Difference Between Sports and Deep Tissue Massage

I know that I often say that one of the benefits of massage is that it may reduce anxiety.  I think most people would agree that being in hospital or undergoing hospital procedures may makes us feel anxious.  So I was interested in a recent study that looked at the effectiveness of massage with or without guided imagery (a therapist talking you through a scene to help you relax), prior to cardiac catheterisation.  As you can imagine anxiety is very common in patients prior to cardiac catheterisation, which can lead to high blood pressure and increase the amount of sedation necessary to complete the procedure. Fifty five patients opted to receive either a 15-minute massage (31 patients) and a 20 minute guided imagery (24 patients) in a quiet area of the hospital prior to cardiac catheterisation.  Self-report anxiety levels, blood pressure and heart rate were evaluated in the research participants as well as matched for comparison to a control group not taking part in the study. The results indicated that massage, with or without guided imagery, produced significant reductions in self-reported anxiety, with the combined intervention having a more pronounced effect.  In addition a lower diastolic blood pressure and heart rate were found when compared to the control group. In my experience slow, deep stokes help to reduce anxiety and as a team we often incorporate this into treatments. References Amstrong K, Dixon S, May S, Patricolo GE (2014).  Anxiety reduction in patients undergoing cardiac catheterisation, following massage and guided imagery.  Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice 20 (4): 334 - 338.    

Hip pain is common problem, and it can be confusing because there are many causes.  The most common cause of Hip Pain is arthritis for which you will need to see your GP for them to advise on the best treatment option of you. Trochanteric Bursitis Trochanteric bursitis is an extremely common problem that causes inflammation of the bursa, which is a protective cusion over the outside of the hip joint.  There are two main bursa which protect the hip joint, the superficial trochanteric bursa and the deep trochanteric bursa.  The superficial trochanteric bursa lies beneath the tensor fasciae latae (one of the muscles on the side of your hip) and the deep trochanteric bursa lies beneath the the largest of your glutes (gluteus maximus) both of the these muscles insert in to the Iliotibial Band (ITB).  Reduced flexibility in your gluteus maximus, tensor fasciae latae or ITB can cause trochanteric bursitis, from too much cycling or running or from running on uneven surfaces.  Another common cause is some women is an imbalance between your abductor and adductor muscles.  Trochanteric bursitis can also be caused by clients altering their posture as a result of a previous back injury. In all these cases a deep tissue or sports massage can help.  However if the cause is walking with more weight going through the outside of your foot (excessive foot eversion) then your make need to see a podiatrist for personalized orthotics. Hip Flexors Illiopsoas the main hip flexor, shortens when we sit down, so prolonged sitting can cause contracture (anatomical shortening) which can cause either lower back or hip pain.  I have personally found this to be a common cause of hip pain which can be successfully treated with deep tissue or sports massage. If you experience lower back or hip pain when standing up from a seated position then rectus femoris which is one your largest quadriceps muscle make be tight and/or your gluteus maximus which is the other muscle which helps your stand from a seated position may be weak.  If you suspect you have weak glutes you can strengthen them with squats and lunges. Fractures Hip fractures are common in the elderly with osteoporosis.  Stress fractures of the hip are common in people who participate in high impact sports e.g. long distance running, treatment is usually to avoid the high impact sport and this is usually successfully. When should I see my GP about my hip pain?  

• Inability to walk comfortably on the affected side
• Injury that causes deformity around the joint
• Hip pain that occurs at night or while resting
• Hip pain that persists beyond a few days
• Inability to bend the hip
• Swelling of the hip or the thigh area
• Signs of an infection, including fever, redness, warmth
• Any other unusual symptoms

Counting sheep is the age old method of falling to sleep, but does it really work? Those finding hard to sleep often seek distraction and some distractions work better than others, a team at Oxford University has found.   Researchers have discovered that picturing an engaging scene takes up more brain space than the same old sheep.  In addition it is easier to focus on an engaging scene because its way more interesting that sheep. Harvey and her colleague Suzanna Payne asked 50 insomniacs to try different distraction techniques on certain nights, to see which helped them fall asleep more quickly. One group conjured up a tranquil and relaxing scene such as a waterfall or being on holiday, while a second were asked to think of a distraction such as counting sheep. A third group were left to their own devices. On average, those picturing a relaxing scene fell asleep over 20 minutes earlier than on nights they didn’t try the technique. But both the sheep-counters and the controls took slightly longer than normal to fall asleep on the nights of the experiment.  The researches concluded that counting sheep is just too mundane to effectively keep worries away. If you find it difficult to conjure up vivid visulisations, aromatherapy may help.  A few drops of lavendar, chamomile or neroli essential oils may assist you to relax and unwide, and counjure up tranquil springtime fields. References A G Harvey, S Payne (2002) The management of unwanted pre-sleep thoughts in insomnia: distraction with imagery versus general distraction.  Behaviour Research and Therapy vol 40, issue 4, 267 - 277