Welcome to the second blog for 2023 from NW Sports Massage Tewkesbury. So far this year just seems to be flying by and I hope everyone has had a great start to the year. If your new year resolution motivation is waning go check out my last blog for some fresh inspiration.
I am now well over half way through my first year of university and cannot believe how fast it is going (but I am loving every second). There will be lots of studying time coming up as I get ready for end of year exams in May.
My sponsored athlete Abbey Lloyd is super busy with her horse riding coaching
offering top quality private tuition to all levels of riders with their own horses. She is also getting geared up for this season of eventing with her horses. She had an amazing season last year winning the Cotswold Cup Championship with her horse Blaze and has big plans for her younger horse Leo this year. I wish her the best of luck and look forward to hearing (and reporting) all about how they are doing as the season goes on.
I had some one ask the other day about massage time lengths so I have written a quick guide on what length Sports massage will suite you...
There are 4 different timed sessions to choose from at NW Sports massage, here’s a breakdown of how each one can be used:
45 minutes- This is a shorter session so suitable for someone with just one niggling body part or injury, like a shoulder or neck for example.
60 minutes - Generally an hour is good for maintenance or a shorter full body or upper body massage. (Most popular)
75minutes - Is ideal if you have a few different aches or injuries going on and requiring a full body massage.
Sport in the Spotlight: Pilates
Each month I cover a new sport/ activity highlighting how it can effect our bodies and muscles required for that sport. This month we look at Pilates!
I have had a number of people tell me about the great benefits they have felt from taking part in Pilates. It can be a exercise that you do on it's own as a whole body workout or a great accessory exercise (alongside your other sports/activities) to help build on your mobility and strength, with a emphasis on core strength.
The main difference between yoga and Pilates is when practicing yoga you tend to find a position and hold it before flowing into your next position, where as, in Pilates once you are in a certain position you may move arms and/or legs to help challenge your balance and core strength.
One study by Cells W et al. (2015) looked into Pilates effectiveness for people suffering with chronic low back pain and concluded Pilates exercise offers greater improvements in pain and functional ability compared to usual care and physical activity in the short term.
With that in mind lets take a look at some of the other benefits:
Minimal equipment is needed (you can follow a You Tube series or join a class in Tewkesbury for example: at Positive Pilates or Gravity Fitness, but technically all you need is a mat)
Improved Posture - Improved posture can lead to better muscle balance, reduced back/shoulder / neck pain and being able to sit or stand tall with greater ease. It improves posture by strengthening postural muscles and bringing greater sense of awareness to your bodies alignment.
Reformer Pilates - this form of Pilates is generally a more intense and more dynamic
than the tradition form that just uses a mat. It can look like a pretty intimidating piece of kit at first. The concept is the same however it offers more resistance, is more versatile, and can be adjusted to all abilities (however, it is more expensive for these classes). Follow this link for a local clinic that offers reformer Pilates.
4. Decreased Stress - All exercise can help reduce stress by helping to lower cortisol levels (aka - stress hormone), but Pilates also uses breath control which can help to down regulate the nervous system and over time reduce stress. Plus, as it is often done in classes it offers a social element as well.
5. Improves Balance and Core Strength - Having good balance is really important, especially as we age, our bones can become more vulnerable to damage if sustaining a fall, therefore, improving balance can be a great way to keep you less vulnerable to injury or falls as we age. Pilates famously works our core, which is the essentially the muscles surrounding our trunk, this helps to supports and stabilise the body and in turn can reduce back and hip pain.
Moving Muscles
Each month I pick a new muscle to look at and see how it helps us move and effects posture and problems tightness in the muscle can cause.
This time we will look at the Trapezius (AKA - Traps)!!
Trapezius is a large muscle on our backs and the most superficial that comes from the base of our skull (occipital bone), the top of our shoulder blades (scapula) and are of the spine (Spinous processes of T1 -T12). Its has many actions including; aiding posture, stabilises the scapula raising and lowering our shoulders, squeezing our shoulder blades together, and resisting gravity when carrying weights in hand. It is often referred to in 3 different parts, upper, mid and lower.
Tightness in the trapezius is a common compliant leading to hunching in the shoulders and is generally due to peoples lifestyles where we spend a lot of time on computers and driving in our vehicles where our arms are out and up in front of us for long periods of time leaving this muscle in a shortened state. Also, being in high stress environments can also exacerbate tension in the traps and tension headaches. Massage seems to have great effects on easing the tension in this area and improving mobility again. Signs of tightness in this area may be aching or pain in upper shoulders and neck or between shoulder blades and reduced range of motion in neck or shoulders. However, tearing or straining of this muscle is uncommon.
In a previous blog I covered how our posture can also effect this muscle, read more about it here.
Tip: when working at a desk for any period of time try to utilise breaks to move. Add in shoulder rolls, squeezing shoulder blades together and circling arms to help keep the area more mobile and help stop tension building.
Book in at NW Sports massage to help ease tightness you may have in your Traps!!
I hope you have enjoyed reading this edition of NW Sports Massage's blog and I wish everyone a happy easter period. During April I will be running a refer a friend discount so keep an eye out for this announcement on my Facebook and Instagram so both you and a friend can get money off any treatment!!
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