Injuries | Merisoiu Technique Institute

October 25, 2016

Factors Leading To Running Injuries – Change

Does running regularly mean you will end up having to pay physios for life? No, not necessarily. Although, like with virtually any sport, even swimming if you swim often and aim high, you will suffer some injuries. How bad, how often and for how long, now these are variables that can be changed.

Change is one of the causes of sport related injuries. And when we talk about running injuries we refer to:

– foot injuries – including plantar fasciitis
– ankle injuries
– shin splints
– knee injuries
– hip injuries
– lower back pain

These are very common injuries and pains in runners who run regularly and push themselves to make progress.

Change is one of the elements that can cause there types of running injuries. Change in terms of:

– speed
– distance
– running frequency, but also
– different shoes (watch out minimalist/barefoot runners when transitioning to minimalist shoes), and different technique
– training type – i.e. from endurance training to interval training

No matter how much you try to progress fast, you are directed by your NERVOUS SYSTM. Until the nervous system adapts to the change, any attempt to push beyond it’s adaptation time frame can lead to injuries.

Thus, my advice on any changes you wish to make:
– make change slow
– have patience
– make the correct changes
– make the changes correct
– get a coach to direct you so you do things the right way, especially if you are a beginner

Need coaching? Email support@themtechnique.com or click here to book a free consultation.

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August 1, 2016

Managing Psoas Imbalance in Athletes with Sports Massage

The human body is the best working machine there is; however, many are guilty of not operating it properly. One of the most common results of improper use and maintenance of the body is psoas imbalance, which is evident through an imbalanced body posture.

But it is not just that the body looks lopsided; another issue with psoas imbalance is that it comes with physical discomforts.

What is the psoas muscle?

This is the most essential muscle group in the body. It allows you to bend and flex your trunk so you can haul your body off the bed every day. This muscle group can be found in your core and the muscles are connected from the 12^th thoracic vertebra to the L5 lumbar vertebra, through the pelvic region and femurs. Basically, they are the only muscles that run from the spine down to the legs.

Psoas muscles also help protect the internal organs and contribute to your psychological health.

What causes the imbalance?

When the psoas is constantly contracted due to stress, or when you often sit for a long time, work out intensely regularly, sleep in a curled position, or even perform a number of crunches and sit-ups, an imbalance happens.

The surrounding muscles compensate for the compromised condition of the psoas and the pull of tight psoas muscles can make one leg shorter than the other, create a significant sway back posture, posterior tilt to the pelvis for some, and pains.

Why do athletes suffer from it?

If you are an athlete — say, you are a runner, a cyclist or a martial artist — there are movements that cause great strain on your iliopsoas muscles, the primary connectors between your torso and legs. When you run and do not shift your weight properly, or you spend hours bent forward to stay balanced on your bike, or you favour a leg for kicking when you do martial arts, your psoas muscles can spasm, tighten and weaken resulting in an imbalance.

Physical discomforts due to psoas imbalance

When the psoas muscles are weak and tight, sharp pains can accompany these discomforts and you can feel them in the following areas:

Groin
Hip or pelvic area (if a psoas imbalance is not treated properly and right away, the pain in this area may lead to the loss of hip joint cartilage and labrum tears of the hip joint)
Belly
Lower back — right at the waist and the knees (especially when the leg is lifted)

Other discomforts you may experience due to psoas imbalance are:

Constipation
Dysmenorrhea/menstrual cramps
Shallow breathing (which means that the body many not be taking in enough oxygen)
Easy exhaustion (difficulty in breathing and pressure on the internal organs can make a lot of movements physically draining)

Sports Massage is one treatment option for psoas imbalance that may be considered.

Managing psoas imbalance in athletes

According to a study published in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, psoas imbalance or syndrome can be easily missed during diagnosis because its symptoms are similar to other conditions.

Thus, the first step toward managing and treating psoas syndrome is getting the correct diagnosis.

The treatment and management of the psoas muscle can be divided into three phases: the acute, recovery and maintenance phases.

Acute phase

Your main goals here are to reduce the symptoms you are experiencing (including spasms, swelling and pain) and to restore a sense of normalcy to your daily living. In order to achieve both goals, you may need to combine medication with lots of rest, gentle stretching and the application of an ice pack.

At this stage, it is crucial to avoid activities that can further stress the affected muscles. Stretching should be done gently and must be avoided after the application of cold compress.

Psoas muscle rehabilitation

The primary goal of rehabilitation is to restore the normal range of motion, strength, endurance and other activities specific to your sport. This can be achieved through stretching and exercise.

At this stage, you can also begin a resistance training program using weights or resistance bands. For endurance, you have to work your way slowly using exercises like cycling and stair climbing on a machine using a low volume of resistance.

Maintenance

During the maintenance phase, your main goal would be to strengthen the muscles affected by psoas syndrome in order to boost performance. At this point, you can perform the exercise you did during the rehabilitation phase and combine these with exercises that target the hamstrings and iliopsoas. Resistance should be increased every third or fourth workout.

You can facilitate faster recovery by cross-training in other sports including skating, cycling and dancing.

Preventing psoas musle weakness while boosting performance

Apart from preventing psoas syndrome, strengthening the muscle group can lead to enhanced athletic performance.

Exercises like leg lifts, hanging leg lifts, low lunges, v-sits, bridges and reverse planks may be performed before your main workout or after it.

Incorporating sports massage

If you are suffering from a psoas imbalance, you cannot opt for traditional massage therapy. Most therapists cannot target the affected muscles because of their location, and are unaware of the proper techniques required in working on the psoas.

Therapists that specialise in sports massage in London can help relieve tension in the psoas muscle while aiding in the increase of flexibility and restoration of movement by utilising specialised techniques.

The psoas muscle is crucial not only for sports but also for the movements required for most daily activities. Therefore, it is essential that this muscle group is strengthened and stretched. If you experience any of the symptoms associated with psoas syndrome, consult a physical therapist or qualified massage therapist to help fix the problem.

About the Author

Ben has been a practical pain management trainer and a celebrated massage therapist. He believes human well-being is deeply connected to the health of mind and body both, including deep tissues.

He holds numerous certifications for best of breeds massage techniques helping him on a mission for healthy London and then rest of the world. He has been an active contributor in massage technique research and on Massaggi blog.

February 25, 2016

Bandage For Injured Fingers

Bandage for sprained toes and fingers….small toes though, it’s designed for fingers.

Injured fingers? Try this little bandage, I think it’s really cool and could have helped me when I fractured one of my fingers in a Karate competition.

Just stay focused and remember it’s a bandage.

February 17, 2016

Squats And Lunges – Why Should You Care About Body Weight Distribution

Everything you do is body weight distribution, and body weight transfer, as well as balancing (walking is balancing for example). Understand and practice these 3 concepts (and posture) and any exercise or movement you will ever do will be correct. But only if you practice these concepts.

Incorrect body weight distribution simply leads to:

One side of the body will take more of the weight than the other. Thus chances are this side will be over worked, and muscles strained in the long run, while the other side will weaken.
Stress injuries. If you walk, run, squat and lunge while one side of the body takes of weight, and so more of the aggressive impact, it will increase the risks of injuries. It may not happen this year or the next, but after years and years.
Knee pain. This is very common particularly when squatting and lunging, but also standing, walking and running.

When we squat or lunge we are told “knees behind the toes!” Why??? Give the reason why. I’ll tell you why. When the knees go too far over the toes, your body weight distribution is lost. There is more weight going on the front of your feet, while you take the weight off the heels (even if heels are still on the ground). This causes the knees and ankles to take more and more pressure.

Now, that doesn’t mean that you bring the weight back on the heels and lift the toes of the ground. That’s not good either. The solution is The TRIPOD.

How to distribute your weight correctly

Every moment you stand, whatever you do, you will form a tripod with your feet.

THE TRIPOD = BIG TOE + LITTLE TOE + HEEL

When you stand, walk, run, squat, lunge, balance on one leg etc, keep The Tripod firmly rooted into the ground. That’s it. FOCUS.

If you need advice or would like to know more about coaching programs contact me.

January 27, 2016January 5, 2019

The Tripod, Your Shoes And Knee Pain

Since I started learning and exploring movement through natural movement, I was also coached, as well as reading and studying, I have noticed many changes in the way I use my body today. In a good way that is.

I have also realized what contributes to knee pain and knee injuries. While not everyone is the same, and not every injury is the same, everyone can benefit from The Tripod.

This repeated pressure on knees and ankles, whether you walk or run or just stand, is what, in time may lead to pain and injuries. Among other reasons.

That pressure, in many cases, comes from an incorrect body weight distribution. And unless you had an accident, injury or other such problems, this is what probably causes your knee pain. Although you should check with your doctor to get diagnosed.

In another article I wrote about Knee Pain And Body Weight Distribution. In this one I will talk about shoes and how they affect body weight distribution.

In that article we also mentioned that you have two tripods. Each is formed on your big toe, little toe and heel. That forms the base of support for your whole body.
And like your camera’s tripod, if one of the legs is not properly planted into the ground, the tripod is uneven and pressure is not evenly distributed. That tripod is unstable and weak.

Many times, knee pain comes after we consistently practice the habit of distributing our body weight more on the front of our feet.

But it is not your fault. Look at your shoes. They naturally lift your heel and automatically sends more weight on the front of the foot. Even if it’s just a little, that little adds up over the year.

It may not seem much but over 20, 30, 40 years it can change a lot. It can change your posture and the way you move your body.

The solution?

Firstly, although I believe we should walk barefoot sometimes, that we should allow our feet to develop and strengthen the muscles, this does NOT mean you need to go barefoot all the time, everywhere. However, when the weather is nice you can go barefoot in the garden, in a forest, in the house, anywhere where you feel you can.

Going barefoot, besides strengthening your foot muscles, will also help you become more aware of and correct body weight distribution. Feeling your toes and heel on the ground enables you to make changes.

“Allow your feet to take their natural shape and your skin to breathe.”

Second, barefoot or not, be aware of how you distribute your weight (from left to right and from back to front) every time you step, go up the stairs, when you stand, and run. At some point while you walk or run, you will go through a position where your foot is on the ground and you can feel The Tripod. Consider that a “check-point” and ensure your big toe, little toe and heel are on the ground, rooted into the ground for just a second or fraction of a second before coming off the ground again.

For example when you run with a forefoot strike, after the ball of the foot touches the ground the heel comes down as well, and that’s The Tripod right there.

Try it now. If you don’t try it now, you will never try it and forget about it.

Please note I am not a doctor or a therapist. It is important to consult your doctor if you have an injury or experience any pain.

January 16, 2016

Something’s Wrong With Your Shoes

I keep picking on running shoes, and, when possible, my clients and I walk and train barefoot. We take off our running shoes and go barefoot for some really good reasons. These are just a few of them:

Sensory Perception

There is a network of nerves on the bottom of your feet which sent information to the brain about the ground underneath your feet: . This triggers reflexes that help you avoid injuries when you sense something sharp or uneven. The thick soles of your running shoes limit sensory perception, and limit the key reflexes your body is intelligently equipped with to avoid injury, whether skeletal or muscular.

Flat Foot

Flat foot essentially means the arch of the foot doesn’t develop properly or it collapses. This can lead to other injuries.

There are people who are genetically predisposed to getting flat feet, but in many, many cases the problem is caused my weak foot muscles. These muscles help create and maintain the shape of the arch. Like any other arch you see in construction, they support your weight as it bounces up and down.

Your running shoes have arch support and cushioning so your muscles work less. Like any other muscles, if the muscles in the arch of your foot are not trained they weaken.

So I ask you this: if weak muscles in the arch leads to flat feet, are shoes that make those muscles work less the best choice?

Stiff soles are there to make the foot muscles work less as well. The less the muscles work, the weaker they become.

Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is that sharp pain you may have felt in the sole of your feet after a run or when you wake up in the morning.

The plantar fascia is a tendonlike sheet of tissue at the base of your foot. It works with he muscles in your arch. That sharp pain comes from inflammation of the plantar fascia.

If the arch muscles are weak then the plantar fascia has to work more, to compensate for those weak muscles. More stress on the plantar fascia eventually leads to inflammation.

Thus weak foot muscles contribute to plantar fasciitis as well. Padded shoes, created to help the foot work less, contribute to weak foot muscles. Weak foot muscles then need support, we give them support, they stay weak or get worse, and on, and on we go. A vicious circle.

One way I alleviate plantar fasciitis pain is by using a golf ball. Walking can also help the recovery process.

Uneven terrain

Among the things I love most in the outdoors is the uneven terrain. The flat, shiny gym or home floor does little to develop foot muscles. It does help but not as much as when you walk, run , crawl and balance on uneven terrain.

Uneven doesn’t mean holes in the ground. Your foot muscles will react to the slightest drop, even if it’s 1mm.

That is one of the many reasons why I choose the outdoors for myself and also for my clients.

Should you throw away your shoes?

There is no doubt that shoes protect us in many situations, such as when we step on a sharp object. They also protect us during the winter. There is nothing wrong in wearing shoes.

However, there is the downside of wearing shoes which has been the topic of this article. Thus, the solution is to balance it out. Wear shoes, wear minimalist shoes and go barefoot as well, indoors but more importantly outdoors where you have uneven terrain.

Now, I am not a podiatrist, but I do know this: strong and flexible feet are healthy feet. Strong, flexible and healthy fit make good foundations for a strong, flexible and healthy body.

A great book to read is The Story Of The Human Body by Daniel Lieberman.

If you do need advice, or maybe have questions about minimalist shoes contact me.

January 14, 2016

What Is The Correct Body Alignment

Alignment there, alignment here, I talk a lot about body alignment. And for good reason.

I was looking at my 8 year old nieces when I took them ice skating. It was their first time on the ice and they were simply naturals. They kept their balance so well, and naturally knew how to move their feet. I don’t know why I was there. Adults, on the other hand, had problems keeping their feet under their bodies. They learn but it takes longer, and their are very unbalanced.

Looking at them I see the correct body alignment. Natural for the kids, un-natural for the adults. We are born with all sorts of abilities, however, when we start sitting more than moving, and stop moving muscles, joints, body awareness goes into “hibernation”. Through Natural Human Movement we wake up those muscles and help the body remember it’s natural abilities, moving the body the way it was designed to move.

Why is correct body alignment important

Firstly, many of the pains, even chronic pains, are a result of habitual movements over a longer period of time, as well as other factors. Now, we don’t talk about health conditions or fractures, for example. Rather lower back pain, knee pain, ankle pain, shoulder pain.

Constant tension and body misuse, over a period of time, can lead to chronic pain

Second, running, walking, or moving in any way with an incorrect alignment can increase risks of injuries, and perpetuate older injuries.

Third, incorrect body alignment can strain certain muscles, and weaken others.

Fourth, strained muscles will affect your posture and your skeletal system, it can literally deform your skeleton; it may not be visible but it happens, think scoliosis, one of the most obvious situations of incorrect body alignment.

How to align your body correctly

In an article I can only give you the basics of correct body alignment. However, if you apply these elements to everything you do it will make a huge different in time.

Whether you are running, squatting, standing or walking remember the following points:

Feet – roughly hip width apart, toes facing forward
The Tripod – each of your feet form a tripod with the big toe + little toe + heel; focus on keeping this tripod on the ground at all times
Soft knees – not necessarily bent, but soft; it’s very subtle
Bucket of water – imagine your hips like a bucket of water; align your hips so you don’t spill water forwards or backwards
Core – if your hip, the bucket of water, is aligned then your core (you will feel it in the abdominal muscles) will be slightly contracted
Shoulders and years are aligned
Straight line from your ears to your shoulders to your hips to (approximately) the front of the ankles

These are the basics in a standing position. If you have any questions on body alignment or want to try one of The Merisoiu Technique sessions contact me.

January 9, 2016

Three Elements Of Healthier And Stronger Joints

This passion for body mechanics started many years ago after I struggled with knee and ankle pain for years, to the point where I was struggling to walk. It became an obsession, which later on lead to learning more, coaching and writing on the topic.

Many of my clients come to me with lower back pain, knee pain and ankle pain. Probably because this is what I am most passionate about.

Having strong joints means we have a strong body. There is less rick of injuries, if we do injure ourselves we recover faster, we have more control over our bodies and, in general, a healthier body and movement.

Strength

As human beings we have been designed to move, and not just walk. For millions of year we have ran, carried, lifted and thrown, jumped and much more. Shoes were simple, no gels and excessive padding, sometimes there were no shoes at all. Chairs were simple four legged stools which required us to engage our muscle to stand upright, thus making those muscles stronger.

Today’s society encourages comfort at the expense of weaker muscles. And with more comfort, less physical activity and weaker muscles, joints and bones weaken as well. They also weaken because of aging, we just makes it sooner.

I often ask my clients what drew then towards me. Some of then say that the system, The Merisoiu Technique, is more complete.

Indeed it is. We learn how to walk, run, jump, lift, throw, carry, crawl, hang, and move if various ways. We get fit and strong with correct alignment. We don’t just exercise, we study movement and we strive to master it.

Thus, for stronger and healthier joints address as many forms of movement as you can:

walking
running
balancing
crawling
lifting, carrying, throwing, catching
squatting
crawling
mobility and flexibility

If you have injuries you must be careful. If you don’t have injuries you should also be careful, because a correct form of movement involves alignment.

Alignment

Whether moving or standing there is a degree of pressure on the joints. The problem is the angle at which the pressure falls.

Movements is not only about picking up limbs and put them in another place. Performing a movement safely requires muscle activation with the correct joint alignment.

This is where we, as fitness industry, go wrong. We educate our clients on the amount of calories and fat they burn by running and jumping up/down, left/right. Not many take the time and have the patient to educate about alignment. It takes work and commitment from the client as well.

Alignment is not something I can talk about in general, besides the general, standing and sitting body alignment. In movement, depending on the movement, alignment changes, although the basics (what I call foundations) of body alignment are still the same.

I will discuss body alignment in more detail in future articles. Until then remember this one thing:

If you draw a line (on the side of the body) from your ear, through the middle of your shoulder, through the hip and ending slightly in front of the ankle, you have a correct body alignment.

There is not perfect alignment, there is a range. I have an mp3 recording for my clients, which takes them through a body alignment visualization. I am happy to share this recording, for free, with the first 7 people who contact me. Not more than 7. To do this we must talk first. I like to know who you are and why you want this recording. Mention this article when you contact me. Simply book a call, it’s free by the way, clicking here.

Micronutrients and Macronutrients

I talk a lot about the mechanical side of joint strength. But we also need to ensure we have enough vitamins and mineral (micronutrients), and fasts, carbohydrates and protein (macronutrients).

The body takes what it needs for bone and joint health from the food we eat.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking health is about what you do this month or this year. The impact of good and bad habits surface later on, 2-3-4 years down the road, or maybe more. Inside the body the effects take place sooner. Just because we don’t see them on the skin doesn’t mean they are not there, good or not.

Being consistent with your diet is the key to a healthy body. To check where you stand do blood tests. They change from year to year.

Besides these 3 we also have Flexibility and mobility, but I will talk about that in another article.

If you have any questions you know how to contact me.

January 8, 2016

Lower Back Pain – Should You Exercise Or Not

When you are in pain the last thing you want to do is move.

Lower back pain doesn’t necessarily mean the back is damaged, it’s not always the case. But because we feel the pain we stop exercising, thinking that’s the right thing to do. In some cases it is, but not always. If the back is not damaged then you can move and exercise. Why should exercise even with lower back pain?

De-conditioning happens very fast. If you don’t move for a few days, when you resume you feel weaker. Even without lower back pain, if you don’t exercise, stretch and move (not only walk) for a few days you feel stiff and weak when you do move. If you do suffer from lower back pain, doing nothing will only add to the pain rather than solve the problem.

Pills helps manage, and calm down if the pain is really bad. But that fixes the symptoms, and not the cause. There can be many causes for lower back pain. Very often core strength and general a weak body can cause lower back pain and, in time, even more serious damage.

Besides being strong, your body also need to be mobile (ease of movement of the whole body) and flexible (related to muscle length).

Preventing and managing lower back pain

Preventing and managing lower back pain requires commitments from the person suffering from back pain.

Going to the gym or taking classes only for this purpose, because you have to and you were told to, thinking you will like them in the end, will only make you unhappy and not commit long term.

Choosing a sport, or type of exercise you enjoy doing increases the chances of committing for a longer time and reap the benefits. Learning about lower back pain and how the body functions, like you do now, little by little, will increases the chances of commitment.

This is what we do at The Merisoiu Technique Institute. We have the solution and we help you, but we also explain how things work. Understanding why you are in pain, how the body and muscles work and how you can prevent further pain and injuries, makes our clients enjoy their training and reap the benefits.

If you are in need of advice contact us.

Sports you can try

Here are some ideas of sports, besides gym, swimming, classes, yoga and pilates, running and cycling, you could try to prevent and manage lower back pain. Training for and practicing the sport you choose will strenghten and mobilize the body, and reduce pain and risk of other injuries.

Indoor/outdoor rock climbing
Squash
Tennis
Cross-fit
Obstacle Racing
Martial arts (Karate, Taekwondo, Aikido, Jujitsu etc)
Even gardening (although not a sport)

Remember it is important to also train for these sports, not just throw yourself into them. For any sport you practice the best thing to do is to have a coach. They will turn your weaknesses into strengths. You want to optimize your body for your sports, nut just throw a ball around.

Movement is more than stepping left and right, back and forth. Movement involved correct joint alignment and muscles must activate in the correct sequence. “Don’t just exercise, learn, develop and master. “

More on lower back pain and exercise for lower back pain in future articles. For now remember that not moving is not the solution.

December 23, 2015

Shin Splints – Causes And Prevention

Over the past 3 years I have coaches over 100 people. Some of them are still around. Shin splints was one of the problems some of my clients came to me with.

Shin splints is a term used to describe pain in the front of the lower legs, the shins. They are over-use injuries

Shin splints possible causes

running on hard surfaces
incorrect running technique
striking the ground aggressively constantly
running with the wrong or worn shoes
overweight
weak ankles
tight calf muscles
over pronation (foot rolls outwards when it lands on the ground)
intense periods of exercise when your body is not used to it
incorrect use of the body (technique when training and how you use your body daily)

Shin splints self care

Running or exercising through the pain can be dangerous. It may not be very painful at the beginning but it can get worse.

rest, take a break from the activity that causes the pain (you can still do low impact activities or cross training) – this will help you recover faster
stretch your muscles
avoid training and running on hard surfaces (I take my clients on the ground when we run and are able to)
build up your training gradually (throwing yourself into intense training all of a sudden is a recipe for injuries)
work to improve your ankles strength
stretch your Achilles tendon and your calves – gently
mobility and flexibility (essential for a fit and strong body)
foam rolling calves – gentle (it works for some people)
ice (no more than 10 min at a time and not on direct skin, 3 times a day)
replace worn out shoes

Shin splints prevention

Here are some guidelines

avoid running on hard surfaces all the time
make sure your shoes are correct for you
change shoes when they worn out
stretch Achilles tendon and calves muscles
stretch your whole body in fact
foam rolling – calves, glutes, quadricepts, hamstrings, everything, it’s good to release tension in the body
variation of movement – don’t stick with the same routing for months, practice different activities to train your body from different angles
correct training errors – you need an experienced Coach for this; the way you use your body not only when exercising but throughout your day can, in time, lead to overuse injuries (here is an example)

These are just some general guidelines. I hope this will help you. Leave a comment below if they did.

Things for you to try and see how they work. For some people some things work while others don’t. If you seek advice I’d be more than happy to talk to you. Message me here.

Of course if the pain gets worse or swelling gets worse see a doctor, it can be more serious.