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Light Manual Muscle Relaxation as an aid to lower leg circulationCopyright 2009 Michael Gillan 1 ultra marathon recovery specialisthttp://aching-legs.org/
Light Manual Muscle Relaxation (Massage-Lite) making life morecomfortable-the walk you are having when you are not having a walk
I should point out I am not a doctor so I am not treating anything and what I say should notbe taken as a medical treatment or implied that it is-medical treatment should be sought andadvice taken about whether it is suitable for your complaint
Light Manual Muscle Relaxation-Massage-Lite
Massage-Lite
definition-A totally stripped down version of a leg recovery system that is distinct fromconventional leg recovery systems for the following reasons
•
No equipment needed
•
No disrobing
•
No oil-environmentally friendly
•
No washing up
•
No long training
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No clean area needed
•
Can be done by anyone
Works
with
the muscles not
on
them
Light Manual Muscle Relaxation-(Massage-Lite) works through
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Simplicity
•
Predictability
•
Consistency
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Non invasive
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User friendly
A massage-lite workshop
Light Manual Muscle Relaxation as an aid to lower leg circulationCopyright 2009 Michael Gillan 2 ultra marathon recovery specialisthttp://aching-legs.org/
Light Manual Muscle Relaxation is a Do-It-Yourself method based on encouragingthe muscles and tissues to assist with their own circulation
•
It is
not
a conventional massage system
•
It is
not
invasive
•
It is
not
aggressive
•
It is
not
time consuming
•
It does
not
need disrobing
•
It does
not
need oil applied to the skin
•
It does
not
need strong hands and fingers
•
It does
not
need hand/brain coordination
•
It does
not
need equipment
•
It does
not
work on the muscles
•
It does
not
work on any specific injuries
•
It does
not
threaten the integrity of the muscles
•
It does
not
use force on the muscles
•
It does
not
need more than a few minutes to do
•
It does
not
require a long course or workshop
+It is based on the framework as expressed by Dr. Guyton that lymphatic fluid needs certainContributing factors to move it around the body, they are
“
Contraction of musclesMovement of parts of the bodyArterial pulsationsCompression of the tissues by objects outside the body”+Guyton-Textbook of Medical Physiology eighth edition-1991 W.B. Saunders Company-ISBN 0-726-3994-0 (p. 182)
It makes it easier for someone who has to become their own physical and muscletherapist-and they have to learn how to do this with a minimum of education andtraining
Light Manual Muscle Relaxation as an aid to lower leg circulationCopyright 2009 Michael Gillan 3 ultra marathon recovery specialisthttp://aching-legs.org/
Why is working
with
the muscles more important than working
on
them?
Dealing with the muscles in an appropriate way is important if using manual therapies-to help increaselower leg circulation it is important to make a choice that is not going to make things worseThis the integrity of the venous and arterial systems is compromised by breaking the fine capillariesand venules that run throughout the circulatory network of blood carrying vesselsHere is an image of a leg of a swollen lower leg and ankle they do not have ms-but it shows how lack of movement and exercise can affect lower leg circulation and make it more difficult to even wear apair of shoes without rubbing and causing feet problems
Muscle health (andwarmfeet) is based on having a constant supply of oxygen andnutrients to them
To maintain the supply a balance between what goes into the muscles and what comes out of them isimportant-if fresh oxygen rich blood can't enter the muscle tissues levels the muscles fatigue
To keep it all going the body has a circulatory system; part of it takes fresh blood to the musclespumped there by the heart through the arteries-another part of the system takes the used blood awayback to the body where it is re-nourished with oxygen and nutrients and recirculated again.
The Calf Muscle Pump
The muscle pump is made up of all the leg muscles and together they form a pump which forces usedblood against gravity up the legs back to the body for recycling by alternately putting pressure on thevenous system and releasing itThe veins which take blood back to the body have one-way valves in them-as the muscles squeeze,they open the valves, letting blood pass through them; when the tension is released, they close stoppingthe blood flowing back down towards the feetLack of movement reduces the veins ability to open and close by keeping constant tension on them, thisis called calf muscle pump inefficiency
Problems caused by calf muscle pump inefficiency include
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Poor circulation
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Lymph system inactivity
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Venous return reduced
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