Health Blog » Massage

How to Avoid Sprains from Becoming Inflammations

Charlie — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 05:36:51 +0000

For people who are into sports like badminton, basketball, football and soccer, encountering injuries such as that of ankle sprains is only normal. Such would be expected once a person would fall on the wrong stance when they go in lateral motions or on jumping instances. Landing on the wrong foot will always be a problem since the balance of a body is tilted, hence putting the full weight on one foot causing trauma on the muscle tissues of the affected foot.

In such cases, the immediate action should be not to loosen the shoes so that swelling will not readily occur. Assuming that the person would already be resting, immediate application of ice towards the affected portion of the swelling must be done to avoid it from bloating. This is to control the inflamed part since further heat will only make it bigger and painful.

Also, in sleeping positions it would be best to elevate the injured part to avoid further trauma to the affected part. The first few days would be hard to adjust to such as having a hard time to walk at times. But after some days, a person will slowly revert to his former movement as the swelling of the sprained part will incrementally be healing and allowing the person to go back to the sport or activity he loves.

Technorati Tags: sprains, muscles, inflammation, soreness, ankles, sports medicine

Why I Love Massages

Charlie — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 07:00:31 +0000

I had a blast on Friday and Saturday with my family as we got together for Easter. It was not a traditional celebration, though, as we decided to go around the city this year. There were many sights that some of the children have not seen and we thought that us adults could do with revisiting them as well. Saturday, some of us decided to go shopping and ended up spending almost 10 hours at the mall. As you can imagine, I was dead on my feet by the time I got home. Lucky for me, there is this home massage service available in my area. As I lay there enjoying the kneading motions on my back, I was again reminded of why love massages so much.

Personally, I appreciate how a massage can relax and melt away the tension of a long day away. I need the pain-relieving effects of a massage, especially after 10 hours of walking. More so, I thoroughly enjoy the ambiance while having a massage – feel good music, scented oil, scented candle (of course, this is not always present). If you remember, though, we had a post way back last year on the health benefits of massages. Just to refresh your memory, it mentioned improved circulation, stress relief, pain reduction, and alertness as some of the health benefits of a massage.

One thing that was not mentioned there was how a massage can relieve migraine headaches. I think it can fall under pain relieving benefits but when it comes to migraine, we are talking about a different level of pain and an hour or two of having a neck and back massage just can’t be beat!

What to do When Cramps Sets In

Charlie — Wed, 23 May 2007 17:11:03 +0000

For athletes and people who engage in strenuous activities that need the extensive use of their legs, encountering cramps would appear at some point. Continuous running or sprinting will surely result in cramps, especially for people who do not do the necessary warm-ups and stretching exercises that athletes should be initially doing.

Leg cramps is usually seen in sports where running is a primary key towards playing the game. Basketball, swimming, and track and field events would normally be the common sports that would see players encountering cramps. The use of the legs would be the main part of the body that needs to be used in able to play the sport the way it should be.

Muscles would reach a point of hardening when the salt levels of the body would start to deteriorate from excessive sweating. Hence the proper amount of salt intake is important. It should be taken into account that the perspiration or fluids produced include the body minerals and nutrients. To treat cramps, people must keep their legs straight and be sure not to bend them. Doing so will only add to the pain that they will be experiencing.

Technorati Tags: cramps, stretching, exercises, salt, bananas

The Case of the Frozen Shoulder

Charlie — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 18:27:13 +0000

Injuries are normal for people who engage in sports that entail frequent use of the arms and legs. Stretching is a good way to avoid muscle strains and tendonitis, something that athletes would dread since it would mean they would have to take therapy for it and rest for weeks to a month.

The worst part of suffering these injuries would be on the preparation stages where training is something that athletes would usually undergo. Another hard point would be that of being in the middle of the actual competition where they would have to watch helplessly in the sidelines since they would be no help if they were to force the issue. Forcing the issue as well would probably aggravate the injury and keep them from playing in the future.

Usual parts of the body that may be affected would be the knees, shoulders and the torsos. Physical Therapy is where they would probably land since strengthening the muscles is the only recourse they can do. Given a couple of weeks, they should be able to start and train again, this time with caution to avoid recurring injuries of the same nature.

Technorati Tags: tendonitis, physical therapy, muscle strain, frozen shoulder, joints

The Benefits of Massage

Charlie — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 08:26:21 +0000

Among alternative (i.e., non-medicinal) means of staying healthy, massage is my favorite. That’s because it’s not only very healthy in physical terms, but it can also be very helpful psychologically. Aside from helping your body relax, the therapeutic benefits of massage includes relief from the stresses of everyday life.

There are quite a number of massage techniques, and these vary depending on the origin. But the benefits are usually the same, no matter what technique is applied. Here are a few physical and mental/emotional benefits, to note.

Improved circulation. Massage usually involves manipulation of the muscles and joints. This helps the blood to flow more freely through the body. Massage also aids in the flow of lymphatic fluids since these require muscular movements to flow through the body.
Stress relief. This is one of the most important benefits of massage. Physical manipulation of muscles can be very pleasing and relaxing. This can lead to an overall feeling of relaxation and release from the physical stresses of everyday living.
Pain reduction. Some types of massage focus on reducing pain from injury or athletic activities. Some techniques are also designed to reduce pain from surgery, accidents, or other medical conditions.
Alertness. After massage, one usually feels more alert and energetic. This is especially appreciated by professionals who take quick massage sessions during their workday.

There are countless benefits to touch therapy. We’ll try to cover some particular techniques here on the Health Blog, along with a discussion of their origins and applications.