Mobility is the degree to which a joint can move before being restricted by surrounding tissues. Not all the joints taught are considered mobility joints. The Mobility and Motility Joints Theory Starting from the big toes joint and moving up the body to the upper cervical joints, we can count one by one a mobility joint alternating with a stability joint. So this would be like this: Big toes – M. Metatarsal – S Ankle -M Knee – S Hip – M Lumbar -S Toracic – M Lower Cervical – S Upper Cervical – M Shoulder – M Elbow – S Wrist – M Tarsal – S Fingers – M The major differences are: A Muscular structure surrounds mobility joints Stability joints are surrounded by ligaments and tendons Mobility joints move in more planes than stable ones. The stability joints, indeed are essential to the body mechanics to ensure that gravity and force applied to the body by its own weight are well distributed. First thing first. Now, if we plan to strengthen our body, like by going to the gym, running or doing any sports activity, ideally we would like to ensure that the mobile joints can deliver the minimum required of ROM. Why? Well, if the mobility joints are stiff or not mobile enough, the priority of moving would not diminish and the stability joints, are going to do their best to compensate. But let’s see this with an example. Mark (name of fantasy) who is an office worker, spends about 40 hours a week at his desk, and to reduce the work and life stress decided to start a routine run 3 to 4 times a week for 1 hour per time. Mark thinks that to go for a run, you don’t need training and has no clue about the mobility, stability and strengthening chain. After a few weeks that is enjoying his new routine, Mark start experiencing knee pain. Mark also didn’t realise that due to the long hours of sitting at the office, his hips joint are tight, and his external rotators, such as the gluteus max and piriformis, are tight. As per consequence, when Mark stands up, the angle of the gate (AOG), which refers to the rotation of the foot in a standing position, is up to 4 toes per side. (3 toes is the max AOG we expect in the foot). Now, what happens next is that when Mark goes running, his ankle mobility and hip mobility are visibly restricted. So, he will lean forward with the upper body, by having tight hips, and strike the floor with the feet externally rotated, so all the body weight will be loaded in the middle of the foot. As a result, the Stability Joint that sits between the ankle and hip, so the knee, will compensate for the other two joint dysfunctions. In this case, the knees would take extra pressure medially and stretch out laterally. So, what should Mark do?! Well, initially, to stop the pain from happening, stopping running would be a good idea. Said so, that would not fix the problem. What Mark should do, is: Massage to boost the change within the tight joints and reduce the knee pain Start a mobility program to improve the Hip and Ankle functionality Exercises that aim to reduce tension in the external rotator reinforce the internal rotator (Gluteus Med and Min) Train on how to run These are the basic steps to implement a model of Mobility, Stability, and Strengthening. Does this model apply to other sports activities? Of course, it does. Visualise your body as a giant mechanical machine made of rope and hinges. The mechanical result will not be ideal if the hinges are stiff and the ropes are tight. To improve the result, each component needs to be looked after. So what message would be the most recommended? Along with Melbourne Massage and Treatment services, Thai Massage, Remedial Massage, and Myotherapy are soon the most recommended services Giovanni offers to improve the body’s mobility. Regarding mobility training, Thai Yoga is also an effective way to improve joint mobility, as these exercises focus primarily on improving joint mobility. What there is to consider is the patient’s presentation, medical history and pre-existent injuries. If there are no significant concerns, I suggest Thai Massage as the best approach. For people who have presentations such as Diabetes n1 or hypertension, Myotherapy treatment or Remedial Massage is mainly recommended.
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Sep
Golfer’s Elbow also known as “medial epicondylitis” is an inflammation of the tendons that originates from the medial elbow side. The pain sensation can be local or spread along the forearm till down the wrist. Indeed, Golfer’s Elbow is similar to a tennis elbow, which occurs on the lateral side of the elbow. Both these conditions are not limited to those who play golf or tennis but can affect anyone who does repetitive movement their for usually builds pain usually builds up with time and can get quite intense if the condition is not looked after. Therefore, rest, massage and specific exercises are well recommended. Golfer’s Elbow Symptoms Pain: The area of pain as described above is around the medial side of the elbow and can spread down the forearm to the wrist Stiffness: The area of inflammation controls the forearm flexors, indeed, making a fist or flexing the fingers/wrist can be difficult or painful. Even the elbow can feel stiff in movement. Weakness: Due to the pain, you may experience weakness in the affected arm/forearm Numbness or tingling: Along the medial side of the elbow, pass the Ulnar nerve, which can refer to the ring finger and pinky finger with numbness or tingling sensation. Risk factors for Golfer’s Elbow Here below is the risk factors list for Golfer’s Elbow: Age 40 or older Doing repetitive movement of wrist/elbow daily Obese If this post talks to you, book your next massage session now. Golfer’s Elbow Treatment Option The treatment options for Golfer’s Elbow are many. Along Melbourne Massage and Treatment Services, MLD can be the least invasive and recommended. The gentle touch and repetitive mechanical stimulation of the cutaneous nervous system can help reduce inflammation, stimulate relaxation, and reduce swellings in the area. Said so, as MLD can have several absolute and partial contraindications. This treatment can not be applied to all. So other services such as Myotherapy, Remedial Massage or Thai Massage are more recommended. The treatment would aim to work on the surrounding area of the inflamed tendon to improve the tone of the forearm flexors. Medications such as anti-inflammatories can also be considered for this condition, especially when rest is impossible due to work commitments. Therefore, you better talk to your GP about the medication option.
Apr
Plantar Fasciitis is a foot condition that can cause severe pain when walking or standing. Pain may be more intense in the morning when you step out of bed. If you ever had plantar fasciitis you will well know, that is not a fun thing to deal with. How to fix plantar fasciitis? In most cases, corrective exercises are the best way to retrain the foot and heal it once and for all from this condition. In this blog post, I talk more in detail about exercises for plantar fasciitis. How does Plantar Fasciitis manifest itself? Plantar Fasciitis manifest itself when the load of the foot is predominately put on the outside of the foot or on the back of the foot. It is the case we talk about an over-inverted foot, indeed a foot that is overloaded on its lateral portion. By doing so, the big toes flexor, the muscles that connect the big toes to the heel, get inflamed. As per consequence, pain does manifest below the heel. “It feels like if I got glass under my feet” someone that offers this condition would say. Plantar fasciitis demographic. People who spend a long time standing up/walking (waiters) Runners (who run with a heel strike) Pregnant women (due to the abundance of weight) The foot is a complex body part. Indeed, the foot contains 29 muscles, 26 bones and 30 joints. Therefore if not loaded correctly, the consequence can lead to major body musculoskeletal dysfunctions and unbalance. As already mentioned during the blog about the Fascia line, unbalanced feet can reproduce tension up to the back and shoulders. Plantar fasciitis functional test. A simple test that we do as massage therapists is to passively extend the big toes. (Windlass Test) If pain is reproduced on the heel, the test is positive. Therefore, this test tells us that the big toes, which most luckily would not even extend to their full range (65°), are not used when standing and or walking. That’s why is weak and tight. How can massage help reduce plantar fasciitis pain? At Melbourne Massage and Treatment, Myotherapy, Remedial Massage or Thai Massage can help reduce the tension along with the foot’s supinator muscles, which are responsible for over-invert the foot. That’s one of the reasons why the body weight gets overloaded on the lateral side of the foot. Regarding MLD, it can be most beneficial to reduce the inflammation within the plantar of the foot and help manage the pain. But as previously mentioned, massage can help in reducing the symptoms, and improve mobility. Where for full recovery, corrective exercises are essential. Was this post helpful? If you are suffering from Plantar Fascitis and would like to find a way out of the pain, book now your next appointment with Melbourne Thai Treatment. Here on the right side, is an example of a pair of shoes, for someone who suffers from plantar fasciitis. As you may notice, the lateral portion of the show is completely worn out, where the medial portion, is nearly touched, especially at the big toes area. So back to the fact, that the big toes are what should drive the foot along the strike motion if that shoe area is untouched, it means that person is not loading any weight on there. Footwear examination can be also used to identify weight balance in the foot area.
Feb
Neck Pain. Neck pain is something that we all did experience at some point in life and is not fun. Neck pain can manifest for very different reasons, it can be chronic, it can come and go and can debilitate our day. How we can prevent neck pain to happen? And, if I am in pain, what I can do? Firstly we should have an understanding of the neck anatomy. The neck is made from the cervical vertebrae that run from C0 to C7. The first 3, so C0, C1, C2 are a bit unique. Due to their position and to the muscle that they connect, they can be considered the upper portion of the neck. Along those 3 vertebrae, we find the Occipital Muscle Group, which we did talk about in this blog post. From C3 to C7, indeed we have the lower portion of the neck. Along those vertebrae, we find different muscle groups. Some of those connect cervical vertebrae to the thoracic one, like Splenius Cervicis. Others connect the vertebrae to the scapula or to the skull, like Levator Scapulae, and Splenius Capitis. As of last we then have the upper portion of the Erector Spinae group, which connects the rib cage to the Cervical and Skull area. Like, Longissimus Capitis, Longissimus Cervis, Illiocostalis Cervis and Semispinalis Capitis. Now that we are a bit more aware of what is where, we can start to understand that neck pain can be for many, many, and many reasons. So, what to do then? Well, a massage therapist can be the one that thanks to orthopaedic tests and Range of Motion analysis can tell you what’s going on and where. For booking now your next appointment with Melbourne Massage and Treatment click here. Indeed, neck pain can be present because of the rounding of the shoulders. Or even because of a flat foot instead. “And what about the wrong pillow?!” Yes, the pillow can influence the neck life, that’s for sure. But maybe is the way that you sleep, and not the pillow only. Said so, with either a Remedial massage or a Thai Massage neck pain can be healed and cured. Both those techniques can address the issue and help in preventing the flare-up of the pain. In regards to the Remedial Massage, it can be applied in a prone, supine or seated position, using hands and elbow mainly. When it comes to Thai Massage then, there is more fun. Well, at least for the therapist. In the Thai Massage that I offer here at Melbourne Thai Treatment, I can use my hands, elbow, or even my feet to work on the neck. Obviously, I did train for it. And let me tell you, not because I use my foot it means is a stronger work. Actually, it is a more delicate and accurate touch than what you may expect. If then the person presents with a bulging disk in the cervical area, then things get a bit more complicated. To receive a massage there, I would request the clearance of the GP, and I may proceed by using MLD only. MLD can be a fabulous technique to work on to the neck. It can help in reducing swelling and speed up the recovery of the building disk too. In conclusion, to avoid neck pain is good to take some precautions. Like, spending less time on the phone, moving the neck with gentle movement and stretching, taking regular breaks from the computer if working too many hours at the PC, make your deep flexor stronger (see the blog post about the Front Head Carriage).
Jan
Massage and music at Melbourne Massage and Treatment Studio. Music is such an important part of receiving and giving a massage. As our body gets stimulated from the touch of the practitioner, music can tune in with the healing touch and create a different atmosphere. Said so, I never found it too hard to choose what music to play. Lately, I did decide to step away from platforms such as Spotify or Youtube. Why? Well, starting with YouTube, there is way too much publicity, and I don’t really use it as much that I would need an account for it. In regards to Spotify, I just can’t stand their politics. The artists get paid nothing for each time we listen to their music, and I found it really unfair. So, more recently, I discover a really nice French Radio called FIP. FIP stands for France Inter Paris. The concept behind FIP has scarcely changed since its founding: commercial-free music interrupted only by occasional announcements about forthcoming cultural events. Why did I choose FIP? If this post is talking to you, book your next massage session by clicking here. I choose Fip as it has a broad range of music styles and is commercial-free The last thing you want to hear during a massage is publicity, isn’t it? Furthermore, I use it all day long in the house, it has a really massive range of music choices. During the treatments, I mostly play Jazz music as is the one that best suits the environment. In regards to MLD, though, I don’t play music during those sessions. Why? Well, MLD is a light touch treatment that doesn’t have to follow a bit. In fact, having music, for us MLD therapists can be distractive. Along with the MLD treatment, I have to be so focused that I can’t get distracted by the music’s rhythm. That would change the rhythmic of my touch and massage speed, interrupting the healing purpose of MLD. In conclusion, I never received a complaint about the Music choice, so I guess your customers appreciate the choice and respect the idea that under pay an artist, is just not fair.
Jan
Massage History. Massage history dates back many centuries ago. The association between touch and healing is longer than what you may expect. In fact, the history of massage goes back to 5000 years ago. As per the result of the first finding, the first appearance of massage as a healing technique is founded in India. Is the Ayurveda history then that can be pushed so far. Along the millennia and centuries, this healing technique gets spread all around. Firstly the massage approach spreads to China ( 2700BCE ) and is here that the technique starts to be mixed with martial arts and spiritual yoga. Indeed, this will create the base for Chinese Medicine. From China then, the massage techniques and knowledge moved to Japan, and that’s when Shiatsu was born. Shiatsu is a technique that regulates and strengthens organs by moving energy levels through the stimulation of pressure points aiming to bring natural resistance to illness. If this post is talking to you, book your next massage session by clicking here. Along with the eastern culture, let’s not forget the Thai Massage. About this specific technique, I did dedicate a full blog post. In regards to the western culture were Egyptians the first who start practising massage then influence the Greeks and the Romans (800BCE). As per result, the Greeks put the base for western medicine. Thanks to the passion and devotion to sports (Olympics game) figures like Hippocrates start to associate facts with time in nature, music, rest, good food, and massage as a good practice for the body and essential for healing. Hippocrates can be considered the father of modern medicine. In regards to the Romans, made massage was a popular practice. The reach people could get a massage as a private service, whereas, everybody else would have a massage at the public bath. The Roman public bath is the precursor of the modern SPA. Timepass by and massage lose its popularity, especially in the western world. We have to wait till the 19th century. Is then when a Swedish doctor Per Henrik Ling, developed the base for the Sweedish massage or better known as relaxation massage. From this time onward than all the modern medicine techniques start developing. Remedial Massage (19th century) Myotherapy (1970) Osteopathy (1874) MLD (1930) In conclusion, several are the technique of massage available today. There is a massage that works better than others? Possibly yes, like some massage techniques can work more deeply than others. Said so, depending on the need of the person and the body conditions that may a specific technique is recommended more than others.
Sep
Thai Yoga, is an exercise practice that would take you to a place of relaxation and better physical and mental well-being. As you may already read on the website page about Thai Yoga, this exercise aims to improve your mobility, motility, and body awareness. Those exercises are based on the principle of Thai Massage and Myotherapy approach. I did study Thai Massage with Arjan Pichest Boonthumme, at his home school in Chiang Mai. Indeed is Pichest the pioneer of this type of exercise. Book now your next private Thai Yoga class with Giovanni. He teaches his students to practice those exercises in order to help us, students, to understand how to reduce physical tension from the body, and to be a better practitioner. Even though he doesn’t call them Thai Yoga. When I left Thailand after my 1st period of training with Pichest (early 2018), I start practising these exercises nearly daily. I was not following a specific sequence, and I was not offering yet the workshop. As I kept working as a massage therapist, and I was suggesting these exercises to my clients, to keep tensions low and enforce the job done with the Thai Massage, I then realise how all these exercises put together, could actually help others heal their bodies and improve their health. I start then offering these classes at the Dancehouse in Carlton, and occasionally I will offer free classes at the Carlton Garden too. So how it works a Thay Yoga class? Well, as per Thai Massage based, those exercises aim to work on muscle’s tensions and reproduce physiological responses that massage would usually generate. Said so, as you work on your body, and you feel in first person the stimulus and the response given to the stimulus, you would be able to improve your body awareness. How it does differ from a regular Yoga class? The difference from a regular Yoga class is that along with a Thai Yoga class, most of the exercises don’t require a specific elasticity or mobility capacity, even though, once you practice them you would realize how easier is to move a joint and how freer the body is feeling. This happens because during the class, as we stimulate the blood flow starting from the upper limb, and moving down the lower limb, the body gets warmer, and the stiffness gets cleared away. Furthermore, during the class, I would show how the usage of the breathing wave technique helps in mastering the practice. This way of breathing, not only improves the oxygenation of the body, and so the healing of it, but also helps the participant to learn how to deal with the body sensation that arises along with the workshop. Yes, I would not lie to you, some of these exercises can reproduce pain. But hey, have you ever heard of a Thai Massage pain-free? Well, Thai Yoga exercises are not so different from it. In conclusion, Thai Yoga is not recommended for those with conditions like hypertension, osteoporosis and or diabetes n. 1 or whilst pregnant.
Sep
The Psoas Muscle. The Psoas muscle is a muscle that seats in the Lumbar region of the body. It is palpable through the abdominal region when the client is in the supine position. Psoas Muscle is often related to and taken into consideration with iliacus muscle, as those 2 muscles share the insertion tendon and point. For this reason, they get called Iliopsoas Muscle. Origin, Insertion, and Action of the Psoas Muscle: Origin: Body and Transverse process of the Lumbar Vertebrae (L1-L5) Insertion: Lesser Trochanter of the Femur Action: with the Origin fixed: flex the hip externally rotate the hip with the Insertion fixed: flex the trunk towards the tight tilt the pelvis anteriorly flex the vertebral column laterally. Innervation is supplied from the anterior rami of spinal nerve L1-L3 Blood Supply from the lumbar branch of the iliolumbar artery The Psoas muscle has a reference pattern that involved the abdominal area but even the front of the tight. It is often tight for people who spend a lot of time seating on a chair, like office workers and or who drive for long hours. This happens because the muscle is in constant contraction when we spend time seating. On the other hand, the Psoas Muscle is often also related to emotional distress. This can happen because when we live with negative emotions we tend to contract the abdominal area and tight the muscle-up, especially for reaching out a fetal position, which recalls maternity safety. By analyzing the action of this muscle, it is easy to notice how is involved in assuming a fetal position, as it is a hip flexor. In fact, it contracts the 2 limbs, the upper and lower to gain one with each other. Treating the Psoas Muscle directly is not always recommended as direct work unless the person has been going through a series of treatments already. This is because where the muscle is lying it is a sensitive spot to access and as it holds a lot of tension, can be a bit sensitive to the touch. In need of a massage? Book now your next appointment, at Melbourne Massage and Treatment clinic. To treat the Psoas Muscle the client is lying in a supine position. Firstly we identify the muscle. For doing so after the client did lie in the supine position, the therapist will place her/his hands off the rectus abdominis, on its lat. border, and will create resistance on the client’s tight as it goes for active flexion. With the hand seating next to the rectus abdominal area, the therapist can feel the muscle activating. Once the Psoas has been isolated, the therapist can place both hands or one on the muscle, asking the client to breath-in deeply as is flexing the knee (foot running along the table) and as the client’s breath out (it is important here following the breathing wave) the therapist can apply a force straight down. Furthermore, to ensure that we can release tension from the Psoas Muscle, we have to work on the muscle surrounding it, like the other muscle that holds the same Origin/Insertion patterns, like: Erectus Spinae group, Quadratus Lumborum, Quods Hamstring In fact, the psoas muscle can be involved in presentations such as lower cross syndrome (LCS). Are you struggling with pain and or body ache? Book now your next massage appointment, at Fitzroy North clinic. Often as therapists, we would work on the surrounding muscle before doing direct work on the Psoas. This is because direct work in such a sensitive area can be too intense to start with and could make the client feel vulnerable or uncomfortable. A good exercise to keep the Psoas muscle in shape is a daily walk, even though for a nice and balanced walk we want to make sure to have a correct Extension Leg Firing Pattern.
Aug
Breathing Wave In the previous post, we did talk about the benefit of breathing in by the nose and breathing out by the mouth. Well, now, I am going to talk about the Breathing Wave. The breathing wave as it sounds already is a technique of breathing that involved a wave moving along the body (upper limb). Along the breathing in, we can take in air within 5 pouches (bottom to top): above the reproductive system chest (lungs) throat below the skull above the skull So the breathing wave starts by inhaling air through the nose, directing the air in the lowest pouch first and towards the highest one last. As we take in air, lowest pouch would fully expand and by holding a hand on to it, we can feel the expansion happening. In regard to the chest, we can place the opposite hand on it, and start feeling the chest expanding too. About the above pouches, you may find it hard for the first few times to recognize a physical expansion, but as you would practice the breathing wave, more and more, you will build awareness about it. On the breath out then, we want to let go of the air out by the mouth by dropping the jaw and relaxing the abdominal muscles so as to release first the abdominal one and follow the thoracic, the neck the bottom, and the top of the skull. The idea to let go of the air is implemented by avoiding any force contraction in the abdominal muscle area. Those muscles do not need to be activated to push the air out, and the face muscles don’t need to be engaged to push or control the out airflow. Why this technique is so helpful? Now imagine the body like an accordion. Our nervous system runs along with this accordion, and it’s affected by its motions. Indeed breathing is a contraction and expansion movement of the punches above mentioned. Therefore imagine those pouches expanding and contracting and visualize how they can softly massage the nervous system itself. Furthermore, this breathing technique would allow proper oxygenation of the body. A couple of minutes of this breathing technique would allow you to calm down and feel more relaxed. In addition, this technique is useful if you want to practice body pressure on someone or something with minimum effort. That is how the Thai Massage technique I did learn from Pichest Boonthumme works, and that’s the principle behind the Thai Yoga practice. Do you feel like you need help with your neck pain? Book now your next appointment, at Fitzroy North clinic. So, how to practice the breathing wave? A simple way to practice this breathing technique is to lie down and place one hand on the belly and one hand on the chest. As you breathe in by the nose, feel or look for the bottom hand to rise and for the top hand to stay steal. As the bottom pouches are full now keep inhaling and feel or look for the top hand to arise too. Once you are ready to breathe out open the mouth and gently release the air accumulate in the belly then release the air from the upper chest. Keep repeating. It is normal to start with the coordination is not there. But with a bit of practice, it will become easier and easier.
Jul
In this post we are going to talk about “Dive in, let it go” Often we get told that we should ” let it go “. How easy it is to say such a thing, but how hard it is to do so. When I was studying in Thailand to be a Thai Massage therapist, our teacher, Pichest, was making so much fun of us students when we were trying to approach his massage technique. And he was right to laugh. What students there are trying to do, is copy his movement without having his fluidity in approaching the Thai Massage technique itself. So, how does he teach others to let it go? This is how I did find a way to interpret Pichest teachings. Let’s start exploring the meaning of “let it go”. Let it go stands for no holding back on something/someone. No holding on to a loved one, an object, a situation or a feeling. So how we can recognise the fact that we are holding on to something then? This, I think, is the starting point. Recognize where and when we do hold on to something. From here, we can understand how to let it go. We tend to hold on to situations and feelings that make us feel safe, happy or protected. As these situations get exposed/under threat, we tend to tense up with our bodies. The first step, in order to recognise those tensions, we have to live in a clear state of mind, by reducing the body/mind intoxication to a safe/personal level. As the connection with the body gets clearer and deeper, we can start facing how that attachment affects our being. As you feel the body’s sensation arises, you should learn how to breathe through it. Let your breath be. Often when I do give Thai Massage or teach a Self Thai Massage class I have to recall the client of the importance of the breath. Breathe in and out from the nose and focus on the body area that is requiring your attention. Don’t feed the hunger or the fears that would arise, but do not either feed the excitement and joy of understanding the tensions, just feed your breath. As this cycle of understanding of the body takes place, we will automatically learn how to release the emotional tension/s related to the body’s sensation. Furthermore working from outside, just on the body level such as exercises and work-out is just a shallow approach to the let-go action. The strong work on the body will actually disconnect the body/mind connection. This is because hormones produced during physical exercise will fake up the body’s feelings. In conclusion, that’s how we can dive in to let it go, by slowing down the intake of sensorial input and by focusing on the body sensation that arises from discomfort situations.