Chelsea Natural Health Clinic

Sports Strapping and Taping by Simon Heale LCSP NRHP at Chelsea Natural Health Clinic, Fulham Rd., SW10

Are you training for a Spring Event? Playing sport? Training regularly? Sitting in front of a computer all day? Carrying small children all day?

As a Sports and Remedial Massage Therapist I look after a wide variety of patients. From regular exercisers, to marathon runners, Iron-Men and Women, tri-athletes and people participating in everyday activities and sports. I treat their injuries and niggles through Deep Tissue Massage, Myo-fascial massage, Acupuncture, exercises and through Strapping and Taping.

Strapping and Taping is the direct application of elastic and non-elastic tape to support a joint or muscle group, to limit its range of motion, thereby reducing pain, inflammation and promoting healing.

The most common exercise related injuries needing strapping are sprained and strained ankles, knees, wrists and shoulders. Strapping an area allows you to function pain free and gets you back to full fitness more efficiently.

It is not only exercise or sports people involved:  more recently I have been applying strapping to backs and shoulders to help with computer based injuries and aches. This postural correction technique not only relieves the strained muscles of the upper back and neck, but limits the movement of the shoulder blades and shoulders, keeping your back straight and supported.

So in short: Strapping and Taping can help with:

• Sprains and Strains
• Muscle Pain
• Joint Stabilisation
• Postural Correction

For more information on how Simon Heale can help you with any Musculo-Skeletal issue, whether sport, exercise or work induced, please call him on 07932 393972 or use the form. To book an appointment please call Clinic on 020 7352 3087. Appointments are available on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Simon Heale is Co Director of Chelsea Natural Health Clinic, A Remedial and Sports Massage Therapist, Hypnotherapist and Cranio-Sacral Therapist.

• Simon Heale
• Sports Massage
• Sports Hypnosis and Sports Psychology
• Sports Strapping and Taping by Simon Heale LCSP NRHP
• SPECIAL £55 Wednesdays OFFER MINDFULLNESS REIKI With Simon Heale NRHP LCSP

Sports Therapy with Simon Heale at Chelsea Natural Health Clinic, Fulham Rd SW10

What is it?

Succinctly, Sports Therapy is the application of various treatment approaches to sports-people or for injuries occurring through sports or exercise. It includes:
Sports and Remedial Massage
Western Acupuncture
Sports Hypnosis
Performance Coaching
Stretching and strengthening techniques
Advice and Referrals

Rather than describe the ins and outs of each element, I will share with you this week two cases: one, an Achilles Tendon injury and the other preparing and treating a man for his imminent Channel swim.

Treating Achilles Tendon Injury

Mrs S came to see me after severely injuring her Achilles Tendon (AT) training for the 2009 London Marathon. An elite athlete, Mrs S was aiming for a 2:50 finish. The diagnosis was AT tendinopathy and not a torn AT as initially thought, the injury occurring as a result of long term neglect and other factors.

Briefly, AT injuries result from a number of factors including a steep increase in training and intensity, poor self management, muscle imbalance and possible biomechanical issues. The AT presents with the mid-portion extremely tender with strong trigger pain points either side. In more chronic cases there will be an audible creaking as the tendon moves within the tight and tender surrounding sheath. (Paratendon)

Initial treatment to most muscular injuries follows the RICE protocol:
Rest
Ice
Compression
Elevation

Treatment usually commences from 48 hrs to 7 days following the initial injury or once the swelling and acute phase has passed.

Mrs S required 5 sessions over 3 weeks after which she was able to return to gentle running. Initial examination showed over-worked calf muscles, shortened hamstrings and weakened gluteals. Treatment included soft tissue massage to ease the calves, trigger point work to stimulate the gluteal area, and deep friction along the edges of the AT. A short stretch is introduced early on. Acupuncture in the form of dry-needling techniques is used to reduce swelling, to ease local pain points and to stimulate tissue healing. The patient was shown an eccentric stretch to not only stretch the calf and AT but also to begin strengthening the area.

Over the three weeks treatment achieved all of the treatment criteria: to reduce swelling and pain, increase flexibility and eliminate paratendon creaking. The modalities used were acupuncture (dry-needling), deep tissue massage and friction, resisted stretching, eccentric stretching, heat. Light, non weight-bearing exercise was resumed (patient choice) after one week increasing to slow running after three weeks.

The combination of treatment modalities, rest, stretches and exercise in this case led to a successful treatment of Achilles Tendinopathy. It is also possible that the timing of the intervention, i.e: sub-acute with little or no inflammation present, aided in the speed of the recovery.

Long and middle distance runners are more prone. In runners it presents in a high proportion as overuse, too much running, steep increase in intensity and/or speed, biomechanical issues, insufficient rest, little or no stretching.
Early intervention, correct diagnosis and treatment, appropriate exercises, patient education: self-management, including rest, allows for an efficient Achilles Tendinopathy treatment protocol.

Mrs S resumed full training after 4 weeks and went on to win her next 10k race in 37minutes.

For any information on how Sports and Remedial Massage, Sports Therapy or Sports Hypnosis can help you either contact me using the form below or call me on 07932 393972

• Simon Heale
• Sports Massage
• Sports Hypnosis and Sports Psychology
• Sports Strapping and Taping by Simon Heale LCSP NRHP
• SPECIAL £55 Wednesdays OFFER MINDFULLNESS REIKI With Simon Heale NRHP LCSP