The Calf Muscle Pump-Light Manual Muscle Relaxation as an aid to lower leg circulationCopyright 2009 Michael Gillan 1 ultra marathon recovery specialistwww.aching-legs.org/dentists_have_aching_legs.html

Aching Legs are a Health and Wealth Hazard for Dentists

When I was a student massage therapist I used to work at cleaning houses to make ends meet-one of the people I worked for was a dental surgeon-he had his own practice which was very busyApart from his family and their needs relying on him to keep them, there were the dental nurses andassistants and their families, accountants and tax man, (and me) plus expenses incurred for and by hissurgery-the whole system relied on him and his skill at dealing with patients and their teethThey also relied on his long term health holding up because if he was to become ill or have an accident,everyone’s world and security would be in danger of collapsing around their ears-if he didn’t work,they didn’t get paidThis dentist was lucky, he was young, and fit and believed in keeping that way by running every day(or as often as he could get away from the dental chair, around which he basically spent his wholeworking dayI recently spent 24 hours around this chair next to the bottles and I was as tired as the dentist mustsometimes feel after spending a whole dayWhen he came in from the surgery and I was still there he looked totally fatigued and wiped out justlike the runners belowHe still had to recover and get up to go back to the surgery the next dayAching legs caused by being on them for long periods is an occupational health and safety issuebecause the long term effect of them on peoples health is very real

(see www.hazards.org/standing)

The Calf Muscle Pump-Light Manual Muscle Relaxation as an aid to lower leg circulationCopyright 2009 Michael Gillan 2 ultra marathon recovery specialistwww.aching-legs.org/dentists_have_aching_legs.html What someone who relies on their legs to stay in their occupation and who needs to maintain the healthof their legs is a simple

practical

recovery solution they can do during a break and after they havefinished workingWhen standing upright for hours concentrating on work, the calf muscles are inactive-they are notdoing their job as motors for a pumping system designed to move used blood and lymph fluid from thelower legsHere is an image of a leg of a swollen lower leg and ankle-showing how lack of movement can affectlower leg circulation

Occupational health and safety issues with aching legs are a constant problem, and one that is difficultto deal with-usually the best advice that can be given is to wear a good pair of shoes and recover byhaving the legs elevated to allow the fluid that has built up in the lower legs to drain back to the bodyLying down with the legs in the air is the last thing with aching legs needs at the end of the day, it istoo passive and no one has the time to do this in today’s busy lifestyles

Other than having aching legs why do they need to be relieved?

Aching legs can be detrimental to general health and can contribute to stress-for more on long termeffects of poor lower leg circulation on the lower legs, seewww.hazards.org/standing If the poor circulation is medically related there is not muchto be done except get themdealt with bythe medical profession-but if the lack of circulation it is related to not moving enough then it may behelped by restarting the calf muscle pump using

Light Manual Muscle Relaxation-a self help massage-lite recovery system

The Calf Muscle Pump

The calf muscle pump forces used blood against gravity up the legs back to the body for recyclingThe muscle pump is made up of all the leg muscles-the main motors for the pumping system are thecalf muscles, the soleus which is used for standing and walking and the gastrocnemius used for runningand jumping

The Calf Muscle Pump-Light Manual Muscle Relaxation as an aid to lower leg circulationCopyright 2009 Michael Gillan 3 ultra marathon recovery specialistwww.aching-legs.org/dentists_have_aching_legs.html They usually work as a pair by alternately putting pressure on the veins and releasing it-this takes usedblood back to the body through one-way valves which stop it flowing back down towards the feet againLack of movement reduces the veins ability to open and close by keeping constant tension on them, thisis called calf muscle pump inefficiency it also affects the Lymphatic System through a reduction of lymph fluid flowWhen standing for long periods the weight of fluid in the body puts pressure on the on the valvescausing the veins to widen-gaps in the valves allow leakage of fluid back into the lower legs-manydentists get varicose veins

Problems caused by calf muscle pump inefficiency include

•

Poor circulation

•

Lymph system inactivity

•

Venous return reduced

This can lead to long term leg health problems

(See www.hazards.org/standing)

Muscle health is based on having a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients to them

To maintain the supply of fresh blood to the lower legs a balance between what goes into the musclesand what comes out of them is important-fresh blood can't enter the muscle tissues if nothing iscoming out of them

Many people see massage as a means of removing the used fluid from the legs

The term ‘massage’ covers many areas, and ways of using ‘constructive’ touch, most of them rely onthe skill of the therapist at manipulating the muscle tissues-the knowledge they use to do this requiresmuch training and practise-they have to pass examinations in order to work in this fieldUnless you know what you are doing most modern massage techniques are not only too technical-theycan be too rough on tissues, arteries, and veins in the legs from

uncontrolled finger force

and untrainedhands working

and

into

the muscles causing damage

gastrocnemius

soleus