How can Sports Massage help Runners?

Hot flushes are temporary but recurring feeling of warmth that spreads over the body which often begins in the head and neck region and can be very troublesome. Hot flushes often occur during sleep, producing perspiration known as night sweats. As a result, hot flushes can have a big impact on your quality of life. Hot flushes are one of the most common symptoms women have when they go through the menopause. About 3 out of 4 women going through the menopause (75%) will have hot flushes.  If you've had one, there's no mistaking it: the sudden, intense, hot feeling on your face and upper body, perhaps preceded or accompanied by a rapid heartbeat and sweating, nausea, dizziness, anxiety, headache, weakness, or a feeling of suffocation. Researches recruited 209 women who experienced at least four hot flushes or night sweats every day.  All the patients received up to 20 acupuncture treatments within 6 months.  Nearly half the women saw a 47% reduction in hot flushes or night sweats, while almost 12% reported that their symptoms had stopped almost completely although 4% actually saw an increase in their problems. What is interesting is that most of the women how saw their hot flushes and night sweats decrease started seeing improvements after three sessions. Research http://www.wakehealth.edu/News-Releases/2016/Acupuncture_Reduces_Hot_Flashes_for_Half_of_Women,_Study_Finds.htm  

I recommend Cat-Cow a yoga posture where you move slowly between the two positions to increase your spine's flexibility. Yoga Cat-Cow Position Guidelines

1. Start on your hands and knees with your wrists directly under your shoulders, and your knees directly under your hips. Point your fingertips to the top of your mat. Place your shins and knees hip-width apart. Center your head in a neutral position and soften your gaze downward.
2. Begin by moving into Cow Pose: Inhale as you drop your belly towards the mat. Lift your chin and chest, and gaze up toward the ceiling. Broaden across your shoulder blades and draw your shoulders away from your ears.
3. Next, move into Cat Pose: As you exhale, draw your belly to your spine and round your back toward the ceiling. The pose should look like a cat stretching its back.
4. Release the crown of your head toward the floor, but don't force your chin to your chest.
5. Inhale, coming back into Cow Pose, and then exhale as you return to Cat Pose.
6. Repeat 5-20 times, and then rest by sitting back on your heels with your torso upright.

• Place your forearms on a bolster or stack of firm blankets to lift your torso more upright. This variation is especially useful for women who are pregnant.
• If your knee caps hurt, fold your mat or place a firm blanket under your knees.
• You can practice this pose throughout your day and while traveling. Sit in a chair (or airplane/bus seat) with your feet flat on the floor. Press your hands against a table, desk, or wall in front of you and perform the same spinal movements as in the regular pose.

• In Cat, let your head drop, releasing the back of your neck. Do not force your chin to your chest.
• Also in Cat, you can increase the abdominal massage and strengthening effects by drawing your belly button firmly in toward your spine
• In Cow, let the movement start from the tailbone. Allow your neck and head to be the very last part of the movement.
• Keep your shoulder blades broad and draw your shoulders away from your ears. This helps to protect your neck during the movements.
• Be aware of your breath and its coordination with your movements. Imagine your breath traveling up and down your spine as you inhale and exhale, like an ocean wave flowing onto the beach and retreating.

Ankle sprains are one of the most common injuries, which involves trauma to the ankle ligament.  A sprain occurs when one or more of your ligaments have been stretched, twisted or torn, usually as a result of excessive force being applied to a joint.  They often occur if you change direction or speed suddenly, fall and land awkwardly or collide with an object or person – such as when playing sports. If you have ever sprained your ankle, then you will probably remember the initial pain, the considerable swelling and bruising.  The swelling from a sprain will often occur soon after the injury, but the bruising may not show until later or it may not show at all. Bruising can sometimes occur some distance from the affected joint, as blood from the damaged tissue seeps along the muscles and around the joint before coming close to the skin. It should be noted that ankle sprains take at least 12 weeks to heal. When to visit your GP? Most ankle sprains are relatively minor and can be cared for by self-treatment.  However, you should visit  your GP if you think you have a sprain and:

• the pain is particularly severe
• you cannot move the injured joint or muscle
• you cannot put any weight on the injured limb, or it gives way when you try to use it
• the injured area looks crooked or has unusual lumps or bumps (other than swelling)
• you have numbness, discolouration or coldness in any part of the injured area
• the symptoms have not started to improve within a few days of self-treatment

• Rest your ankle.
• Ice (wrap ice cubes in a tea towel) and hold over the ankle for 5 - 20 minutes every 2 hours for 2-3 days, then daily for the next 3 days.
• You can then bandage the ankle in a figure 8 with the heel in the centre of the figure 8, with a compression or elastic bandage.
• Finally you should elevate your ankle to reduce the blood flow to the area, for the first 24 hours.

• Circle your ankle clockwise repeat 3 times
• Circle your ankle anti-clockwise repeat 3 times
• Lie down on your back, point your foot and your toes and then bend your foot up the ceiling and the same time straighten your toes - repeat 3 times.
• Now sit on a char and draw the alphabet in the air with your foot this will move your ankle full a range of movement.
• Once you have your full range of movement back, then you can start increasing your proprioception.  You can stand on a pillow on one leg (your affected ankle), and build up the time until you feel that you stability is the same in both your legs.