Sports Massage Chelmsford

Massage brings relief to hip pain

2011-06-28T14:34:00.000+01:00

Phew, so pleased the weather has broken. Well my 80 year old lady came again yesterday and she's feeling much more comfortable. We both agree that this is an excellent way to help relieve the symptoms of her hip pain/sciatica and is certainly not a cure. However she is sleeping better which is a great relief. I suggested that she looked into taking the anti inflammatory supplement Devils Claw. I have read that it may be beneficial in arthritic pain to the hip and back. She is not on any medication from her doctor so I wouldn't have thought there would be any contra indications. I have suggested a couple of reputable suppliers and she is going to try it.

sciatic pain

2011-06-21T17:21:00.000+01:00

An 80 year old client presented with pain down leg and in hip with difficulty walking. Her osteopath diagnosed sciatica. MRI showed up slight degeneration of L4/L5. Her GP offered injection which since she was not exactly in agony, she didn't want. So she thought she might try me.

Sacral, lumber and gluteal area all very tight and massage was causing pins and needles. I decided to look to the anterior aspect. By massaging the very tight rectus femoris up into the psoas and hip flexors I was able to loosen off the area with out the unpleasant pins and needles. She has just phoned to say that her osteopath commented on how much looser the area was and she commented on how his treatment was considerably less painful this visit. Oh - and the walking is much more comfortable. This goes to show how successfully osteopathy and deep tissue, sports and remedial massage can work together.

Probiotic may protect against colds

2011-04-01T10:42:00.000+01:00

Those training for the marathon might benefit from taking a probiotic supplement. Trials have suggested that people engaged in endurance-based physical activities were less likely to contract upper respiratory-tract infection if taking daily probiotic supplements over a four months period. So those currently training for the London may not feel the full benefit but worth a try and should help ward off those cold and flu viruses for next winter.

March Discount

2011-02-26T09:30:00.001Z

Many of you really appreciated my 'money off offer' in January - so now I'm giving you one for March.

20% off sports, remedial and deep tissue massage from 1st to 30th of March!

40 minute treatment      save £6                                                        now £24
60 minute treatment      save £9 (slightly over 20%)           now £33
90 minute treatment      save £11                                                      now £44

Just mention this offer at the time of booking.
Please note that it can't be used in conjunction with any other discount you may have.
May only be used once.

Massage brings relief for Piriformis Syndrome

2011-02-06T19:34:00.002Z

Celia's doctor has been diagnosed with piriformis syndrome. Celia visited me complaining of sore hips and pain in her left buttock, down the back of her leg and an ache in her big toe. These are common symptoms of piriformis syndrome which is usually felt only affects one side. Increased discomfort may be felt when sitting for long periods, climbing stairs or walking uphill.

I worked on the Celia's lateral rotators, which are the muscles around the buttock area. Lateral rotation of the hip was tight and as is common in piriformis syndrome, the tight muscles were restricting the sciatic nerve and causing the pain. The massage incorporated the lower back and leg. Celia felt a pleasant kind of pins and needles in her big toe as I released the soft tissue in the hip area. She remarked that the whole area felt much freer and more comfortable. By working together, I'm confident that we can help bring relief to Celia's painful condition.

I suggested a few easy exercises including rotation of the hip by circling the upper leg whilst side lying. I also showed her a helpful stretch: lying on her back, bending one knee with foot on the floor and taking the ankle of the affected leg on to the bent thigh, then by leaning forward and pulling the bent thigh towards her she could achieve a lovely stretch across the buttock.

Echinacea doesn't with cold symptoms

2010-12-21T14:32:00.000Z

On reading Health.com, I found that tests have been carried out using a placebo and echinacea to verify whether the latter helps us recover quicker from symptoms of the common cold. As an advocate for echinacea, I was quite surprised that the tests saw little benefit in taking echinacea. it is possible that it does stem off the cold if taken in time but the general conclusion was that, although not harmful, taking echinacea is a waste of money. I'd be grateful to hear what others think.

linseed and pumpkin seeds for good nutrition

2010-12-01T16:48:00.000Z

I braved it to my local health food store to restock with linseed and pumpkin seeds and they'd run out! Presumably many more people are now aware of the high content of omega 3 found in these seeds. May be not as much as oily fish but an excellent source for vegetarians. Both these seeds are also a useful aid to healthy bowel movements. Hopefully more will be delivered tomorrow.

any questions about you massage?

2010-11-30T18:07:00.000Z

If you've never experienced a deep tissue or remedial massage, you may be wondering "Is deep tissue or remedial massage suitable for me?".

You may be thinking, "How does it differ from the massage that I had when I had my pamper day at the Spa?"

"Actually, I'm getting used to that dull ache going up my neck so should I wait until next time it keeps me awake?"

I you want to know if Deep Tissue and Remedial Massage can help your individual muscular pain or discomfort, drop me an email at: dena@sportsmassagechelmsford.co.uk or give me a call on 07725192784.

Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy & Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

2010-11-04T19:51:00.003Z

I have so many wonderful clients and continuously learn about the many difficulties that some people suffer in leading their day to day lives. About 6 months ago I received an email from a lady asking if I would see her friend who suffers from RDS (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy) to see if remedial massage might help her condition. To be honest, I'd never heard of RDS so I quickly looked it up and read that massage might be very helpful in bringing relief - providing you stay well away from the regional pain area.

Cat came along to my clinic, walking in on her crutches, a big smile on her face and armed with a 4 page print out about her condition. RSD is a chronic pain condition that has been triggered by an initial injury. Apparently it affects the nervous system as well as bones, skin, blood vessels and muscles. I understand that Cat is in constant pain and cannot bear to have anything touching her lower left leg. Overall her muscles are very weak and she often falls over. She is also prone to burning herself as her nerves switch on and off. In addition she is hyper-mobile and her shoulders are prone to dislocation.

Cat now comes to see me most weeks. We have an hour's session, when we listen to lively music and have a bit of a sing song. Together Cat and I have achieved excellent results. Although she has the occasional subluxation she hasn't suffered a full dislocation for months. There is little I can do regarding Cat's nervous system but with the release of muscle tension, her body is more balanced resulting in less muscular strain and in turn less overall pain. The massage also helps stimulate the blood flow blood flow and over all the treatment helps Cat deal better with her condition. She tells me that if she has to miss a week she can really feel the difference. This is a huge complement and I derive so much pleasure from knowing that I am one of the wheels in the cog helping to make her life easier.

Cat is quite an outspoken young lady and she has no qualms about telling her doctors about my treatment. in turn her GP, specialist and physiotherapist are more than happy that this complementary therapy is supporting their treatments and helping Cat better deal with her day to day life.

Tell Your Doctor about the Benefits of Complementary Therapies

2010-11-01T17:42:00.002Z

I recently read that most people are reluctant to tell their GPs that they are using complementary therapies. There is a perception that GPs will not approve. But if you find a complementary therapy helpful for your ailment, your GP would want to know. Many doctors have not been trained to recognize the advantages of complementary therapies and perhaps they should be given the opportunity to examine them. Many of their patients would be going to them for a quick fix and would possibly not be willing to persevere with the more holistic, but possibly slower results of complementary therapies. Complementary therapies, and I'm writing mainly with my knowledge of massage, supports your well being and should be an aid to any treatment you are receiving from your doctor. After all, we are talking about complementary therapy. If you are under your doctor for an illness or condition it is sensible to tell him or her that you are receiving complementary therapy; your complementary therapist would want to know about your medication and would not want the therapy to interfere with your treatment. If the complementary therapy is contra indicative to your medical treatment then you certainly would not want to continue; but so often doctors believe that you will just be wasting your money. So be it, if the complementary therapy helps you feel stronger and possibly leads to you needing less medication then that is a really positive result that your GP would want to know about.