Posts belonging to Category 'Uncategorized'

I’ve recently completed KT1 and KT2 training meaning that I’m now able to use kinesology tape in my clinics! You may not know it by name but you’ve probably seen athletes and sports people wearing the brightly coloured pink or blue tape – it’s also available in black and beige!

Kinesiotaping (also known as K-Tape) is a relatively new technique that helps muscle function, lymphatic drainage, circulation and range of movement both after an injury and when getting over any long term pain or discomfort. It’s really popular with sportspeople and high profile users have included David Beckham and Lance Armstrong but possibly the most famous users were the beach volleyball players at the last summer olympics!

I’ve written a bit more about kinesiotaping here but if you’d like to know more, just give me a call.

Went to a fabulous lecture at the weekend from Harrow-based osteopath Tom Hewetson, who has been team osteopath to both London Wasps and England U18 rugby teams.

We covered athletic taping/strapping techniques and fundamentals as well as looking at the fascinating world of K-Tape or kinesio-tape. This is a technique that is taking the sporting world by storm but also has limitless possibilities in a non-sporting environment. Next time you see an athlete wearing black, pink or blue tape on their arm, leg, back or shoulder – that’s K-Tape.

Tom’s written a book which comes highly recommended. You can buy it through Amazon: An Illustrated Guide To Taping Techniques: Principles and Practice.

I’m a big fan of TED Talks, it really is a rich, diverse and massively interesting collection of videos on all kinds of topics from cutting-edge medicine to technology to magic. Once you start watching videos, time just starts to fly by!

I found this one earlier in the week which stresses the importance of touch in medicine but also listening and observing too. It also features a fantastic story about the inspiration for Sherlock Holmes – check it out:

One of the best things about this job is working with people from all kinds of backgrounds: office workers, professional fighters, musicians, lecturers, retired ladies and gentleman and many, many more.

A new client of mine is an actor and is appearing in a new play at the Nottingham Arts Theatre from the 27th of September. Its a production of Alan Ayckbourn’s comedy “Family Circles”. Check it out: http://www.nottingham-theatre.co.uk/natmain/whats-on?name=Family-Circles&show=89965

I was suffering from repeated bouts of intense chest/back pain and after several incorrect diagnoses by my GP, I was slowly coming to the end of my tether!  I visited Rich for a second opinion and during our session he listened intently as I explained my symptoms in detail. This in conjunction with physical examination (which my doctor had completely failed to do!) led Rich to suggest a possible problem with my gall bladder. I returned to my GP with the confidence to demand further tests and after being referred for an ultrasound scan, discovered that I had gallstones and would require surgery. The relief at finally finding out the cause of my problem was huge!

I cannot thank Rich enough for his thorough and caring approach. Finally discovering that there is a way to prevent the ongoing pain will be life changing.

I am immensely proud to announce the birth of my son, Theordore George. Weighing in at a healthy 8lb 14oz, he’s only been here 9 days and has already turned everything upside down!

Welcome to the world Teddy.

More often than not, I find myself recommending products to my clients to help speed up their rehabilitation and stay injury free.

To make life a little easier, I’ve now added a page to this site with links to some key products available from Amazon:

www.nottingham-massage.com/shop

I’ll be adding to this with more products as I come across them, so keep coming back to see what’s new.

I’m very excited to announce that I’m now part of a new venture called the Combat Sports Clinic. Setup and conceived by top ranked female MMA fighter (and friend) Rosi Sexton, CSC has been setup to bring together therapists and professionals with a particular interest in combat sports.

As some of you may know, I’ve been involved with martial arts since the age of 14, with a history of training in karate, aikido, thai boxing, Brazilian ju-jitsu, submission wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA). I’ve also treated many martial artists, from dedicated hobbyists to competing amateurs to top level professional fighters.

CSC is literally brand new but is already growing and developing with guest bloggers and contributors from all sides of the sport. Most exciting for a tech-head like me is the iPhone app that has been produced. You can download it from iTunes here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/combat-sports-clinic/id445265606?mt=8

I’ll be contributing regular blogs to the site on all manner of topics and hopefully will even be supplying some videos to appear on the site and app too. Really looking forward to it!!

Just a quick note to keep everyone up-to-date with latest developments…

As most of you will know, my wife and I are expecting a baby literally any day now (!) so I’m expecting that there might be some disruption to appointments booked over the next couple of weeks. Where possible, I’m going to minimise disruption to sessions booked in and do my best to be available on the usual days. If it all happens on the day that you have an appointment booked in, I’ll give you a call or text as soon as I can to make sure that there’s no confusion. So please book in as you would do normally and hopefully you won’t notice a difference!!

As always, if you’d like to book a session, give me a call on 07990 548519, email me at rich@nottingham-massage.com or use the popular online booking system to book in.

Hopefully I’ll see you again soon… maybe I’ll be a dad by then?!

Cheers, Rich

PS Keep your eyes peeled for my next newsletter as there are going to be some changes to appointment times etc from 1st August, but more on that later…

Becoming a parent exposes you to all kinds of new vocabulary and phrases that you just don’t come across in everyday life… well, I hadn’t!

This is the first of series of blog posts explaining what some of those new words mean:

meconium
This is what awaits you in your baby’s nappy for the first day or so. It’s a black, sticky, tar-like substance, not dissimilar to Marmite. Apparently it’s also odour-free, so at least that’s something!

colostrum
Talking of the first few days of a baby’s life, colostrum is the milk initially made by the mother. It is thicker than later milk and contains antibodies essential for a baby’s immune system as well as being high in protein and low in fat – sounds like a superfood!

prolactin
Also know as LTH or luteotropic hormone, prolactin is produced by the anterior pituitary gland and its main function is to stimulate milk production in the breast.

oxytocin
This hormone is produced by the posterior pituitary and has a number of functions. Firstly, it helps to control uterine contractions during labour. It also causes milk ‘let-down’ when the baby stimulates the nipple. The third and perhaps most well-known action of oxytocin is to help develop trust and bonding between mother and baby.

relaxin
Another hormone, this one is produced by the ovary, breast and placenta and works to allow ligaments to become more ‘stretchy’ by allowing collagen fibres to absorb more water. Although levels peak at the end of the 1st trimester, relaxin is most visible in late pregnancy as the body adapts to carrying a large weight and the pelvis prepares itself for delivery.

Phew, see what I mean! And that’s the tip of the iceberg of the words that you’ll hear. Next up we’ll have the wonders of Braxton-Hicks amongst other things…