A friend of mine recently suffered a knee injury. Let's just say it turned a few too many degrees. She was surprised when nothing showed up on the X-ray. "Something popped. It was so loud." she exclaimed. I don't doubt her. A sound whether snap, crackle, or pop is not necessarily something breaking, these commonly heard sounds are an amplified version of "cracking your knuckles" and most often gas releases (spicy food consumption is not a contributing factor).
Rest - Ice - Compression - Elevation is the best course of action. Elizabeth Quinn author of Your Guide to Sports Medicine on About.com writes:"After a day or two of R.I.C.E., many sprains, strains or other injuries will begin to heal. But if your pain or swelling does not decrease after 48 hours, make an appointment to see your PCP or go to the ER, depending upon the severity of your symptoms.
Once the healing process has begun, very light massage may improve the function of forming scar tissue, cut healing time and reduce the possibility of injury recurrence." The muscles can also be affected by strain/sprain injuries. Stretching and contracting during compensation periods can be taxing on the surrounding muscles and tendons. Massage can help the muscles return to working together as they should - moving freely leads to better rest, less pain, and best of all your happiness.
-There are over 600 muscles in your body. Make them happy.-
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
The healing power of RICE










Thursday, August 16, 2007
Fun in the Sun
The Special Olympics was in town over the weekend. Actually, they were all over Western MA, events included bocce, baseball, cycling, fishing, and on and on. I had the great opportunity to provide sports massage to competitors in Easthampton at Nonotuck Park.
I had such a great time that I nearly wore myself out. I had forgotten the RE rules of summer; re-apply, re-hydrate, re-fuel.
A good rule of thumb for sunblock is to reapply at least every two hours and ultimately, if you have to think about how long it's been since you applied - re-apply.
Rules for re-hydration, nearly constant, drink water and more water, juice and -ades can be okay, iced coffee and alcohol don't count as hydration even worse - they can have the opposite effect which can be very dangerous.
Re-fuel - be sure to eat something. Have snacks throughout the day, PB&J is a great take-along - any combo of carbs, protein, and maybe a little sugar - the more sugar the more often you will feel the need to eat - think of sugar as filling your gas tank to just above empty while proteins get you closer to full, and carbs are most useful in the morning and better in moderation throughout the day.
Luckily, I did not get sun damage, dehydration, or any of the other summer dreads. This could have been partly because my station was arms length from the First Aid station - Thanks Jeanne :). As summer winds down we all start to relax about the rules - keep them in mind and have a good time.










Labels: chair massage, events, massage, sports massage, sun
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Massage - OutSide?!










Labels: chair massage, events, sports massage, sun, western ma
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Talking Massage?
I'd like to dispel the myths like
"to be effective it should hurt",
"I have to get naked, right?", etc.
I'd like to hear any questions or comments regarding massage. No need to name names or even locations. All will be kept confidential to encourage open communication.










Labels: chicopee massage, massage, massage therapist, relaxation, therapy