Does massage help tense muscles or muscle soreness?

We all struggle to get our heads around things from time to time.  For me I find it hard to imagine living with Fibromyalgia, the constant pain, which moves around the body and the tiredness.  In addition to the physical symptoms there is the additional mental strain of living with a chronic condition that is has no visible signs and can change from day to day. A pilot study recruited 22 women who had been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia to participate in a 75 minute yoga class twice weekly for eight weeks.  Questionnaires were used to track pain, anxiety and depression they were completed pre, mid and post intervention.  In addition salivary cortisol samples were taken three times a day pre and post intervention. The results indicate that a "yoga intervention" may

• Reduce pain
• Reduce catastrophising
• Increase acceptance
• Increase mindfulness
• Alter total cortisol levels

Reference Curtis K, Osadchuk A and Katz J (2011) An eight week yoga intervention is associated with improvements in pain, psychological functioning and mindfulness and changes in cortisol levels in women with Fibromyalgia.  Journal of Pain Research 4: 189-201  

Although we have talked in general about lots of people being low in magnesium, it begs the querstion are you low in Magnesium?  Given we can't take a test, what are the signs you can look for to see if you are low magnesium?

• Anxiety
• Times of hyperactivity
• Difficulty getting to sleep
• Difficulty staying asleep
• Muscle spams and muscle cramping
• Fibromyalgia
• Facial tics
• Eye twitches or involuntary evey movements

In clinic we often see clients who's muscles are really tight or contracted.  Without magnesium in our body our muscles would be in a constant state of contraction.  It should be noted that calcium causes our muscles to contract.  While calcium and magnesium have actions that oppose each other they function as a team.  So you must always consider your calcium levels when considering your magnesium levels. References Seelig M, Rosanoff A. The Magnesium Factor. New York: Avery Books; 2003

For most people know they sit all day as part of their job.  Recently there has been a spate of article in the press about the impact of sitting all day, so I wanted to take some time to look at the impact of sitting all day.

Sit up Straight

I want to start this series of articles on a positive note, as most of my clients have to sit to work, the negative impact of sitting is minimised if you sit correctly. As your Mum always said, "Sit up straight", i.e.

• Not leaning forward
• Shoulders relaxed
• Arms close to sides
• Elbows bent 90°
• Lower back should be supported
• Feet flat on floor

So what happens if you don't sit up straight?

As you would expect from a masseur I am going to start by looking at the impact on your muscles.

Strained Neck & Sore Shoulders

If most of your sitting occurs at a desk at work, craning your neck forward toward a keyboard or tilting your head to cradle a phone while typing can strain the cervical vertebrae and lead to permanent imbalances.  The neck doesn't slouch alone. Slumping forward overextends the shoulder and back muscles as well, particularly the trapezius, which connects the neck and shoulders. Here at Vitality Therapy we offer Seated Acupressure Massage to directly address these issues.

Bad back

When we move around, soft discs between vertebrae expand and contract like sponges, soaking up fresh blood and nutrients. But when we sit for a long time, discs are squashed unevenly. Collagen hardens around supporting tendons and ligaments.  So people who sit more are at greater risk of slipped disks or herniated disks.

I recommend the Yoga position cat-cow for increasing your spinal flexibility. (Click here for guidelines on how to do cat-cow.)

When you sit for a long time, a muscle called the psoas travels through the abdominal cavity and, when it tightens, pulls the upper lumbar spine forward. Upper-body weight rests entirely on the ischial tuberosity (sitting bones) instead of being distributed along the arch of the spine.  A sports massage or a deep tissue massage can release a tight psoas muscle.  

Mushy abs

When you stand, move or even sit up straight, abdominal muscles keep you upright. But when you slump in a chair, they go unused. Tight back muscles and wimpy abs form a posture-wrecking alliance that can exaggerate the spine's natural arch, a condition called hyperlordosis, or swayback.  So sitting up straight is the first step to good abs!

Tight hips

Flexible hips help keep you balanced, but chronic sitters so rarely extend the hip flexor muscles in front that they become short and tight, limiting range of motion and stride length. Studies have found that decreased hip mobility is a main reason elderly people tend to fall.  So when you are in the gym remember tohttp://vitalitytherapy.co.uk/wp-admin/post-new.php stretch your hip flexors.

Limp glutes

Sitting requires your glutes to do absolutely nothing, and they get used to it. Soft glutes hurt your stability, your ability to push off and your ability to maintain a powerful stride when walking.  They can impact your performance when you run, as all powerful glutes are the key to increasing your speed and powering you up hills.