Do you have painful wrists?

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.      

Muscle fibers are designed to tense and relax and go through a natural tense/relax cycle as you use your body.   A muscle under sustained tension without a corresponding relaxation phase becomes stiff and eventually spams causing pain. There are three reasons why muscles don’t relax:

• Overuse is for example when you injury yourself in the gym.
• Disuse is when your muscles tense when you are at your desk due to the body’s natural response to the demands and pressure you are under.  Muscles are designed to be used which means if you sit still for long periods the muscular tension doesn’t dissipate.
• Misuse for the majority of people this is due to poor habits when walking, standing and sitting.  Sedentary lifestyles means the muscles of the legs are often held in contracted positions for long periods of time and which can lead to stiffness.  Sitting at computers for long hours keeps the neck and back in fixed positions causing the same muscles to contract which can lead to muscle tension and in some people muscle pain.

What can I do to prevention muscular stiffness and pain?

• Stretching Often - Stretching is, of course, a valuable way to relieve muscle stiffness.
• Exercise - Exercise in general is extremely good for releasing muscular stiffness, improving your mood and creating good health.
• Yoga -You can also consider yoga, which is a form of both exercise and stretching, and may have a positive effect on your future muscle discomfort.
• General Health - Your muscles are also very sensitive to your general health as well. You need to do anything you can to make sure you're getting enough sleep, eating protein, and drinking water. These small changes are going to improve your muscle health, which should improve the way your muscles deal with demanding lifestyles.
• Massage - Massage is an excellent way to combat muscle stiffness and pain.

Both deep tissue and sports massage help to release muscular stiffness and pain, in addition sports massage treats sports injuries.

Studies have shown that an alert body and active lifestyle boosts not just productivity, but also happiness and satisfaction levels. There is now an explosion of research studies that demonstrate the harmful effects of sitting all day, which I have covered in past blog posts.

• the impact on muscles (in part 1)
• the general impact on the body (in part 2)
• the impact on your heart and the increase risk of cardiovascular disease (in part 3)
• the increased risk of certain cancers (in part 4)

In my last blog post, "Taking a Break", I explored the reasons for taking a break and looked at the latest research on the length of break you need to take and the frequency. So now I want to focus on strategies to get you moving… Use an Exercise Ball for a Chair Unlike sitting in a chair, sitting on a exercise ball engages your core muscles and helps improve your balance & flexibility. Occasionally bouncing can also help your body interact with gravity to a greater degree than sitting on a stationary chair. Use the Stairs Walk up and down stairs, rather than take the lifts.  Even if you only walk up or down one flight of stairs and then take the lift the rest of the way it will have a positive impact on your health. Walk & Talk Meeting If you have an informal meeting with a colleague why not suggest a walk & talk meeting, weather permitting you could always go outside and get some fresh air too! Pedometer Using a pedometer will help you asses how many steps you take throughout the day. Taking a roundabout way to your desk, taking the stairs or walking to the next tube station as part of your commute will help you increase the number of steps you take daily. Exercise while you Sit at your desk An Amercian start up company, FitnessCubed, has come up with Cubii, an under-desk elliptical trainer that allows you to do basic exercise while you sit at a standard office desk. (It requires no changes to your existing desk set up.) They have also produced a mobile app that allows you to track your workout and you can also share your work out results – so you could even hold an inter-office competition.