March 31, 2010
I am not generally a patient person. When I make a decision to do something I want to get stuck in as soon as possible and will be fidgety until the opportunity arises. So this last fortnight on crutches has been a hard lesson for me in learning my limitations and having the patience to deal with them! Being my usual stubborn self I am walking around on my injured foot when it feels better, ignoring the fact that a bone is still broken and it needs to rest. I then spend the next day regretting my actions and promising my foot that today it will rest.
Then an hour later I get bored and decide I really need to go and sort out some paperwork or hobble upstairs to get something really important and forget (or ignore) that I am not supposed to be weight bearing on it. Being on my own during the day whilst hubby is at work has forced me to take a moment before setting off on a mission to assess whether it’s really vital that I do it right now or whether it can possibly wait until I am in that area of the house. Being so used to just jumping up to get something or walking from room to room with armfuls of bits and pieces has caught me out a few times, as I get to grips with the logistics of something as simple as transporting a cup of tea from the kitchen to the sitting room on crutches!
Together with this I am looking at the gloominess outside, listening to the rain falling and wondering if my allotment is ever going to get planted this year. I’m inwardly thankful that it is still so chilly as that allows me to reason that it would be prudent to wait another few weeks until the ground warms up. I’m still in that mentality that I need a reason to make me feel better about it – I am trying to master the art of simply accepting the situation for what it is, but for someone so used to getting up and doing when the urge strikes it’s a tough one.
So my lesson from this injury is most definitely patience, with a good dollop of acceptance. I have another couple of weeks to get my head around this and put it into practice by which time I hope to be super chilled and relaxed and raring to get back into the clinic.
Natalie
BMore Natural
July 13, 2009
In the middle of June I attended the Practitioner level training in NO HANDS ® massage and wow, what a weekend! 40 hours over 4 days of total NO HANDS immersion amongst 80+ likeminded massage therapists.
Having done the Transforming Touch weekend in February and used NO HANDS in every treatment since then I was thinking how could it get any better – and during this weekend I got my answer. What was already a fantastic and beautiful treatment just stepped up a gear as we learnt moves I have never imagined. The real possibilites of this approach have been opened up to me and I am so excited about this next stage in my NO HANDS journey.
Watching the trainers as they joined in with treatments taking place was one of the most moving things I’ve seen in my massage career – the grace and beauty of the movement and the nurturing touch was like watching an exquisite dance and was at times so powerful it actually reduced people to tears (myself included!). It was an inspiration and also confirmation that this is how I want to give massage for the rest of my career, to allow my clients to feel what I felt this weekend and to inspire them on thier own NO HANDS journey with me.
If you haven’t tried this dynamic new approach to body massage yet then give it a try and see what it’s all about! For more information on clinic appointments visit BMore Natural or call Natalie on 0800 95 33 004.
January 29, 2009
Many minor injuries, if treated quickly and correctly, can heal completely and give no long term problems. However, left untreated, small injuries can manifest into long term problems that may then take extensive treatment to correct. Such examples include muscle and ligament sprains and strains.
If an injury site includes general soreness, swelling and/or bruising and is tender to the touch you may have a muscle strain. When these symptoms occur around a joint and include pain when weight bearing then you may have a joint sprain. Both of these can be self treated in the initial stages and they react very well to the immediate application of ice packs which can reduce the pain and minimise swelling and bruising (do not apply ice directly to the skin as this may cause ice burn). Despite the injury to my knee it swelled very little and there was no bruising – both of with I attribute to the ice and compression treatments.
Use the RICE guide - Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. Use ice for short periods until the skin turns white then remove until the colour returns and repeat this several times. RICE is typically recommended for around 24 hours during the acute phase. Elasticated bandages are useful to apply compression, use with extra padding around the injury site.
After care of sprains and strains includes treatment such as physiotherapy, osteopathy, chiropractic and deep tissue massage. These forms of treatment should only be used once the acute stage has passed (usually 24-48 hours) and are highly effective at re-mobilising the area and correcting the alignment and function of the bones and/or soft tissues.
If the symptoms persist then you should visit your GP or if you suspect a break or fracture has occurred then get yourself straight down to A&E for an x-ray.
It really is worth seeking advice on what may seem to be a small injury (even something as innocent as tweaking your neck when you reach for something on the back car seat can lead to later problems) and get it treated straight away. It could save you a lot of pain and discomfort in the future.
January 29, 2009
As a massage practitioner, I use various deep tissue techniques to help break down scar tissue and realign muscle fibres to help eliminate tension and assist recovery after injury. It can be painful and it may take a little while, but ultimately it can minimise or eliminate the risk of longer term problems, especially when used to treat sprains and strains.
I sprained the inside ligament on my knee when I fell awkwardly skiing in Germany a number of years ago and the pain was unbelievable! It felt like someone had stuck hot pins in my knee and I could put very little weight on it – which was a bit of a problem as we were not even a quarter of the way down the run! With the help and patience of my husband, we made our way excruciatingly slowly down the mountain.
As soon as we got back to the car I grabbed a ball of snow, wrapped it in a plastic bag and applied it to my elevated knee for a while, followed by using my scarf to apply compression. Within minutes of stopping moving it had seized up – which made getting up the 2 flights of stairs in our accommodation a great feat of bum shuffling!
Anyway, it became apparent the next morning that this was not a temporary problem and my skiing week was over so we managed to find a sports injury clinic where they diagnosed a sprain of the medial ligament (torn badly but not completely severed thankfully) and I left wearing an extended knee brace which remained on for the next 10 days. This was followed by intensive physiotherapy and massage for the next 3 months which completely restored all function, movement and strength in that knee … … … continues in part 2!
