An object lesson in the Myofascial Web

One of the key ideas about the myofascial network is that it is a continuous web that surrounds, envelops and defines the elements (muscles, bones, organs) of the body and that what happens in one part of it has an effect on every other part of the body.  It is something that I discuss with my clients all the time and they are amazed when they feel that this is the case.  Over the last couple of weeks I've been painfully shown how interconnected the body's connective tissue is.

I arrived at my Stanmore clinic one morning limping because of a sharp pain in my left knee, every step was agony.  Adam (one of the chiropractor's) checked it and put some tape on it to provide some stability whilst I got on with my clinic. Later, when I had more time, I got another Chiropractor (Owain at Clerkenwell Chiropractic) to check it fully, with no apparent structural problems, thankfully.  I am now working with Owain to rehab the knee to finally resolve the instability, however I really need to work on myself to clear out the myofascial restrictions that will have formed both this time and in the build up to this crisis.

This particular knee issue has been happening for many, many years.  Over a decade ago my best friend got married, for the stag do we went paint-balling. All was going well until at the start of one game I was sprinting for cover, my left ankle gave way and I fell forwards.  Apparently, though I do not remember, it was a spectacular dive and roll into cover that my friends thought was really impressive; I didn't care as I was screaming in agony.  I had to be helped off game area and that was the end of my day paint-balling.  Unfortunately I was the driver, and it was a manual car.  I had to drive home in rush hour through London in a manual car using my injured foot on the clutch.  That night I put a compression bandage and elevated it, putting cold towels on it and that was really all the rehab I did at the time (this was a long time before I was a body worker).  Oh, and there's going to be an emotional element to it as it caused me a lot of grief at work because I took a week off work as I couldn't drive, but that's a different story.

So the reason I'm writing this is that the cause of a lot of my issues come from an ankle that was badly hurt over 10 years ago that I did nothing about.  This time it was the knee that has been hurting, and this has flared up periodically over the last 10 years.  I've usually popped pills and the pain goes after a couple of days, so that means it had gotten better or that is what I thought was the case.

This time I noticed something: I could feel the whole of the left side of my body tighten up.  Having seen a number of Chiropractors and Osteopaths over the years I am aware that I have a functionally short left leg, which means that my pelvis is twisted that causes low back pain, that then travels up into my neck, head and then my jaw and then to my sinus and the dreaded pain that that causes me.

This time I could feel that there had been a preceding tightness in my lower leg running up from the outer side of my ankle, the knee was then being pulled out of place because of that.  This then causes the hip to tighten, pulling inwards causing tension across the pelvic muscles, causing the Sacro-iliac joint to grumble.  The left side of my ribs then collapse down and a muscle in my back threatens to spasm.  I can then feel that the left shoulder is pulled out of place, which I ignore as it's always a bit sore but that's only because of my job, it then hits the base of the skull and over to my jaw, which causes the sinus to become incredibly painful.

So this time I'm going to do something about it.  I've already had a couple of very productive rehab sessions with Owain (thelondonchiro.com) who I'm lucky enough to work with at Clerkenwell Chiropractic and he has been putting me through my paces (and introducing me to the torture device that is a red bouncy hemisphere [pictured]) and I'm really glad to have been doing it.  Yoga has definitely helped, as it has all the way through, and the wonderful Bridget (bridgeyoga.co.uk) is really good at making sure I do not hurt myself.  I've been working on myself with some Myofascial stretches as well, but think I really need to find someone local to me to help out more.  In the meantime I've been having more massages, which are always very nice. In combination all of these approaches have been really helping me.

Time for resolutions

Happy New Year! I feel like 2014 is going to be a great year.

It's at this time of year when magazines are full of articles encouraging you to set yourself goals to get fit/ lose weight. I'm happy to help you achieve those goals by helping ease aches and strains in the muscles you are discovering you do actually possess, correcting your postural bad habits and supporting the changes you are making.

Personally I don't usually do much in the way of New Year's Resolutions: they don't last and then you feel guilty, and to be honest if you really wanted to do something why wait until the New Year to do it. However, I'm not against reviewing where I'm at and setting some goals that I can work towards during the year.  Last year I decided a goal was to make something in the kitchen (over and above lunches and dinners) and that has been quite successful (Spelt rolls, Jamaican Gingerbread, crumpets, cheese & blackpepper english muffins, and Christmas cake) even if not entirely healthy.  I had also decided that I should increase my cardio workout so all the walking I've been doing has been very good for this especially as I've increased the pace.

So this year's selection are (in no particular order):

1) Do more to look after myself by doing yoga more regularly, having regular massages.  I've already made a start on the yoga, and I've got my first massage booked in.
2) Celebrate the positive, and not the negative/foolish. With all the social media that I look at it is all too easy to fall into the laugh at the idiot type, I will try to be more positive.
3) Learn more techniques.  This really is a given as I have to complete Continuing Professional Development (CPD), I just need to book them in.
4) Blog more. Already making a start on this one.  I think my aim will be one a month, but that might change.
5) Run more Reiki courses.  These are already happening: next Reiki Level 1 on 1st/2nd February 2014, and Reiki Level 2 at the end of March.

So these are my goals for the year.  What about you?

Reiki helped me stop smoking

Happy New Year! It is the time of year when people are making resolutions on how to loose weight/stop smoking/be healthier and from what I know about myself is that most fail before we even start as we don't really want to make the change.

I don't really do resolutions at New Year (why wait for a particular time of year to make a change?) and would rather make small changes whenever I feel I will succeed. I used to be a smoker and for many years family and friends told me to give up. I was aware of the poisonous effect, but I was not ready to give up. Each time someone told me what to do, I became more stubborn about "giving up when I want to".

Finally one Christmas I was really sick and very nearly went the whole day without a cigarette. When having the one cigarette I had that day I suddenly realised I really hated it. It was now the right time for me to quit. Unfortunately, I'd just bought a couple of weeks' worth of cigarettes and I do not like to waste things, so I decided to smoke these last packs but at a severely reduced rate, weeks later came the last one and then I was done.

During the time I was cutting back I was developing my Reiki life (reading books on it and incorporating it into my work as a massage therapist) and I came across the Reiki technique to change negative habits. Smoking was a negative habit and I was going to stop so I decided to use Reiki to help make it a smooth cessation.

The day I stopped happened to be my Mother's birthday so I told her what I was doing (to her delight) and spent an hour giving myself Reiki and then the specific approaches to help change habits. I kept this combination up for 21 days, always a good number and it is frequently said it takes 3 weeks to allow good habits to take hold.

How did I find giving up? It was the easiest cessation I've done (this was my third attempt at stopping smoking) and the key? My Reiki self healing practice, and giving myself a short burst of Reiki whenever I had a craving. Using Reiki as the way to address the craving meant that I didn't replace one emotional crutch with another (such as chocolate). So no further habits to break. I will say that I, like many former smokers, still have cravings (3 years later) but I have a wonderful way to counter this.

It doesn't just work on smoking, it was recently reported that Christina Aguilera used Reiki to support her through her weight loss regime, saying “Reiki puts her mind in a good place and gives her the discipline to eat healthy and maintain weight loss.”

To me that is the beauty of Reiki, the healing energy can be used to support you in the positive changes you want to make. It is also easier to support yourself by learning Reiki so you can help yourself to do this.

If you want to experience Reiki for yourself book in for a treatment or even decide to learn for yourself or if you have questions then get in touch.

Please note, this is my personal story and it does require will power to make these changes.  Reiki, in my mind made this easier.

Introvert, quietly loud and proud

I read all the time: I always have a book on the go and love Fantasy Fiction (see my geek is coming out already) and I used to hate reading text books.  However when I started training and working as a massage therapist I realised that I needed to read around the subject, as there is a lot of information that I feel I need to know. I travel to my clinics by public transport so I have a lot of time that I could read. I came to the decision that I would read "work books" when travelling to clinics and courses during the week, and save my   reading for pleasure for other times that I read.  I worked out that this gives me about 500 hours of reading time per year (yep, I spend that much time on London Underground).  This might sound daunting, however I find it really worthwhile, and I can cover a large number of subjects in that time.  Some of these subjects will grace this blog as they are important.

I have just finished reading Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking by Susan Cain and I have realised that this love of reading is just one of the signs that I am an Introvert. This is a word that had got so many bad connotations in this world that it has become something to be ashamed of; this book will hopefully help us Introverts to reclaim it and quietly whisper it with pride.

Susan Cain describes herself as an introvert and in this book examines the way that our current, western culture is focused on and celebrates the Extrovert Ideal (loud, brash, "popular", bigger/better/newer, "confident") and is geared to force all western people into this one mould from childhood schooling onwards.  However, some of us don't fit: we like to have quiet, recovery time.  We like to read, think about problems, formulate answers and solutions, and when we think we have it right we will present it with passion (if we truly believe in it) and we are the introverts.

This isn't just a life-style choice, according to research presented in the book there are some physiological differences between us, so no amount of training will change who we fundamentally are, but we might become better at giving a speech.  These include the way that our brains actually function when presented with new stimuli such as meeting new people or being introduced to new concepts.  Introverts' bodies and minds react differently to Extroverts'.

According to the book, many of the greastest minds and business leaders (e.g. Bill Gates) were/are introverts , and they are universally accepted as being "successful", so it seems surprising that introverts are shunned as being lesser creatures that need to be changed to "fit in" and be successful.  Susan Cain provides examples of  numerous experiments that show time and again that under certain circumstances Introverts out perform Extroverts.

Many creative types (e.g. writers) are also highly Introvert and would not be able to function if forced into a brain storming group (great evidence that group brainstorming  is detrimental to both extroverts and introverts).  The book also looks at the evidence that putting Extroverts in charge can lead to a cycle that can spiral out of control (as they can overlook warning signs that an Introvert would heed), but that Introverts are frequently ignored because they don't have the best presentation skills, even when what they are saying is better than what the extroverts come up with.  However, extroverts can get the messages out there with flair and panache, can push for the beneficial risks and are good leaders.

It is one of the key things discussed in the book (although it is blindingly obvious) : Introverts and Extroverts have different strengths and they should be celebrated and encouraged, as together we will be the better for it.

Some people think I am a shy extrovert in that I can talk to strangers, will stand and give a speech at a Wedding or run courses. Yes, I can stand up in front of a room and talk or talk easily with people I've just met,  but I have to feel secure (for example they've approached me and are asking for my help or I'm hosting the party/event) and confident in what I am going to be talking about (I will have spent a lot of time thinking about what I'm going to be talking about, rehearsing what I'm going to be saying). So, I have a mechanism that helps me to do this, but it has its limitations.

I know that I need time away from people to be able to recharge my batteries so I can continue to interact (I will often disappear for a quick walk alone at lunchtimes, not only to get a breath of fresh air but to have a bit of down time), I know that I will find it easiest to concentrate in a communal area with headphones on listening to some music to drown out the rest of the world, which is something I developed to survive Office life. I really do detest open plan offices, and I think there should be a special circle in hell for the person who came up with the idea.  Open plan offices are less conducive for creative work that they are meant to foster, and this book reports on research that shows that both Introverts and Extroverts don't work as well in these environments.

This book has given me the confidence to say that my feelings are valid, that I do not have to be the life and soul of the party the whole time, that I can be me.  It also makes me accept that my clients are also a mix of extrovert and introvert and I will need to adapt my approach to suit them, similarly the advice that I give will also have to be adapted to suit them too as not everyone wants the peace and quiet that us Introverts crave.

So I am an Introvert, and I will whisper it confidently.

Musings after a visit to an Office

I had a different, and great lunchtime this week: I visited the office of a well known International Charity (not sure if I can mention them, but you really will have heard of them) with some of my fellow practitioners from Clerkenwell and Islington Chiropractic Clinics. We were there as part of the clinic's Workplace Wellness offer where some of the therapists will come and provide tasters in the office, and that is what the charity had done as part of their own internal "Well-being Week". So along we went: Shaheeda, Francesca & Leila (Chiropractors offering Spinal Screenings), Juliette (Acupuncturist offering ear needling), Annie (Yoga teacher doing chair yoga), and Charlotte and I were offering Massage.

We were really pleased as we were shown to two large rooms with plenty of natural light.  I have done this sort of thing in a dark basement meeting room before now, but this was some much nicer.  This was definitely a nice place to work.  Charlotte and I set up the chairs in the same room as the Chiropractors, with the yoga and acupuncture in the adjacent room.

It didn't take long for the first people came in (there had been such a great demand that they had been allocated 10 minute slots) and after the initially awkward "everyone is looking at me" stage things get off to a great start.  It is strange to start massaging someone in a meeting room: there is always the feeling of everyone is staring at me (for both me and the person I'm working on), is my boss going to walk in?  This vanishes fairly soon after the back rub starts.

Most of the people had tight shoulders as they spend far too much time stuck working on a computer, and a number of ladies had one shoulder significantly tighter than the other because of their handbags and these were straight forward to work with and all were surprised at how quickly things relaxed.  Phrases such as  "Can I stay here all day" or "Can you do this all afternoon?" or "When are you coming back?" were heard a number of times from the people that Charlotte and I were working on.

A couple of the people had particular issues, such as a shoulder hurt in a fall or a bad hip. We weren't able to really get to work on these issues in the short amount of time we had, however we could show that improvements could be made.

Nearly everyone I worked on had been spoken to by one of the chiropractors so they knew that they were "wonky" or "compressed" in one area or another.  It was fun to then show them which muscles were involved and that these could actually let go (albeit only briefly) and trying to get them to imagine what a proper treatment would be like.

In the few spare moments I had (everybody wants a massage) I could see the relaxed expressions on the people who had experienced the ear needling, and a few people exclaiming how much they could feel (and that the needles were not as painful/scarey as they were expecting).

The people who had done the yoga class also had a rather blissed out expression on their faces (I didn't have a chance to see what they were actually doing, but it really seemed to work)

I do enjoy doing these sorts of events, but at the same time I prefer to spend a bit longer with each of my clients and really get to know and understand their bodies, the way that they use them and also working with them to correct and change what can be done.

I know that the clinic strongly believe that people should be encouraged to look after themselves. So if you have an office in the City/Clerkenwell/Islington areas of London and you'd like to encourage  and if you'd like them to come and visit then please get in contact with them:

Website: clerkenwellislingtonclinics.co.uk
Phone: 020 7490 4042

More information on what they offer as part of their Workplace Wellness approach can be found here

What is meditation?

Meditation is the practice of focusing and training your mind to achieve an alteration in mental state, whether bring the mind to focus on an image, or trying to still the mind so that other areas become more apparent and you “become one with the universe”.  The images you probably have of meditation probably involve sitting cross legged for hours at a time, chanting “OM” constantly and this is often how it is presented in popular culture, but it really doesn’t have to be like this.

There are lots of different types of meditation that can be practiced by people wanting to meditate and they are ways that give you something to focus on and then allow it to drift away and the constant chatter that happens disappears.  Most of them are ways to encourage you to “live in the present” rather than worrying about the past or future.  This living in the now is the reason I frequently suggest people do some sort of meditation if they are stressed or anxious. Some of the different types are:

• Visualisation: Your focus is to see images in your minds eye.  This can be imagining a candle flame in your mind, or a walk in your favourite woodland/park/outdoor space.  This can be quite difficult to start with, as your mind is likely to struggle
• Guided: This is a mixture of methods where you are talked through the techniques by someone else.  This can be someone leading a meditation group or a CD/tape of someone (it could even be yourself reading through a meditation technique you want to do).  Having someone telling you what to do can be a very good way of keeping the mind focused on the meditation and not getting caught up in your thoughts.
• Breathing: Focusing on the breath is one of the most basic forms of meditation and is something that is practiced all around the world.
• Mindfulness: This is the buddhist form of meditation and its focus is many forms of living in the present.  Breathing is used as a focus initially, but the stillness that this creates is then taken to other areas of your life and you become aware of what you are doing throughout many other aspects of your life.
• Chanting: This could be the saying of a religious prayer, repeating an uplifting motivational statement or chanting a short phrase (mantra) or making and experiencing a sound (such as OM or Aum) to act as the focus for the mind.
• Transcendental Meditation: This is a form of mantra meditation that became popular in the 1950s and 1960s and is still widely taught and practiced to this day.
• Other forms: This is the extension of mindfulness so that all areas of your life can become a form of meditation.  You can meditate on the sensations of texture/smell/taste as you eat a meal (or start with a grape if that’s too much). The feelings/sounds/smells that surround you as you walk, and even the footsteps that you take can be the focus (though this should only be done somewhere safe, not on a busy high street).  Some even talk about meditating when washing up.  Anything can be used as your focus for your mind.

I am also of the firm belief that you can spend a shorter amount of time doing “quality” meditation more frequently rather than feeling guilty about not being able to spend an hour each day doing it.  Things like breathing style meditations, walking meditations can be slipped into your daily routine in short bursts, but it is always good to have time to spend on other areas such as visualisation that need more time given to them to really benefit.

Short Breathing exercise:

Try focusing on your breathing for ten breaths three times a day:

• really feel how the air moves into and through the body,
• what parts of the spine move and at what point in the breathing cycle
• do you feel your ribs moving? if so where (top, middle or bottom)
• Do any thoughts crowd into your head? if so then note what they’re about and return to watching your breath, you can deal with what they were about after you’ve done the 10 breaths.
• When you finish do you feel any different?  

 Then when you have more time try doing the same for longer, or search out and attend a meditation group.

I run a drop in meditation group every Monday at the Clerkenwell Clinic at 1pm.

7 well-being tips for surviving the office

For all the office workers out there... I feel your pain having worked in a job where I was sat in front of a computer all day for 7 years and developing the lovely aches and pains in neck, back and wrists that you might be suffering from.  I thought that I would share a few ideas to help you look after yourself whilst you’re at work.  Since changing my career to body work I have realised that a lot of my clients work behind desks and these are some of suggestions that I give to them to help keep as relaxed as possible as most people can’t afford to have a massage every day/week.  So to help you maintain your well-being try adding these to your day:

1. Get up at least once an hour.  This can be tricky if you’re really involved in something or you’re fixed to your phone but try to get up from your chair and ideally leave your desk on an hourly basis.  This could be to go and get a glass of water, talk to a colleague rather than sending an email to them or even standing up to make a phone call.  Your body gets used to being kept in a sitting position and the hip flexors get very used to being shortened when sitting and protest when you stand up, so keeping moving keeps them active and they’ll be able to keep you doing what you enjoy.

2. The 20:20:20 rule.  This is to help keep your eyes healthy and the full rule states  “Every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds.”  Constantly focussing on a computer screen gets the eyes used to seeing that distance and we’ve not evolved for it we’re meant to be looking all around and at different distances from close up work to long distance.  So looking at something in the distance exercises the eye muscles and prevents them getting lazy.

3. Sit at your desk properly. I know how easy it is to slump when sitting in front of your computer, but this sitting position really doesn’t help your back and neck. Your back muscles will weaken over time and your vertebrae will be more likely to become displaced possibly leading to slipped disks and agony.  The head is often held in a forward position putting extra strain on the shoulder muscles leading to aches and pains in the upper back and possibly headaches.  Remember:

• that your spine should be more upright and take the weight vertically down through the bones.  
• There should be natural curves in the spine so don’t sit bolt upright.  
• The spine should feel lighter when all muscles and bones are working together to keep you upright (using less energy in the process). This lightness is something I introduce to my clients after a massage so they know what it should feel like, as I find it is easier to understand once you’ve experienced it.

I know from experience that changing the way you sit isn’t easy to maintain all the time, at least to start with so it is easier to try to change it in small stages.  Start by sitting better each time you sit down , which will be at least once an hour (see tip 1) and over time you will get better at it until you start to catch yourself sitting badly.

4. Get your desk properly set up.  Having your desk organised properly and your chair at the right height can really help to reduce the strains and stresses we put on our bodies, however the workstation assessment is seen as a chore by many office workers and is seen as a box to tick off by everybody concerned, and many companies are now using an online self assessment which means that corrections aren’t checked.  I know that when my HR department came and checked my workstation I did everything correctly until they had left the room when I went back to my old habits.  What I didn’t appreciate when I was younger was that getting my mouse/keyboard/monitor/chair set up properly meant I wouldn’t develop aches and pains as quickly.  I will be spending more blog time on this, but in summary::

• when sitting up properly with your shoulders nicely relaxed, your arms should be at the keyboard height with your elbows at approximately 90 degrees,
• your arms shouldn’t be constantly reaching forward to the keyboard or mouse. If the arms of your chair hit the desk and prevent you getting close enough then get rid of the chair arms!
• move your mouse closer so you don’t have your arms constantly extended, and if your mouse mat constantly migrates away from you then try tacking it into position with something like white tack.
• if you need to raise your chair to get your arms at the right height and this means your feet come off the floor then put something underneath them (you do not want to cut off the blood supply to the backs of your legs),
• have the top of your monitor at eye height when you are sitting up properly (see tip 3) you should be looking very slightly down

5. Rest the backs of your hands. We’re typing away for long periods and often our wrists are bent slightly.  The finger muscles start in the forearm and they are constantly being used to hold the fingers off the keyboard so when you need to break from tyling whilst you think about what you’re going to write next turn your hands through 90 degrees so you rest them on the side of the palm. This then gives the muscles on the back of your forearms a well earned rest and doesn’t take a great deal of effort.

6 Keep yourself hydrated.  We are about 60% water and this needs to be maintained to allow good functioning of the body.  Modern office environments are warm and dry so tend to dehydrate people.  There are a lot of articles about how much you need to take in and 2 litres is often given as the minimum amount that you need to drink of water.  I know that I feel better if I do consistently drink plenty of fluids but I also know that:

• a lot of the food we eat contains water, though bear in mind that salty foods like crisps can make us need more liquids,
• tea and coffee and alcohol provide liquids that the body can use, though they also make up pass more liquid out than they provide as well as overload the body with toxins that need to be excreted.
• Drink little and often, that way you don’t overload your kidneys.
• Your kidneys will constantly work to keep your body in homeostatis (balance) with regards to fluid levels meaning you need to pee less when you need to take in more and pee more when you’ve drunk too much.  The colour of your urine is the best indicator of how hydrated you are, and during the day it should be straw coloured, darker than this and you should drink more, paler than this and you’re drinking too much and placing too much strain on your kidneys.

7. Take a breather.  Getting stressed, mind losing its focus.  Then stop what you’re doing and focus on your breathing, feel how it enters the body, travels down to the lungs, a short pause before you start to breath out, a pause before air enters the body again and travels down to your lungs, etc  Do this “observation” of the breath for 10 inhalations/exhalations and then return to your work.  You should feel more in control, less stressed or at least slightly fresher in mind than before.

Look after yourself on a daily basis and you will hopefully not suffer with too many aches and pain.  If you do start to get pains or over stressed do something about it.  You really don’t want it to build up to such an extent that your body shuts itself down in an effort to protect itself. Have regular massages/reiki treatments to maintain a healthy body and mind.