Welcome once again to the next edition of my quarterly newsletter.

I hope the new year has started well for everyone and that those new years resolutions have not been broken yet! I would also like to say Happy

Mothers Day to all those mothers out there as we recently passed their special day!

A new facility that available in the clinic is a non invasive body fat moni- tor. If you’re interested in finding out your body fat percentage please ask for further information as there are certain body conditions that may show a false reading. It only costs £2 and may be a great tool for small targets in training or diet plans.

Massage alleviates DOMS

Firstly, what is DOMS? It stands for the Delay of Onset of Muscle Soreness. This occurs from the build up of waste products, such a s Lactic acid, in the muscles when exercising at higher in- tensities that the body is used to. These waste products reduce muscle func- tionality and cause pain and stiffness.

It has been suggested that a massage lasting 30 minutes following ex- ercise delays the onset of DOMS and also reduces the amount of pain experi- ence. There was also a suggestion that performances that followed a mas- sage were at a higher level than if a massage was not received.1

 

Aloe Vera and its Benefits

Aloe Vera has a history of being a good healer in many situations, whether it be for burns or stings, but its characteristics and attributes go far beyond that. The Aloe plant has around 200 varieties with the Aloe Vera or Aloe Barbadensis plant being the most potent and therefore the most widely used.

From the plant, the gel under the thick outer layer is where the benefits are found. The gel contains vitamins, minerals, amino acids (some of which the body needs that it can’t produce itself) and sugars amongst other things as well. With all this goodness in the plant, it has now been used for far more things including sports.

Healing gel, heat cream, supplementation are just some of the sporting benefits produced from the plant. There are also fantastic drinks that help maintain the bodies essential balance in nutrients and minerals, giving a great energy boost and improving nutrient uptake. The products you need to buy that have Aloe Vera in them need to compromise of Aloe Vera as the majority ingredient, otherwise there use is not as ef- fective.

So even if you would like to sample some of the products that may help with skin conditions such as exzema, or burns and rashes, please ask. There is a whole range of products, available from myself or online.

What is a ‘frozen shoulder’?

Frozen shoulder is the common term for the medical con- dition adhesive capsulitis. From the name, it is implied that there is a swelling in a capsule that has been joined or fixed by abnor- mal tissue adhesions.

It is believed that the onset of a frozen shoulder derives from an injury or incident that has previously involved the shoul- der. A chronic inflammation of the capsule, with adhesive fibres further reducing mobility are the main factors in the condition, along with the reduction of synovial fluid (which aids joint mobil- ity) due to the inflammation.2

The injury takes time 2 develop or “freeze”. Usually around 3-5 months and signs are a constant pain in the shoulder with a reduced range of motion in the shoulder, pain whilst sleeping and movement problems in colder weather.

The problem is most common in individuals over 40 and more common in women than men. Rehabilitation for this comdi- tion is a long and painful one and greatly depends on how long the individual waits prior to seeking medical help and the gen- eral condition of the individual. In healthy individuals full rehabili- tation may be around 5 months, but could last as long as 3 years if the individual is for example diabetic or has a history of heart problems.

Rehabilitation consists of physical therapy, massage ther- apy, medication and in severe cases surgery.

What Happens in an Injury? Part 3

The final two stages in the injury process are the remodeling phase and the functional sport-specific phase.

The remodeling phase is generally thought to occur in the 2-3 weeks following trauma. It is when the collagen laid down in the damaged area is replaced by stronger collagen. It is also the point in which full pain free range of motion should be achieved, allowing the following stage of functional sport-specific movements to be performed.

Whilst the new collagen is being laid down in the damaged area. This is the perfect time to perform full stretches to reinforce correct fibre alignment and elastic- ity. Massage is a very good aid to assist in this process as it would break up any unwanted left over scar tissue and encourage the progress to full range of motion. This is achieved by passive (therapist controlling movement) and active (client controlled movement) stretching. This is taken to the point where the new collagen is being stressed slightly more than it has been laid down and thus promoting full elasticity in the fibres.3

Once pain free range of motion along with muscu- lar strength and muscular balance have been achieved, the final stage of injury commences.

As discussed, the final stage is called the func- tional sport-specific phase. As the name implies this stage concentrates on the movements that the active individual needs to perform in the activity they perform.

As the individual has not been in maximal perform- ance it’s usually a good idea to get an initial base test re- sult. This allows targets to be set in this phase.

Depending on the activity depends on what ex- ercise what actions are to be performed. The princi- ples however, are all the same. Straight line move- ments are always performed first as they are less stressful on the muscles and joints as a whole than twisting and turning movements. These are to be en- corporated gradually into the exercise programme if necessary to the individual at hand.

Massage is still a vital part to this phase as it promotes removal of any waste products that the body would not normally have produced before injury such as dead cells and lactic acid. It also aids in the recovery of the muscle fibres for the following exercise ses- sion. To complete the phases a final test should be performed to show improvements required to return to maximal performance.

 

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