrome)

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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 →

Pain

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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

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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 →