Posts Tagged ‘manual therapist’

This is the time of the year when many of you will be setting out on your marathon training and it is does not matter if this is the first one you will do or you are an experienced long distance runner. The risk of injuries are high, the volume of running  will potentially pre-dispose you to picking up those aches and pains that could hinder your carefully worked out training plan. They are all preventable if you include within that programme regular maintenance sessions with a manual therapist who can iron out any difficulties before they hit you. You will take the time to consider what you eat, what you wear, your running shoes; but will you think about your body and what you will demand of that? Running has an impact through the whole of your body not just the legs and feet; it will effect your back, your shoulders and your neck. Good quality sports massage and joint mobilisation can minimise those impacts and make your whole marathon experience more enjoyable.  Your massage therapist can give you excellent injury prevention advice and most of them have experience with training and sports activities so will know what you are experiencing at first hand. You can also find some excellent online advice at the following website and link that I saw today, http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/sports/marathon_tips.php

This is one that I find affects a wide group of people, many of whom do not regularly engage in any particular sport or attend a gym. Recently, I have had conversations with individuals who have seen their GP and been prescribed anti-inflammtory tablets but there is much more you can do. This can be treated with a good deep tissue massage on the affected area along with work on the joints of the foot, ankle and into the calf muscles. You can help yourself with some simple home remedies: use a tennis ball, golf ball or even a rolling pin and sit comfortably with it under your foot and use it for self massage by rolling it across the underside of your foot as you press down on it.

Another option – and one that will help cool any inflammtion – is to fill a small plastic drinks bottle with water and put it in the freezer. When frozen, use this as a roller under your affected foot. This way you have the massage effects of the roller along with the soothing and cooling affect of the ice. I would still recommend seeing a manual therapist who will make sure of the diagnosis and work with you towards recovery.