Heat

Last time, I discussed the use of Cryotherapy to aid healing, today I would like to discuss the use of heat.  As many of you will know who have had a full body massage treatment with me, I often incorporate hot stones into my treatment.  And some of my readers will have heard me say they should use a wheat bag or cherry stone bag or some other type of hot pack.

The simple reason why I do this is that most people I treat have one or more knots.

A knot is created when a muscle contracts for a sustained period of time and looses its ability to stretch or relax.  A simple “muscle knot” will deprive an area of blood, oxygen, nutrients and a thyroid hormone called T3.  When a muscle has been deprived of T3 even for a few minutes it will lose its ability to relax, creating the perfect conditions for inflammation and fibrosis (the creation of adhesions).  A reduction in the partial pressure of oxygen (to 55 mm of Hg) due to restriction of blood to an area in that muscle will start the inflammatory process that causes the fibrotic condition (adhesion) to proliferate.  In the hands of a skilled massage practitioner the knot and any adhesions are located and ideally removed but at least reduced.  With the restoration of normal muscle motion, pain is decreased or eliminated, joint motion improves, and normal or near normal activities can be resumed.

So heat is often incorporated into a massage treatment treatment because it

  1. Increases blood supply to an area of the body
  2. It warms up the muscle tissues to allow them to stretch (relax)
  3. It reduces muscle spasm

and all the above help to release muscle knots and relax tense muscles.  So  the use of heat helps to create that feeling of “looseness” that most of my clients report after having a massage.

 

 

 

Related Posts

  • Cryotherapy

    We all know that sports stars take ice baths and I am often asked why they do it, and do I need to do it after I run.  So today I am going to answer that question. Cryotherapy is one of long accepted tools of a sports masseur.  If you have ever watched a football match on telly, you will have seen someone fall to the ground and the coach run on with a bucket of water and the magic sponge and the player then hopefully gets up and hobbles around before taking an active part in the game.  So the magic sponge, (the application of cold water to an injured area) is Cyrotherapy in its most basic form.  The local application of ice or cold water is beneficial because

    • It relieves pain
    • Reduces muscle spams (i.e. athletes take ice baths to avoid feeling stiff the next day)
    • When someone is injured it moderates inflammation
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    • Rest - by which I mean avoid weight bearing activities and anything that causes pain for 24 - 48 hours.
    • Ice - Use either cold water or ice wrapped in a tea towel and apply for 2 - 20 minutes for 2-3 days then 3 times daily.    When applying ice you go through the cold, aching, burning and numbness sensation cycle, it is very important to stop at numbness to avoid burning yourself.
    • Compression  - use a compression bandage if necessary
    • Elevation - if the injury is to a limb, elevate it to help it heal.
    The only exception to using Ice for injuries is for people with a peripheral vascular disease e.g. diabetes, anyone who is hypersensitive or has a physiological aversion to cold if you are frail or if you have varicose veins in the injured area or  the injury is a broken bone. However, what if you haven't injured yourself, should you have an ice bath after training.    Taking an ice bath or sometimes a cold-water immersion is certainly now more popular amongst athletes than ever before.   The key reason is that as it reduces muscle tightness and soreness and it allows athletes to recover more quickly after intense training.   The big draw back is that is uncomfortable and not really scientifically proven.  My recommendation would be only to do it if you are training really intensively and you are not contraindicated (see above exceptions to using ice) and want to, as ice baths are optional.  For me the most important thing to prevent injury and allow you to recover quickly is a well designed training plan where you build up the intensity of the exercise slowly, with adequate warm up routine and a cool down routine and stretching. Remember if you do get injured or have tight muscles after training, a good masseur will be able to sort these out.    

  • A Guide to Sciatica

    One of the most common questions I get asked, by my clients is "is my back pain sciatica?".  So I would like take some time to explain what sciatica or piriformis syndrome is. Sciatica is the irritation of inflammation of the sciatic nerve, which runs from L3 down through your legs and feet to your toes, so its the longest (and widest) nerve in the human body.  The reason sciatica is called piriformis syndrome is that the piriformis muscle (which is in your bum) can compress the sciatic nerve.  Because in most people approximately  87% the sciatic nerve passes below the piriformis muscle, in approximately 13% people the sciatic nerve passes in part or entirely though the piriformis muscle.  So tightness in the piriformis muscle is a major cause of sciatica and this tightness can be exasperated by prolonged sitting.  Other notable causes are trauma to your lower back or your pelvis, a history of herniated disc in your lower back and some systemic diseases e.g. diabetes. So how can you tell if you have sciatica or lower back pain?  Sciatic is characterised by the presence of one or more of the following symptoms:

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    • Sharp or burning pain or tingling radiating down the back of your thigh.
    • Pain is worse when sitting for long periods of time.
    • Pain may be aggravated by sneezing, stooping or straining.
    • You feel that you want to slouch away from the effected side.
    • Possible pins and needles or parasthesia (numbness) down leg.
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  • What is a muscle cramp?

    What is a muscle cramp? Normal movement of our bodies involves muscles alternating between contract and relaxation. A muscle that contracts involuntarily and is unable to relax is a spasm; and a forceful and prolonged spasm becomes a cramp. A muscle cramp can last anywhere from a few seconds to up to 15 minutes or occasionally longer. Any muscle can develop a cramp, but the most common site for muscle cramps are the legs, particularly the front of the thighs (quadriceps), back of the thighs (hamstrings) and calf muscles (gastrocnemius & soleus). Unfortunately almost everyone, one estimate is 95% of the population will experience a muscle cramp at some time in their life. Muscle cramps are one of those things that also increases as we get older. Those of you that have already had a muscle cramp will undoubtedly remember the unrelenting pain! Tip: Most muscle cramps can be stopped if the muscle can be stretched. Muscle spasms & cramps are one of the most common complaints that massage therapists deal with.