Hi all, just to let you know that if you are in the registration hall on Friday 9th of December collecting your race pack for the Clonakilty Waterfront Marathon, I will be there booking in stretches for those of you with aching legs from the drive down South, or some roll over aches and pains from DCM.
Look forward to seeing you there, Fiona Bron ;))
Wednesday 30 November 2011
Monday 28 November 2011
HIP PAIN RELIEVED AFTER 1 SESSION
Hi all, Clinic today proved very interesting with one particular client (who we will call Olivia) suffering with bad hip pain coupled with lower back/upper glut pain - in short, a bad pain in the bum. This pain (or rather it was described as a bad ache) had been limiting Olivia's range of movement for the last few days and causing considerable upset in her sporting life. Even though the pain was in the left side, we start with the right to allow Olivia to relax and to experience Fascial Stretch Therapy without fearing the pain in her left side. Olivia was very pleasantly surprised when she stood up half way through the session to see that her right leg felt like it was floating compared to the left leg. After the left leg was done, Olivia's hip pain was completely resolved. She did a forward bend, a squat, flexed her hips (raised her knees) and wiggled in every way she could to reproduce the discomfort that she had been feeling - but thankfully, she seems to have gotten a significant amount of relief from just one session. Olivia will be back next week as a taster of the upper body sequence left her wanting the same release in her shoulders as she had experienced in her lower body. I am really delighted to have been able to help. Keep the emails coming, but feel free to post here too if you like - you may be asking a question that everyone else is thinking- and I have allowed anonymous posting now if you're shy :))
Fiona Bron ;)
Fiona Bron ;)
Sunday 27 November 2011
FASCIAL - NOT 'FACIAL'
Hi folks,
I don't know why this has come up so much over the last week, but 3 people have asked me why and how stretching their faces can help with their running. While I have had a good laugh about it, it got me thinking about how little is known about this kind of therapy in this country and what I could do about it. The obvious thing is to start a blog...well here I am. The next thing is to advertise nationally - thats on the way. The most successful way to get a new therapy highlighted in the sports media, is to have a well known athlete endorse the therapy as having worked for them.
So this is the mission for 2012. If you play with a rugby squad who suffer with frequent injury, or you swim,cycle and run with a triathlon club whose injury rates are high - please contact me and I would be delighted to do a free demo in your club to highlight this therapy and show the benefits of a flexible body. The results really are like nothing you have ever seen - heavy, tight legs have been described as 'marshmallow' after a 3 minute stretch. People have thrown their heads back and laughed out loud in surprise after their feet have hit the ground after just 30 mins of a session. Check out www.stretchtowin.com to find out about when and where this phenomenon started.
I don't know why this has come up so much over the last week, but 3 people have asked me why and how stretching their faces can help with their running. While I have had a good laugh about it, it got me thinking about how little is known about this kind of therapy in this country and what I could do about it. The obvious thing is to start a blog...well here I am. The next thing is to advertise nationally - thats on the way. The most successful way to get a new therapy highlighted in the sports media, is to have a well known athlete endorse the therapy as having worked for them.
So this is the mission for 2012. If you play with a rugby squad who suffer with frequent injury, or you swim,cycle and run with a triathlon club whose injury rates are high - please contact me and I would be delighted to do a free demo in your club to highlight this therapy and show the benefits of a flexible body. The results really are like nothing you have ever seen - heavy, tight legs have been described as 'marshmallow' after a 3 minute stretch. People have thrown their heads back and laughed out loud in surprise after their feet have hit the ground after just 30 mins of a session. Check out www.stretchtowin.com to find out about when and where this phenomenon started.
Saturday 19 November 2011
FASCIAL STRETCHING TO AID RECOVERY
Hi all,
so now that Im over my jet lag from my New York trip - Im ready to share again! It was nice to be able to offer some assistance to a few of the runners doing the New York marathon, who had also done the Dublin marathon the weekend previously. One such runner had experienced bad cramping in his quads during the Dublin marathon and was very stiff and sore on arrival to New York, 2 days before his next long distance run! He had been massaged, used a foam roller, applied heat and cold, and still he was in a lot of pain and discomfort in the fronts of his thighs. As I was on holidays, I was a little unprepared for giving treatments so I had no retaining bands to immobilise limbs - but we managed with a gentle session for about 45 minutes. We started with some gentle hip mobilisation and bent leg stretching, then moved to full leg and finished with quad and hip flexor stretch. 'John' commented that after the session, his legs felt 100% lighter and that the 'painful ache' was all but gone. When I met him before the run the next morning, he told me that he was about 98% on his left and 96% on his right leg - this was an improvement on the previous day where he had to climb down the steps of the bus sideways!!!
'John' passed me at the 25mile mark at 3.48 and finished with a sub 4 hr marathon looking very strong and with no limping which was a big improvement on the previous weekend. As a personal trainer, John was delighted to have found a new therapy that he might be able to share with his clients to aid recovery and improve performance. Hope to have some interesting issues to share after next week's clinics. Again, feel free to leave a message if you want advice on how to stretch you aches and pains away! Fiona Bron ;-)
so now that Im over my jet lag from my New York trip - Im ready to share again! It was nice to be able to offer some assistance to a few of the runners doing the New York marathon, who had also done the Dublin marathon the weekend previously. One such runner had experienced bad cramping in his quads during the Dublin marathon and was very stiff and sore on arrival to New York, 2 days before his next long distance run! He had been massaged, used a foam roller, applied heat and cold, and still he was in a lot of pain and discomfort in the fronts of his thighs. As I was on holidays, I was a little unprepared for giving treatments so I had no retaining bands to immobilise limbs - but we managed with a gentle session for about 45 minutes. We started with some gentle hip mobilisation and bent leg stretching, then moved to full leg and finished with quad and hip flexor stretch. 'John' commented that after the session, his legs felt 100% lighter and that the 'painful ache' was all but gone. When I met him before the run the next morning, he told me that he was about 98% on his left and 96% on his right leg - this was an improvement on the previous day where he had to climb down the steps of the bus sideways!!!
'John' passed me at the 25mile mark at 3.48 and finished with a sub 4 hr marathon looking very strong and with no limping which was a big improvement on the previous weekend. As a personal trainer, John was delighted to have found a new therapy that he might be able to share with his clients to aid recovery and improve performance. Hope to have some interesting issues to share after next week's clinics. Again, feel free to leave a message if you want advice on how to stretch you aches and pains away! Fiona Bron ;-)
Monday 14 November 2011
DEHYDRATION, CRAMPING & FEEDBACK FROM RUNNERS AT NYC MARATHON
Hello All,
The evenings are getting darker still and outdoor training is significantly hampered by cold wet weather and the unfortunate pains and strains that seem to accompany the cold weather. Having given it some serious thought, I have moved away from thinking that injuries are increased during the cold weather because people are not warming up enough - having spoken to and treated a number of runners at the recent New York marathon, I have come to the conclusion that hydration is a big issue during the winter. The common reminders to stay hydrated (heavy sweating during the warm summer months)(physical heat accompanied by thirst) are absent and so ongoing hydration is not as important to those individuals training hard. That is - not until the few days before a race, or a match or competition. If you start intensive hydration the day or two before a race serum electrolytes can become imbalanced (dilution) and cramping may occur. Schwellman et al (2004) discovered very low sodium and very high magnesium levels in runners who experienced cramp during ultra marathon distance. Miller et al (2010) advise that adequate continuous hydration with an electrolyte solution should be one of the preventative measures that should be taken. Moreover, adequate fuel intake during a longer run will help to prevent cramp. Does this mean that if we always cramp at mile 23, we should have some salty carbs at mile 22 to prevent it? The pretzels in New York are now beginning to make sense! The NYC marathon took a lot of runners by surprise as the day was very warm for November and cramping was a big issue during the race. I saw a few runners afterwards for recovery and they all felt that the gently myofascial stretching techniques used yielded amazing results compared to the standard self administered post marathon 3 minute stretching routine (ya....I know....3 minutes was the average!!!).
Anyway, the point being made is that hydration doesn't just mean water ! And a well hydrated body means well lubricated tissue and joints - meaning less injuries! So drink up!
The evenings are getting darker still and outdoor training is significantly hampered by cold wet weather and the unfortunate pains and strains that seem to accompany the cold weather. Having given it some serious thought, I have moved away from thinking that injuries are increased during the cold weather because people are not warming up enough - having spoken to and treated a number of runners at the recent New York marathon, I have come to the conclusion that hydration is a big issue during the winter. The common reminders to stay hydrated (heavy sweating during the warm summer months)(physical heat accompanied by thirst) are absent and so ongoing hydration is not as important to those individuals training hard. That is - not until the few days before a race, or a match or competition. If you start intensive hydration the day or two before a race serum electrolytes can become imbalanced (dilution) and cramping may occur. Schwellman et al (2004) discovered very low sodium and very high magnesium levels in runners who experienced cramp during ultra marathon distance. Miller et al (2010) advise that adequate continuous hydration with an electrolyte solution should be one of the preventative measures that should be taken. Moreover, adequate fuel intake during a longer run will help to prevent cramp. Does this mean that if we always cramp at mile 23, we should have some salty carbs at mile 22 to prevent it? The pretzels in New York are now beginning to make sense! The NYC marathon took a lot of runners by surprise as the day was very warm for November and cramping was a big issue during the race. I saw a few runners afterwards for recovery and they all felt that the gently myofascial stretching techniques used yielded amazing results compared to the standard self administered post marathon 3 minute stretching routine (ya....I know....3 minutes was the average!!!).
Anyway, the point being made is that hydration doesn't just mean water ! And a well hydrated body means well lubricated tissue and joints - meaning less injuries! So drink up!
Tuesday 1 November 2011
RUNNERS AT THE DUBLIN MARATHON
Good Morning all,
Well after a long weekend of standing at the Dublin Marathon Expo and screaming my lungs out at the finish line for 4 hours - I could definitely do with a full body stretch this morning. The stand was a huge success with a massive amount of interest in the Fascial Stretching techniques. One Dublin runner has booked a session in Clonakilty at the beginning of December ahead of the Clonakilty Waterfront Marathon (www.runclon.ie). It was amazing to see that despite paying for physio and massage sessions at the expo, runners were still coming to the stand complaining of tightness in the calves (by far the biggest area of complaint) or the hamstrings, gluts and quads. Stretch sessions of between 3-5 minutes were resulting in runners skipping in circles around the front of the stand grinning! George Anderson, PT and running guru from the Full Potential running club was impressed with how light his legs felt after a quick calf stretch. While PNF stretching has been yielding excellent results, FST takes it 10 steps further and not only creates flexibility in the belly of the muscle but in all the surrounding tissue and in the joints. Keep your eyes peeled for a blog on George's site in the coming weeks for some tips on the most requested stretches. Stay happy :)
Well after a long weekend of standing at the Dublin Marathon Expo and screaming my lungs out at the finish line for 4 hours - I could definitely do with a full body stretch this morning. The stand was a huge success with a massive amount of interest in the Fascial Stretching techniques. One Dublin runner has booked a session in Clonakilty at the beginning of December ahead of the Clonakilty Waterfront Marathon (www.runclon.ie). It was amazing to see that despite paying for physio and massage sessions at the expo, runners were still coming to the stand complaining of tightness in the calves (by far the biggest area of complaint) or the hamstrings, gluts and quads. Stretch sessions of between 3-5 minutes were resulting in runners skipping in circles around the front of the stand grinning! George Anderson, PT and running guru from the Full Potential running club was impressed with how light his legs felt after a quick calf stretch. While PNF stretching has been yielding excellent results, FST takes it 10 steps further and not only creates flexibility in the belly of the muscle but in all the surrounding tissue and in the joints. Keep your eyes peeled for a blog on George's site in the coming weeks for some tips on the most requested stretches. Stay happy :)
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