More Daylight
Hello and welcome to British summertime. The clocks have changed and daylight hours have increased. Hopefully the weather will also improve on last year in this period and it can be a very nice period. In this edition you can find information on a commonly reported injury area, the hip. Also, following on the nutrition theme from the previous edition, there is an article about fats. As mentioned in my previous newsletter, I have had to increase my prices for the first time since I began Elite Therapy. New prices can be found on the back page. Take advantage of packages and discounts available to save money.
Hip Joint and Pelvic Girdle Anatomy
The hip joint is an extremely strong and stable joint and is rarely injured acutely. To put its strength and stability in perspective, in a standing position it would have to support half of the bodies weight. When running, jumping, etc., it would have to support around 5 times the bodies weight, so and unstable joint would lead to many acute injuries. It supports the trunk of the body on the lower limbs, and allows movement for the legs¹.
There are 6 joints in the hip; 2 sacroiliac joints, 2 femoro-acetabular joints, the lumbar-sacral joint and the pubis synthesis joint. They join the 3 bones of the pelvis, which are the sacrum, the pubic and the illium. They also join onto the femur bone of the leg. The femoro-acetabualar joint is a ball and socket joint that joins the femur to the pelvis.
There are 3 key ligaments that join head of the femur to the acetabulum in the pelvis. The are the ischio-femoral ligament, the ilio-femoral ligament and the pubofemoral ligament². The ligaments main purpose is to provide stability between the joints. The locomotion is then made a lot easier for the many muscles in the area.
The hip can move in many different ways, giving us the need for many different muscles for the various movements. These movements are flexion and extension (bringing your leg forward and back), abduction and adduction (moving your leg away and towards the midline of the body) and internal and external rotation (turning the leg in and outward). Combining all these movements is called circumduction.
Main muscle which provide these movements are the gluteal and adductor groups, iliopsoas, rectus femoris and many small muscles in the buttock area. The hamstrings also play a small part in the movement hip extension.
There are also many bursae located around the hip area and pelvic girdle. They are fluid sacks and these aid in the movements by providing lubrication to make movements smoother.
As it can be seen, the hip is a very complex area and a lot can go wrong so it is important to keep the muscles of the area strong and stretch out regularly. This can be achieved by regular exercises and a suitable stretching program.
Fats in the Body
Fats, or lipids, come in various forms around the body and there are good fats as well as the bad ones we know all too much about. In fact the good fats are essential and play a vital part in regulating the body and keeping a good balance within the body. Roles that fats play include protecting vital organs, they provide a very large enrgy source and reserve, they carry vitamins and suppress hunger and they also are very good insulators.
Saturated fats and unsaturated fats are the simplest way to remember the good and bad fats. Saturated fats are bad fats and unsaturated fats are good fats. Sources of bad fats are found mainly in animal products, so red meats, dairy products, such as cheese and butter, and egg yolks. Unsaturated fats are found in natural sources such as nut oils, olive oils and avocado oil³.
This is a general overview on fats in the body. If you would like further information on fats or any other nutritional aspect, please feel free to ask and I would be more then happy to try and help.
If there are any other topics you may be interested in, send me an email and I will try and incorporate it in a future edition of Refreshing Rehabilitation.
Facts
“On every square inch of your body you have around 32 million bacteria.”
“Acid in your stomach is strong enough to dissolve a razor blade.”
“The average male excretes half a pint of sweat every day.”
Now available from Elite Therapy are gift vouchers in the values of £5, £10 and £20. They may be purchased at AFC Kempston. Unfortunately there is no online payment facility. As a partner of the Bedford Leisure Card system, I am pleased to offer discounts to clients who wish to have a 45 minute or hour long massage session. All that is required is production of a valid Bedford Leisure Card. Current clients that introduce friends to a massage session will also benefit from receiving a 10% discount in there next session.
A discount package has also been devised for anyone who wishes to regularly receive a sports massage. If you pay for 3 sessions in advance, you will receive the fourth one for free. All sessions must be of equal duration.
Appointments can be made by contacting myself on the details provided or via email. The hours available are currently Monday to Friday evening from 4pm until 10pm and Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings from 8am until 1pm. There may be availability at other times so please enquire. Payments can be made with either cash or cheque, made payable to Carmine Cientanni. If you have changed any details such as your address or telephone number, please inform me as soon as possible so that I can update my records. If you wish to cancel an appointment, please inform me at least 24 hours in advance. Missed appointments will be charged at half of the normal treatment rate.
References
1. Kay, S., Hip Joint and Pelvic Girdle—Anatomy Refresher, Kay S., SportEx Medicine, Issue 47 (Jan 2011), pp. 7-11.
2. Biel, A., Trail Guide to the Body, 3rd Edition, (2005), Books of Discovery, Boulder CO.
3. Exercise Physiology, 5th Edition, McArdle W.d., Katch F.I. & Katch V.L., Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, London