Hello, welcome to the October and November 2022 blog from NW Sports massage.
October seemed to fly past so quickly so this month I have combined 2 months in to one!!
Autumn has turned into winter, and we have had some very grey and wet days and now the clocks have also changed it gets dark SO early! (Cosy evenings with a hot drink and Netflix on are calling!!)
With the colder weather upon us you may find yourself suffering from tension in your neck,
shoulders, and upper back region. When the temperatures drop, we can often adopt a somewhat ‘huddled’ posture in attempt to keep warm. Along with adding the layers to keep warm, NW Sports Massage Tewkesbury will help reduce and ease the muscular knots and tension that may have been created.
Are you struggling for Christmas gifts this year?
NW Sports massage offers Gift Vouchers. Whether it be for Christmas, Birthdays or a different occasion they can be a great and unique gift for friends and family.
They can be tailored to the individual made out to a specific treatment or for a money value, please DM or email nswsportsmassage@gmail.com to purchase yours!!
Sport in the spotlight
Each month I cover a new sport highlighting how it can effect our bodies and muscles required for that sport. This month we look at Skiing!!
Skiing is a seriously good workout, and you will definitely be earning all of your Après Ski treats after a hard day skiing!!
We are fortunate in Gloucestershire to be able to practice or learn skiing year-round at the Gloucester Dry Ski Slopes. Offering recreational skiing and coaching across all ages.
As well as the mental health benefits of exercise plus being outdoors, it provides a cardiovascular workout, it could even be classed as a interval workout while you are waiting for holiday companions to catch you up!!
Skiing is pretty exhausting on the legs using a range of exercise modes (eccentric, isometric and concentric muscular contractions which could be seen as quite unique in comparison to other sports), you will need to think and act fast as you carve, turn and jump on your way down a slope.
You naturally adopt a half squat position, so the quadricep and hamstring muscles are heavily utilised. But there is no lower limb muscle that won’t be used as your knees and hips try to absorb the terrain of the slope. The core muscles will help to maintain your balance and glutes are also used to help extend the hips and you’ll typically hold your body in a flexed position, with a forward lean over the hips requiring strength from the glutes.
The feet and ankles also work hard to help subtly control the edge of the ski’s in a parallel turn. The movements will be subtle though as ski boots are pretty restrictive and don’t always allow much movement in our ankles and feet.
And finally, you get a good arm workout if you hit a lengthy flat patch and have to use your arms to push yourself along, or if you find yourself on the floor a lot those triceps will be helping push you back up!!
And some great Après ski will be much needed after your hard day on the slopes!!
I’d love people to share their knowledge on a sport they are passionate about to participate in the newsletter please email: nswsportsmassage@gmail.com
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 Tibialis Anterior!
The Tibialis Anterior is found on and runs down the outside of our shin bone (or tibia, the larger on the 2 long bones below the knee). With the tendon running across the inner front of the ankle to the base of our first toe and another bone just next to it in our foot called the medial cuneiform.
It is a vital muscle in gait (walking and running) and is often undertrained, this weakness or overuse can cause pain down the front of our shins which may be made worse when running or walking.
This is because one of this muscles functions is to lift our toes up towards the shin (dorsiflex the foot), therefore it is essential in gait to lift the toes clear on the swing phase, as well as working eccentrically to control the foot on heel strike.
Soft tissue release can be used by locating the shin and running your thumb slowly down the outside of the muscle for 5-10 repetitions, as well as this, soft tissue release to the calf muscles may be beneficial as tightness there may limit dorsiflexion. This is also where NW Sports Massage may be beneficial, you can book your appointment HERE.
Did you know.....
One of the systems effected by massage is the nervous system. The autonomic nervous system is the system that processes our flight or fight reactions and regulates involuntary physiologic processes. Our basal body is your temperature when you're fully at rest, therefore,
it is usually lowest during sleep. However, due to the relaxation achieved during a massage, you can start to feel cold due to the 0.2-0.5 degree celsius drop that is happening in your body. With that in mind you'll be thrilled to hear I now have a heated blanket for this winter to lye on during your treatments!!
FINALLY,
The next NW Sports massage blog will likely be in the new year so I would like to say thank you to everyone that has supported my business in 2022 and I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
Comentários