Bad Calf Muscles=Bad Feet

I sure do see a lot of foot and calf problems. The most recent that seems to be in epidemic proportions is tibialis posterior. Almost anytime that I have a client with plantar fasciitis symptoms, they have tibialis posterior symptoms too. Tibialis posterior can manifest itself in several places, just below the knee and behind the tibia, midway down the tibia and just behind the medial ankle bone. This can become very serious if left unattended. I first learned of this by working on a client and did some internet research on treatment and rehabilitating this injury.

The main problem with this muscle is that it is a support muscle that gets weaker as all of the muscles around it get stronger. This muscle originates on the back of the tibia and goes down the back of the tibia and inserts on the medial cuneform. An easy way to spot tibialis posterior problems is to look for a little "puffy spot" on the inside of the arch.

Treatment is easy. The problem is you may have to do it for as long as you don't want to have problems as you are predisposed to it. First, take a towel and place on the floor, take your barefoot and place on the towel and scrunch your toes toward your heel thus bunching up the towel. Next, get a red or green theraband about 5 feet long, tie it in a knot, take a seat, cross one leg over the other, place your other foot on the band with one leg, (with shoes on) place the band around the inside of the crossed foot. Allow band to pull your foot down and out, now sweep your foot in and toward you and repeat 15 times. I recommend twice a day. Repeat this on the other leg/foot because the problem is lurking over there.

I'M MOVING

I'm moving my office from 157A Belle Forest Circle to 151B Belle Forest Circle. It's in the same office park but around the corner and up the hill. It's a lot bigger space and I think it will be nicer for us and the clients. Parking is going to have to be worked out but we can do that.

I look forward to seeing you in my new space. Here's some general info.

Rates
3o mins. $40.00
60 mins 70.00
90 mins 95.00

Long time no post _ I'm back!

Since my last post (I couldn't go a whole year without posting) there has been a lot going on. I've learned some new techniques, I have a new office (in addition to Bellevue). I have a new motorcycle. All of my new additions are creating much additional happiness.

This past May, I went to St. Pete Beach to learn from James Waslaski. He's a world reknown massage therapist. He's been the massage therapist for several Olympics and the New York Yankees. He teaches some really good stuff now. I went for an Orthopaedic Masssage class. He calls it "high end sports massage". I have found that it works on athletes and non-athletes alike. It makes my job easier and brings about quicker results. Of course, results are directly related to muscle memory. If you've been living with an injury for a while and it just keeps nagging, it establishes deeper memory thus making resolution longer. I advise all of my clients to take action when injury occurs and resolution will be much faster. I should listen to my own advice. We all think we'll be better tomorrow. I'll write more later about this technque.

My new office is at 2300 21st Ave S. It's inside Middle Tennessee Wellness Center. I started going as a patient seeing Dr. Jeff Lamberth. Next thing you know, I'm working there Tues and Thurs. It's a great place to be and he's a great chiropractor. In addition to helping me, he's helped several of my clients as well. Of course he does manipulative therapies, however he is different from most chiros. He's not the traditional back and neck cracker. He also uses "cold laser therapy" This is really high tech stuff that works well at healing soft tissue injuries.

My new motorcycle is a Kawasaki Ninja 650R. It's bright green for extra visibility and I'm really careful when riding it. I'm watching out for the other driver so please don't tell me "you're gonna get killed". I am REALLY careful. I rode 125 miles this morning with my neighbor Don and my old friend Russ. They have Ninja 250's. We're calling ouselves "Wild Ninja's in the Hood" after the recent movie Wild Hogs in the Hood.

Ilotibial Band Problems

What in the heck is it? The Ilotibial band or IT band as I will refer to it going forward is a long flat tendon (apneurosis) that originates at gluteus maximus and tensor fascialata (TFL) and inserts on the side of the knee. Glute max extends and abducts the leg. It is involved in every step we take. TFL is a hip flexor that is also involved in every step. It would only make sense that these two muscles might be subject to overuse especially if you are an athlete. So what is overuse? It is different for everyone. If you are very flexible and stretch regularly, over use is not as likely. If you are inflexible and seldom stretch, overuse is in your "near future". When overuse occurs, it involves glute max most frequently. The muscle tightens and thus pulls the IT band upward causing a pull at the side of the knee. It feels like the tendon is trying to pull away from the side of the knee. It burns and aches and certainly will make life miserable.

Another cause that I have found to manifest symptoms in the IT band is knots on the outside of the quadricep muscle (vastus lateralis) under the IT band. These knots can be large enough that they stretch the IT band causing symptoms. This is the easier of the causes to eliminate. It involves deep tissue work that can be painful (albeit temporary). It will make you want to use some choice language. However, symptoms can be eliminated almost immediately often times. I'll share a success story. I had a client that was doing a marathon in two days and unable to run at all the pain was so bad. He scheduled a massage with me. Ordinarily, I would never do deep work on someone that was doing an event in two days unless they were regular massage recipients. I explained to the client that the deep work would either drastically improve his chance of running or not. The second option already existed so he said "go for it". I went into vastus lateralis and worked out the knots on the side of his quad that were below the IT band. I happened to be working an aid station at the marathon and I never saw him during the race. I was affraid that I had crippled him. The following Monday I received an e mail from him thanking me. He said that he not only was able to run the entire marathon, he finished one hour faster that any previous marathon.

How do you avoid IT band problems. The first choice is to stay flexible. Stretch glutes and TFL after every workout. Check out the links on my blog for some stretching suggestions or contact me to learn about some options.

One of the most important things that I can share with you is when you start symptoms of IT band problems take action immediately. If you try to run or cycle through it, you are flirting with "long term layoff". Of course that is one of the most feared phrases in an athletes life.

Stretch, hydrate and call me if you need me. 615-596-2564.

What I do......

....with most of my clients. I have a lot of athletes as clients. Therefore people consider me a "sports massage therapist". Everything that I do may benefit everyday non athletes as well.

What can you expect from a John Minton massage? I do lots of the basic things that you have experienced in a regular massage. I can do deep pressure and I use some "energy modalities" as well like acupressure and craniosacral therapy. The one thing that seperates me from other massage therapists is stretching. I incorporate some serious stretching in my massage and all of my clients love it. They enjoy it because it feels so good and it brings about additional release from areas of tension. I even have an 83 year old client that loves the stretching.

When you come for a massage from me, I'm going to work on you and there is a good chance that I am going to find some areas that need additional work. Does that mean that I'm going to suggest that you come 2 times per week for the next three months? No, I am going to show you some stretches that are simple to perform that will help you. All of the stretches that I send my clients home with are easy to perform at home or in the office. It is my goal to help all of my clients achieve long term muscle health so they can keep "living life".

Massage is good for the mind as well as the body. It gives us a "mental break" from all of the tension and stress that we experience in our everyday life. Just the other day, I had a client say "it feels so good to do something for myself".

Remember, healthy muscles contribute to healthy joints. The body is always striving for balance. Massage is a great assist to that balance.

The Missing Link?

I just added a new link to "Links I like" on the side bar. It's the holisticonline.com link. Check it out. It tells all about the benefits of massage, types of massage, self massage, sports massage and more. I know that there are many questions about massage and you may find the answer at this site.

Call me at 596-2564 to schedule your next appointment.

No More Symptoms

Well, I am symptom free from my piriformis problem. Thank goodness I don't have to go through all of that stretching that I did to recover from the problem. NOT! I have to continue stretching so that I insure that the problem doesn't return.

This is the kind of thinking that gets us in trouble. We feel that when the problem is gone then we can eliminate stretching. I see this all of the time. A client has an injury. We work on it. It goes away. They discontinue daily maintenance and the problem reoccurs. Their response is often, " I thought that I was done with it". "Done with it" is temporary. We return to the activity that caused the problem to begin with and we quit stretching. It is sending an invitation for the injury to return.

Maintain your body with a daily stretching program that is designed around the activities that you enjoy. If you are using the traditional method of stretching (hold for 30-60 seconds) and you are not getting results, try Active Isolated Stretching. Check out my favorite links for more information on this method. It has worked for me.

Don't forget to hydrate those muscles.