Muscle Clinic News Archives - The Muscle Clinic | Remedial and Sports Massage Plymouth

The Man with the Hammer – A Guide For Cyclists

Muscle Clinic — Mon, 14 Mar 2016 21:37:10 +0000

In cycling folklore, the man with the hammer is a mythical figure who waits around the next bend, or halfway up a steep hill and will hit you hard with his hammer. The effects of the blow come on suddenly, causing a total collapse of both body and mind.

Most endurance athletes will be familiar with the ‘wall’ when a perfectly good race will be ruined by a sudden onset of extreme fatigue. Our energy levels are depleted and every muscle in our body is shouting ‘stop’. The man with the hammer is a significant step up from this and is caused by the unholy triad of glycogen depletion, dehydration and a failure of thermoregulation that can rapidly become a medical emergency and can cause collapse and even death.

A meeting with the man with the hammer can be avoided. Here are a few things you can do to keep yourself going for longer:

Fuel

Glycogen is a polysaccharide of glucose that serves as a form of energy storage. It provides the fuel your muscles need to work. Unfortunately the body can only store a certain amount of glycogen (up to 2000 calories worth). So you need to make sure your glycogen stores are full before setting out. This is known as ‘carb loading’ and requires you to increase your intake of high quality protein and carbohydrates, such as rice, oats, chicken, salmon and beans for up to three days before the event. This will last you about 90 minutes, so it’s also important to take in fast-release energy during the ride itself. Sports drinks, energy bars and dried fruit are great for this.

Hydrate

Dehydration occurs when your body loses more water than it takes in. When we lose too much water (more than about 3 or 4%), the balance of minerals in our bodies becomes upset. Symptoms of dehydration include being thirsty, having a dry mouth, feeling lightheaded and loss of strength. Extreme dehydration can cause hallucinations, heatstroke and collapse. So what can you do?

Don’t wait until you’re thirsty – drink before you start, and little and often from the beginning of your ride, and take a few good gulps every 10-15 minutes. Plain water is fine for rides of up to 60 minutes, but for anything longer than this you will need to replace the electrolytes and carbohydrates that you have lost. The best thing to do is experiment with different sports drinks and find one that suits you. Its essential to rehydrate after you have finished the ride. In recent research, milk has been shown to provide more effective rehydration after the event than sports drinks or water, due to additional energy, protein and sodium it contains.

Pace yourself

In a road race pacing isn’t easy because tactics and team strategy complicate the issue but in a straightforward ride for a PB or a long training session finding the optimum pace can help avoid the man with the hammer. It’s tempting to set off quick and put a few miles in the bank for later but unfortunately you’re actually burning through your available energy store proportionally quicker and will burn out much sooner. Here is one interesting statistic from the world of running. Every world record distance event had been set by running the first half of the race slower than the second half.

Acclimatise

Physical exertion in hot conditions can generate heat beyond the body’s ability to cool itself. Natural cooling mechanisms such as sweating are not as effective in high humidity. Alcohol and stimulant drugs such as amphetamines also reduce the body’s ability to cool itself.

If you are going to be cycling for an extended period in a hot climate, give yourself time to acclimatise. This is more than a psychological adjustment. The body’s salt content of sweat and urine decreases as people acclimatise to hot conditions.

The Man with the Hammer is a new play currently showing at the Theatre Royal Plymouth. It’s a uniquely physical piece of theatre, in that the three actors spend the entire play cycling. Here at The Muscle Clinic we are giving massage treatment to the three actors to help with their challenging and unusual training regime.

We watched the play this week and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a compelling story on many levels, exploring the limits of human potential as well as the flaws that make us human. It is extremely well researched, and will appeal to cycling fans. As well as the complex relationship between father and daughter and existentialist issues such as obsession, addiction and lies, it deals head-on with many topical issues around cycling, such as the physiology of the sport, doping, the body’s response to pain… and the fabled ‘man with the hammer.’

The Man with the Hammer is unlike any play you’ve seen and is well worth a trip to the theatre. It is showing at the Theatre Royal Plymouth until March 26. It is written by Phil Porter and stars Timothy Chipping, Jonny Holden and Harriet Slater.

Our next blog will look at our addiction to pain and the body’s response to it.

New Massage Room for The Muscle Clinic

Muscle Clinic — Sat, 06 Dec 2014 18:04:41 +0000

We are pleased to have moved into a new, larger treatment room at the end of November 2014. The Muscle Clinic is still based at The Millfields Trust HQ, but we have taken a bigger room, which is much nearer to the reception area. The new room is much quieter and warmer, with more space to move about.

We have been doing more double treatments recently, with couples, family members, or friends, and the new room makes this more comfortable.

We’d like to say thanks to the Millfields Trust in Plymouth for continuing to support The Muscle Clinic. Here are a couple of pictures of the new room:

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Professor Laurie Hartman at the Northern Institute of Massage

Muscle Clinic — Fri, 09 May 2014 14:45:09 +0000

The Northern Institute of Massage is celebrating its 90th Anniversary this year.

One of the ways they are marking this is by hosting a seminar with Professor Laurie Hartman, who is the most eminent Osteopath of his generation, and a former student of ‘The Northern’.

Laurie Hartman is Associate Professor of Osteopathic Technique at the British School of Osteopathy, and has been teaching osteopathic and manipulative technique and manual therapy since 1964. He is in great demand internationally and has taught and lectured in 17 different countries with osteopaths, physiotherapists, medical manipulative groups and massage therapists. His book ‘Handbook of Osteopathic Technique’ is one of the definitive textbooks on the subject.

Professor Hartman never forgot his roots at the Northern Institute and developed a series of techniques based on rhythmic traction-compression movements that he learned at the Northern Institute all those years ago: he named this system ‘Harmonics’.

Harmonic techniques are especially effective for:

chronic low back pain
hip conditions including osteo-arthritis
knees that have lost ease and range of movement
conditions of the shoulder, arm and hand and the foot and ankle.

He will be demonstrating his harmonic techniques at the special one-day CPD workshop at The Northern Institute of Massage on Saturday 13th September.

Charlotte and David of The Muscle Clinic in Plymouth carried out their massage training at NIM and can highly recommend it to anyone considering a career in massage.

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The Millfields Trust: Latest News

Muscle Clinic — Mon, 09 Dec 2013 10:37:58 +0000

What is the Millfields Trust, and what do they do?

Home to The Muscle Clinic and 67 other businesses and charities, The Millfields is a not-for-profit trust set up in 2000 to enable local people to contribute and manage the regeneration of the Stonehouse neighbourhood in Plymouth. Its key focus is on generating employment in the area. Its main locations are the former Millfields naval hospital and Millfields HQ (where The Muscle Clinic is based). The Millfields Trust uses its rental income to support the community in a variety of ways:

Millfields Inspired (formerly Widening Horizons), is a charity set up to provide new and challenging learning experiences outside the classroom for six primary schools in Stonehouse.
The Millfields Trust is a major sponsor of the annual Union Street Party, in which thousands fill the street for a free, family friendly party with music, performance and activities.
In 2013, The Millfields Trust purchased the Lord High Admiral pub, which neighbours the Millfields HQ. This will secure its place in the community as a busy and thriving local.

What are the new developments?

This month, the Millfields Trust will begin building a new £5 million four-storey enterprise centre on Union Street. The new “Building C” will be situated next to the HQ business centre, and will support small and medium sized businesses, particularly those in the early stages of development.

Chair of Millfields Trust, Reverend Sam Philpott, said: “We are incredibly excited by this project and what it will bring to Plymouth. It has taken several years of hard work to get where we are today. We are investing in the future of this trust, but more importantly we are investing in the community of Stonehouse. The enterprise centre will be a lasting asset creating businesses and jobs for many years to come.”

Read more about the Millfields Trust and its plans for the future in The Millfields Trust Annual Review.

Image above: artist’s impression of the new “Building C”.

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The Muscle Clinic Tour

Muscle Clinic — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 14:03:05 +0000

A video tour of The Muscle Clinic. We provide remedial massage and sports massage in Plymouth.

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Remedial Massage Diploma

Muscle Clinic — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 10:30:27 +0000

We’re proud to announce that Charlotte has recently received her Remedial Massage Diploma qualification. This is the culmination of a year’s seminars, coursework and case studies, and a full day of practical and written exams. Thanks to all who helped with case studies.

Both Charlotte and David trained at The Northern Institute of Massage, which is a highly renowned institution and prides itself on being one of the oldest massage schools in the UK, founded in 1924.

David regularly takes Continuous Professional Development courses, including Treating Arthritis, Pre- and Post-Event Sports Massage, and Muscle Energy Techniques. We spend many weekends travelling from Plymouth to Manchester, which we always enjoy.

If you are interested in Remedial Massage training yourself, watch this video for a taster of the courses offered by the Northern Institute.

Remedial Massage is a system of examination and treatment of musculo-skeletal injuries and conditions. It can benefit both recent and older injuries, relieve pain, and help the patient return to a normal range of movement.

Some common conditions that can be successfully treated are: • Achilles Tendonitis • Shin Splints • Groin Strain • Tennis Elbow • Frozen Shoulder • Hamstring Injuries • Plantar Fasciitis • Scar tissue • Adhesions • Whiplash • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome • Repetitive Strain Injury • Stress • Insomnia

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New Clinic, New Couch

Muscle Clinic — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 17:33:04 +0000

We’re always looking for ways to tweak and improve what we do at The Muscle Clinic, and have made a couple of big changes already this year. We have invested in an electric massage couch. It lowers down to just 90cm, which makes it much easier for those with limited mobility to get on and off. The height can be quickly adjusted to suit the treatment we’re giving, and it makes for an altogether more comfortable massage treatment.

The second piece of news is that The Muscle Clinic has moved to a different room within the HQ Building. We are now based in Room 29. We come down to reception to meet all patients though, so you won’t get lost! We think the new room is much cosier and have taken a few photos for you to see.
Hope you like it.

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Pictures of The Muscle Clinic

Muscle Clinic — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 23:45:02 +0000

We’ve been taking some pictures of the newly decorated Muscle Clinic. Here they are:

Massage Couch and Consultation Area

The Muscle Clinic Massage Couch

Consultation Area

Muscle Clinic Reception at Millfields Trust HQ

Millfields Trust HQ, otherwise known as “the old Jaeger building”

The Massage Room

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The Muscle Clinic in Plymouth

Muscle Clinic — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 14:53:37 +0000

Welcome to the brand new Muscle Clinic website. This is a note to let you know that The Muscle Clinic is opening in Plymouth. We have a new remedial massage clinic in the Millfields Trust HQ in Plymouth City Centre.

Give us a call on 01752 313474 or 07776 252539 if you’d like to make a booking.

We’re excited about moving to Plymouth and look forward to meeting lots of new faces in the near future.

P.S. We’d like to take the opportunity to thank all of our patients for coming to see us, and making our stay in Lancaster a pleasurable one. We hope that we’ve done some good and managed to help you. We’d also like to say a big thank you to Graeme and all at the Gregson centre for your friendship and support when we first set up in Lancaster. Last but most definitely not least, thank you to Trish and all at Concept. We have had an amazing time working with you and will miss you very much.

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