Rugby Injuries

Each week on Thursday evenings, I run my sports injury clinic at Chipping Norton RUFC and work on the players needing treatment.

There are  many different types of sports injury which occur in the game of Rugby. The obvious being the trauma or impact injury, dislocation and lesion, however, postural & over training  injuries are less obvious but often lead to long term damage which can be impossible to fix.

During my time at the club, I have seen another type of problem which is not spoken of and indeed the players seem to be unaware of. Rugby players like boxers train their mind & body to be always ready & to absorb impact - this puts them in a perpetual state of tension. Given that they also need to body build and strength train, their bodies are constantly in a tension and stress mode.

Stress
Much has been written about 'Stress' - good stress and bad stress - we are built to be 'stressed' but in only short bursts,  this is ok but long term or constant stress on the mind & body can be very damaging and can also be the source & cause of so many other problems.

When the body is under constant physical stress the muscles, tendons, ligaments & joints do not get the quality down time to house keep & repair tissue. When blood flow, nutrients, oxygen etc are restricted to the head because of  muscle tension in the neck, this restricts blood supply to the brain and leads to headaches or migraine. The constant release of stress hormones into the system is very damaging long term and thought to be the source of some diabetes, cancers and osteoarthritis.

Sports massage 
During exercise the body releases stress hormones but it does not know whether this is good or bad stress, so it is very important to warm down and relax, sports massage is of great advantage to the rugby player not only to detect and treat an injury early, but also to allow stress and muscle tension to be released.

Clinical Aromatherpy

I have used Aromatherapy at home for many years to treat and  alleviate the symptoms of colds, coughs &  flu etc. I decided a year ago to enrol on a diploma course in Aromatherapy and integrate this as an additional tool into my clinical therapies.

Often when you speak of aromatherapy, people can assume that it is a treatment using different smells - well sort of true by the tittle: aroma + therapy, the sense of smell does have a powerful effect and influence on the mind - peppermint is a great example, smells fresh & clean, one use is  to open the airway and it is useful to alleviate the symptoms of a cold.

Aromatherapy works by the absorption of  plant oil into the body, via inhalation ( oil burners & steamers) via the skin from aromatherapy massage (black pepper for muscle ache) a compress ( Arnica for bruising ) or ingestion as part of our food. ( garlic oil capsules used for heart conditions etc. The use of aromatherapy these days is widely accepted as the norm & used in many products: mint  / lavender / tea tree shower gel etc etc.

Aromatherapy is very similar to herbalism using plants and their therapeutic properties. The main difference is that herbalism will use the whole of the plant where as, aromatherapy uses the extracted plant oil.

It is possible to purchase aromatherpy in high street stores but it should be noted that most of these oils are pure and very concentrated and should only be used as directed by a qualified aromatherapist.

Exercise & the over 50s




Cycling in France

 Much is written about exercise and the over 50s in terms of safety, maximum heart rates, blood pressure, good nutrition, sports drinks, supplements injury prevention aids etc.

In truth, many generalisations and claims are made to cover the many different levels of fitness and abilities. Some of the claims have foundation but often are designed to sell a product which could be very important for the professional athlete but may really have little or no benefit to the weekend athlete.

It is true however, that before you embark on a new  exercise regime you should be checked out by a doctor / practice nurse and then a  personal trainer can assess your individual fitness level and advise on safe programme, tailored to your specific needs.

Warming up and warming down
Warming up & down must always be a part of a good exercise regime. If the muscles are cold and stiff without good blood flow and then pushed into explosive exercise this will greatly increase risk of injury.

Too often this critical  part of exercise is  is missed and the results often end up in clinic with torn or ruptured muscles & tendons. Warming down also assists in removing lactic acid in the muscles and helps to avoid cramps and muscle pain.

Stretching before and after exercise 
There has been some debate about the benefits of stretching pre exercise. However there seems to be no doubt about the benefits of stretching off post exercise. Stretching will lengthen the muscle and return the muscle resting length to normal plus it will align the colegen fibres and assist in the removal of lactic acid preventing cramps and pain.

If a muscle is allowed to shorten and remain in that shortened position it will be less effective and need more effort to perform the same contraction, thus the athlete becomes more fatigued quicker.
Muscle shortening will also adversely affect the joint associated with it and cause the joint to wear (osteoarthritis).

Sports massage 
Many over 50s have niggles and some muscle or postural issues from general wear and tear. The benefits of sports & remedial massage are well documented on my website, a good therapist whilst assisting in keeping the athlete in optimum condition will also pick up any postural deviation caused by over tonic muscles. They will be able to offer good stretching advise for post exersise to prevent that shortened muscle memory becoming a real problem.

High or low impact sports
For those over 50 it should be carefully considered those sports which involve sports high impact or high wear on the joints are apporpriate. Recovery time from injury takes longer as we age and encouraging the early onset of osteoarthritis should be avoided. Osteoporosis is another consideration however low impact and low stressing of the bones will encourage the body to create stronger bones.

Cycling, Swimming are fantastic sports for the over 50s, the picture as above on this post shows several cyclists in there 70s fit and well and still acheiving over the 80miles in a day!

Brittle bone conference 2009

Brittle bone society conference

The conference this year was held in Ashford  kent, last year I was invited as a guest speaker about the benefits of massage. This year I was kindly invited to run a clinic for the weekend for those who wished to experience a treatment.

Brittle bone is a genetic condition which varries in severity but some the main symptoms are frequent fractures  joint hypermobility (lax ligaments)  bone and postural irregularity.

The main aim of  being  a guest speaker  in 2008 was mainly about the 'benefits of massage' and that it it can be delivered safely without fear of the therapist causing a fracture! I was shocked to find in my early years of training that both brittle bone and osteoporosis were considered to be a 'contra indication to massage' - meaning don't treat this type of client! This still seems to be the current thinking, my aim is to change this out dated perception.

What is certainly clear is that therapists can proceed with caution, read current literature and conduct a full postural assessment however most importantly listen to your client and keep asking for feed back during a treatment. As a father of a child with OI (brittle bones) I would be happy to assist  and guide any therapist wishing more information: paul@paulskidmore-therapies.co.uk

The benefits of massage for an OI client

When I trained as a sports and remedial massage practitioner muscle balancing and postural assessment was key to injury prevention - basiscally the more times a footballer falls over due to a muscle weakness or inbalance the more likely an injury. ! Light bulb moment ! If I apply this to an OI client: greater stability equals less falls and fractures. With a possible lifetime average of 40 plus fractures even 10% less will make a huge difference.

People with OI also can suffer over tight muscle groups which if left unchecked can lead to postural deviation -  muscle pain and often stiff joints. With careful soft tissue release techniques these over tonic muscles can be relaxed and joint mobilised leading to better range of movement and improved muscle strength and greater postural stability.

The constant use of the upper body to power a wheelchair is a classic example of where the neck / arms / back muscles can become tight ( over use syndrome ) thefore soft tissue release techniques of hypertonic muscles will deliver great results interms of joint mobilisation and long term benefit for the client.

Facilitated stretching may seem cavalier given the possible fragility of the bones, with careful soft tissue relase and gentle stretching I found I was able to achive a good spinal stretch and so improve the clients respiration - better breathing, more oxygen in take and removal of carbon dioxide, less lactic acid build up in the muscles and so less muscle aches & pains.

Improved circulation is a huge benefit of massage - more oxygen / nutrients to feed the tissues with improved lymphatic drainage the immune system is able to function efficiently to deal with any attack like chest infections swine flu etc etc.

Scar tissue, may OI clients have been through surgery and the build up of tight scar tissue can lead to some loss in the range of movement. My daugher had    bi -femoral rodding a year ago, within the gluteal muscles & IT band there was scar tissue which lead  a turning out of the foot ( tight lower limb external rotators) With careful soft tissue release, I was able to work the scar tissue and release the adhesions within two treatments. Her posture was greatly improved and avoided the development of any compensatory muscle patterns.

London Marathon

The London marathon was a great event and raised a huge amount of money for charity. I was assigned to "Sparks"

A children's medical research charity. http://www.sparks.org.uk/

The "sparks" athletes returned tired and grateful of a sports massage after the event. Some minor injuries were reported, twisted ankles, runners knee ( IT band syndrome ) and the normal wear & tear, fatigue after such an event.

All of the athletes were elated just to have completed the marathon but most reported understandably the feeling of fatigue and that perhaps their training / stretching had not been enough to prepare them for the event.

Injury prevention.

It is important to stretch correctly & train well for such events however over training can also be damaging. Injury prevention is key, over training is counter productive and can lead to micro tears in the belly of the muscle, if over training continues this can become a more serious problem leading to muscle weakness and loss of power.

When the muscle is fatigued its shock absorbing qualities ( quads etc) are greatly reduced and so the impact is taken directly through the joints and bones. Bone is not a great shock absorbing material and so this can lead to stress fractures or even cartilage damage. Similarly when the muscle is fatigued it will not serve well to support the joints and so ligament sprains are common due to over training.

Posture

As part of a good training preparation posture should not be overlooked, I see may runners who have very over tight hamstrings so they stretch them well in the belief that the stretch will relieve the strain. More often it's the quads that have become shortened and tight and are stretching the hamstrings to breaking point! As the hip rotates forwards due to shortened quads it causes a postural deformation of the lumber spine and that deep curve in the lower back causing the classic lower pain.

Sports massage and full postural assessment is key and can identify these small micro tears and posture issues before they becomes a major problem. A good sports & remedial therapist will also help identify weak area and treat with muscle balancing as a method injury prevention.

Hydration

We are always told to drink plenty of water, true even if you don't exercise but vital post event to get back in the water and nutrient & mineral levels- a good sports drink will help to re balance the body to aid good recovery.

London marathon

Welcome to my blog.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask and I will do my best to respond as quickly as possible.

Over the coming months I will be talking about up coming events, general massage /different techniques, sports / work related injuries, medical conditions, contra indications and how massage can be of benefit to all.

The next big event coming up is the London marathon on the 26th of April 09. I have been selected as a sports massage therapist for pre & post event massage along with dealing with the normal running injuries.

This type of big event are always great fun however sleep is never a problem after treating athletes for 8 or more hours ( I will be in need of a good relaxing massage after that one, but who treats the therapist!! )