Some of the many benefits of massage pre and post pregnancy are:
1. Helps reduce leg cramps
2. Helps reduce lower back and pelvic pain
3. Helps to reduce swelling in hands and feet
4. Reduces anxiety and depression
5. Helps with sleep
6. Helps reduce headaches and tension through shoulders and back due to breast feeding
7. Helps reduce general aches and pains associated with pregnancy
8. Regulates and reduces hormones such as norepinephrine and cortisol (hormones associated with stress) and promotes dopamine and serotonin levels (hormones associated with reducing stress)
Exercise Pre & Post Pregnancy
Generally, exercise is recommended and encouraged pre and post pregnancy unless otherwise stated by your obstetrician/doctor. You will find your energy levels will vary at different stages of your pregnancy and it is important to get plenty of sleep and rest when you are not feeling energetic. Creating a whole new person takes a lot of energy.
There are several exercise options you can do during your pregnancy to assist with muscle pains, cramping, weight control, birthing and general well-being.
Some of those are:
1. Yoga – making sure you get a clearance from your obstetrician and the yoga class is taken by a fully trained yoga teacher who has been trained in pregnancy yoga
2. Swimming – an excellent choice for swelling especially during summer months
3. Most hospitals have an exercise program which you can attend
4. Pilates is an excellent way to help regain your strength through the pelvic floor and as always, make sure the instructor is qualified in pregnancy Pilates
Note: After your baby is born you will be seen by a physio to explain what is happening with your post-baby body and given some exercises to do.
All No More Knots Clinics are equipped with special pregnancy tables to accommodate all stages of pregnancy and have therapists qualified in pregnancy massage. So, go ahead and book in for your pregnancy massage at one of our conveniently located clinics (Greenslopes, Taringa or Newmarket).
Written By, Tracy Warren (Senior Remedial Therapist)
We often think of exercise as something that builds muscle tension. This is actually true – using a muscle frequently increases its resting level of contraction, so that it’s “primed” to fire when you need to use it again. Like so many things in life, this can have pros and cons. It’s great to have muscles that are ready to go, but when these muscles get used too much – either through exercise or through postural stress – they can prevent other muscles from working as well as they need to. This tension imbalance prevents optimal function by decreasing the amount of contract that can occur in other muscles, essentially weakening and shutting them down somewhat, and can lead to long-term joint wear and tear.
In a previous post, we talked about how massage helps maintain physical mobility and flexibility. This is the first step in re-creating balance in the body – your remedial massage or myotherapy treatment can quickly decrease excessive tension in muscles. In addition to increasing mobility and flexibility, that also gives your body an opportunity to start using the muscles that have been in “shut down” mode. Reactivating and getting these muscles moving again is the next step in reaching a new, pain-free, optimal state of muscle tension, and an appropriate exercise program is the best way to do this.
That doesn’t mean you need to jump right into heavy weights or triathlon training though. Low intensity movements that take the joints and muscles through big ranges of motion are one of the best ways to reactivate these muscles. You’ll make progress in rebalancing your muscle tension even more quickly if you can consciously activate the weakest muscles and add some low level resistance to the movement (something like resistance bands or light weights). Eventually, your muscles will best benefit from a full-body program that includes forward, backward, and sideways movements, as this will keep all of your muscles involved and active, helping to prevent excessive tension build-up in any one place.
So, what’s the take home message? No exercise, or only the same sorts of exercise or movements over and over, will contribute to excessive tension building in some muscles and weakening others, creating imbalance. Exercises that incorporate lots of different types of movement will help balance out the tension and physical stresses caused by every day life, meaning that you’ll feel better between treatments – though it doesn’t mean that you won’t need remedial treatment ever again! You will continue to build more tension in some areas, and weaken in others, thanks to our daily activities (computers, anyone?) and a hands-on treatment will always be the most efficient way to keep that tension in check.
Written By, Erin Haske (Exercise Physiologist, Expert Remedial Therapist & Taringa Practice Manager)
Images By: Pinterest & The News-Press
One of the biggest risk factors in getting an injury is, having a previous injury and returning too soon and/or, setting intensity/load too high.
Other biggest risk factor is beginning a new activity without taking all necessary preventative precautions.
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Image by: Mindbody Health US http://mindbodyhealth.us/
Often hard to prevent, these injuries include sprains, strains and bruises. Usually associated with high impact sports such as Rugby. RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) is most widely used in these scenarios but new research will likely change the management of acute injuries in the future. Referral for scans for anything more serious.
Repetitive friction, pulling, twisting or compression that develops over time. Usually associated with endurance activities such as running, cycling but also other repetitive movement activities such as tennis, golf etc. RICE protocol again (For now), especially if long term overuse.
The role of massage in any programme is ideally for preventative measures, to aid with recovery from heavy training loads and help bring awareness to any imbalances or red flags, before they become an injury.
Massage is also used in the rehab of injury to help speed up recovery times and ensure recovery/rehab is on track. It is often used in conjunction with other modalities such as Physio, to facilitate this process.
Whilst massage should not be used in the early stages of acute and some overuse injuries, it can certainly play a role in treating the non-affected side, which will almost certainly take on extra load, to help protect the injured side.
Written By, Matt Parry (Expert Remedial Therapist & Greenslopes Practice Manager)
One of the primary benefits of Remedial massage is improved circulation by stretching and decreasing the tension in the muscle tissue which leaves more room for the blood vessels to expand, thus increasing the flow of oxygen and nutrients into the tissues and removal of waste products. This speeds up recovery time of any damaged tissue and optimizes functionality leading to better mobility. Additionally, increased blood flow levels and circulation aids those with lymphatic drainage problems or cold extremities leading to better overall performance and more freely moveable joints.
Over time, an individual may experience pinched nerves or large knots in their muscles. A knot typically occurs after performing a particular task for hours at a time on a regular basis (such as sitting at a desk). While knots are painful, the pinched nerve can become particularly excruciating and prevent many kinds of motions. For someone who is unable to turn their neck or have difficulty standing up straight based on the pain they feel, a massage can be all that is needed. A massage helps to work out the knot and soften the muscle, reducing the pain. This also helps ease the tension put on the nerves, allowing the pinched nerved to decompress and relieve the tension placed on it. Depending on the severity of the knot or nerve, it might take a few different sessions to fully remove the pain and tension, but after one session, patients should experience an almost immediate reduction in their pain levels and a boost in mobility.
Flexibility is a huge improvement stemmed from massage therapy. While this doesn't make up completely for daily stretching, it should allow for a higher degree of flexibility in the days and weeks following a treatment. This greater flexibility makes it more comfortable to move about, particularly for those individuals suffering from stiffness-related mobility problems. Although flexibility may not prove extremely beneficial for those with arthritis and similar medical problems, and those who are naturally already hypermobile, a greater level of flexibility is what patients ultimately need when dealing with tightness in their body.
One of our recommendations we give to our clients to assist with their health and wellbeing is to incorporate daily stretching into their routine. Not only does this help with mobility, if people stretched daily they would have so much more flexibility and make them more resilient to strain and injury. Regular stretching helps to maintain and increase mobility which many people may feel is no longer possible, Like exercise, stretching takes work but the benefits can be noticed quickly and are absolutely worth it.
Written By: Doug Slessor, Taringa Senior Remedial Therapist
We’d love to hear yours, so post it in the comments below!
Remember, this is by no means advice, just some things that we personally use and our experiences. As always, speak to a qualified person if you’re interested in trying anything!
Written By: Kelly Townsend (Director)
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