Spring Movements 2009
by Dennis Gibbons, LMT
Welcome Spring! Welcome Spring yard clean up! Welcome Daffodils! Welcome sore back and muscles that haven’t been used since last October. A couple of weeks ago the sun was shining and we had mild temperatures and the excitement that this long winter was coming to a close was in the air. I love working in the yard so I could hardly wait. I bought my spring application of fertilizer and grass seed and felt the excitement of working in the yard once again. I had to cut down the ornamental grasses and rake up the leaves that found their way into my yard during the winter time. Oh the enthusiasm was fantastic. Well after four hours of raking and bending to pick up the debris to put into the trailer on the tractor and fertilizing the lawn I decided to call it a day and headed into the house. The problem was I sat down and all of sudden those tight back muscles, and the soreness in my legs reminded me that I once again didn’t follow my own advice. I overdid it and now the recuperation would need to take place. The hard part was my one granddaughter had come over and wanted to play Wii bowling, which meant I had to now act like I was capable of performing this routine.
This is something that we will begin to see in our therapy room, overuse trauma. This comes from the body’s inability to react to an ‘over’ stimulus to the connective tissue. Another large factor here will be dehydration. In these early Spring months the temperature is pleasant and the sun is still at an angle that is not going to feel hot. Keep water, not alcoholic or caffeine, beverages close at hand and drink frequently.
Where does the soreness come from? Most people believe it is their muscles and a buildup of lactic acid. It really comes from the connective tissue that surrounds all of the muscle and tendon fibers. Lactic acid is a byproduct of the glycogen that the muscle needs in order to function efficiently. As we work and continue to move the muscle we give ourselves a massage and help the body rid itself of this Lactic Acid through blood flow and the continuous movement of the lymphatic fluids.
The cause…
The connective tissue (pictured right) is a thin matrix of collagen fibers that form an asymmetrical pattern in an organized format. This might sound confusing but in reality that is how the body functions. Visualize a series of tubes (the connective tissue) that all of our nerves, blood vessels, ligaments, tendons and muscles must slide through. During the winter months we have not performed many of the “good” weather activities and tasks
that we will be performing as the Spring weather approaches. What happens as we begin to rake, lift, and walk on uneven ground, bend, stoop, and stand, is the connective tissue is not prepared and that organized format becomes strained and disorganized. That is what causes the soreness we experience. It hinders the ability of all of the internal structures to perform efficiently. Unlike all of the other internal structures, the connective tissue does not have an abundant blood supply. It receives its nutrients through cellular fluid which I often make the reference of Jell-O. When it is warm it is in a liquid format, but as the temperature cools it will solidify. This is the visualization we need for our cellular fluids, all winter long it didn’t need to be fluid and all of a sudden on a bright, sunny day we want it to perform at a high level. Because of its chemical makeup that probability is low and we must take our time, drink plenty of water, and allow this fluid to change to a more functional state. (Click here to read my water article)
The Remedy….
When muscular tissue is damaged it becomes inflamed it has a tendency to swell. Whereas when connective tissue is strained and inflamed it actually shrinks. This is where the individual should use ice for the muscular strain and moist heat for the connective tissue. A hot Epsom salts bath or a few minutes in the hot tub are also good remedies. What about stretching? Movement of some sort is
better than trying to stretch the connective tissue. It is better to allow the body to reorganize itself through its own movement pattern than trying to create what we feel is the proper pattern. But why does it seem to feel good when I stretch at times like this? By exciting the nervous system and creating some discomfort with the stretch, we activate our hormonal system that produces hormones that will accommodate the movement and help the brain pick a complimentary compensation pattern for that movement. What we are really doing is creating an even more disorganized pattern for the collagen and in reality probably confusing the system even more.
What type of movement should I do? Walking, biking, and maybe even a little more of the work you were doing that created the problem. Only this time we should move more deliberate and really understand when enough is enough.
What if it persists? ......
Well my suggestion is Muscle Release Therapy, MRTh® to balance the connective and soft tissue systems of the body. This will permit the body’s posture to regulate itself and change the internal environment to a more neutral posture. The body’s posture is truly its only commonality with what is positive for the brain to subconsciously balance the internal systems. It is important to remember that the Fascia is a continuous membrane that encapsulates every organ and tissue in the body. It is what allows the body to function most efficiently. When there is disarray to that system it directly involves all of the other systems of the human body. What the certified practitioner of Muscle Release Therapy, MRTh® provides is a facilitation of the tissue so that your brain’s proprioceptive ability is able to complete its movement pattern and return the tissue to its original status. The Muscle Release Therapy, MRTh® practitioner will determine in which direction the tissue either traumatized itself or stopped in its movement to prevent a more complicated injury. The therapist will determine if the nerve tissue is hindered in its movement pattern, this is one reason why often it hurts to stretch or move in certain ways, and release that Fascia so the nerve tissue will be able to ‘slide’ in its tube unrestricted. This will give your body a tune-up for Spring and Summer weather and give you a head start on being more comfortable throughout this period.
How do we prevent this from happening?
First of all, as in any other training, we need to start our hydration process now. The average human loses 2.3 liters of fluid a day under normal circumstances, and yes even in the cold weather we lose the same amount. Add in exercise and/or physical exertion of any kind and that increases the amount of water loss. I recommend normally that everyone should drink 3 liters or quarts of water daily. As we begin to hydrate ourselves for the warmer weather when more physical activity takes place, we need to start preparing our body now, not at the time of the event. I remember working with the elite marathon runners when they would come to Cleveland; they hydrate up to 14 days prior to the race.
Another way is to learn and help re-program the body so that ordinary movement will be more normal for our posture. The Functional Movement Pilates℠that we instruct here at Chagrin Valley Wellness Center is how we promote proper movement. This proper movement is different for each individual but some of the same ideas are similar for each and every one of us. What happens is that when trauma, either mental or physical, strikes the tissue the brain reorients itself to allow the most comfortable method of movement. Many times because of the inability of specific muscles to move correctly the brain may skip an important function. This is what Functional Movement Pilates℠ teaches the person, how to use areas that weren’t being used correctly. The individual will learn proper breathing patterns to encourage keeping the body centered and in proper position when we move. People will often say to me, I don’t have time to think how I breathing when I am trying to do something! This too is a learned pattern of movement and through proper repetition will be performed at a subconscious level so one does not have to think about it. The individual will learn to use the proper joints to initiate movement, once again at a subconscious level.
Proper instruction and repetition will make these a learned process. For the athletes, whether it is running, biking, golfing, or tennis, using and strengthening the body’s “core” or center will help you perform at a higher level without injuring yourself from trying to do too much during the warm season.
The prescription is…..
Have a session or two with a certified Muscle Release Therapist, MRTh® to stabilize your posture and get in a regular habit of strengthening that posture so that you will be able to enjoy yourself throughout the year no matter what you are trying to do.
Peace & many blessings,
Dennis