Neck pain is a common complaint You probably don’t give much thought to your neck unless something goes wrong and you start feeling neck pain. The neck is a very under-appreciated part of the body and it works hard all the time you are awake and upright. It has to be...
Why does standing still make my lower back hurt? Back pain is the leading chronic pain condition worldwide, with over 80% of us experiencing it at some time in our lives. Common medical advice for back pain is to stand for periods of the day, but for many people...
Is it possible to stretch your connective tissue? There is some debate amongst therapists and researchers whether it is possible to stretch fascia and whether there is actually any benefit in stretching at all. Given that fascia has a tensile strength of 2 tonnes per...
The benefits of good breathing Breathing is such a natural and essential part of life, but it’s not something we usually notice much in daily life. This is because your breathing is controlled by the unconscious you. By this we don’t mean what happens when you are...
Keep your home working RSI free Remember when working from home used to be a bit of a luxury, not having to travel to the office or get dressed up? Suddenly lockdown has made home working the new normal and many workers find themselves coping with conditions that are...
How inflammation in fascia contributes to your pain Pain is a necessary and natural response to something potentially damaging. The problems arise when the pain response gets corrupted and turns into an unwanted chronic situation. For many of us our pain first happens...
The importance of armpits If you find that you are sitting more than usual, which may include working in an unfamiliar and cramped home set-up, then spare a thought for your armpits. They’re probably not an area you think about much, in fact my grandmother’s...
We live in stressful times Stressful situations and a sense of loss of control can make you feel anxious and even depressed. Your reactions aren’t just confined to your mind, because however you are thinking also affects your body. Stress triggers a release of the...
Now's the time to get started with myofascial self-care! At this point of great uncertainty and potential threat to our health, it is more important than ever that we use our time at home to look after ourselves. Whether you are working from home, furloughed or...
What are trigger points? If you’ve ever felt a ‘knot’ in your shoulder and dug in with your fingers to find both tension and relief, then the chances are you’ve found a trigger point – a knot of connective tissue that is tender to the touch and causes pain or other...
Myofascial Release Understanding Chronic Pain and Self-Help Techniques A big thank you to Lindsay Mulligan and the team at Energy Magazine in the USA for running our article about self-help myofascial techniques for chronic pain. You can read the full article by...
Myofascial release for sport You don’t have to look far to find self myofascial release being promoted as the new quick fix in sports training. Athletes in search of ever-greater performance are urged to ‘attack’, ‘smash’ and ‘blast’ their fascia into submission using...
Foam rollers - the evidence? There is much excitement in the sports and fitness world around the use of foam rollers for self-myofascial release (SMR). Go to most gyms and you will find people rolling around on them. But is there any evidence that foam rollers are...
Recent Comments