January 11, 2017

Weekend warrior exercise: is it good for you?

January 11, 2017/ Richard Lebert

"There is no doubt that physical activity is good for you, but the optimal amount remains a topic of debate. The universally accepted recommendation is that we do at least 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise, or 75 minutes with vigorous intensity. And while some people choose to fit their weekly physical activity into one or two sessions (“the weekend warrior”), others like to spread it evenly over the week, such as walking briskly for 30 minutes a day."

January 08, 2017

Taking up running? Here’s what you need to know to make it to February

January 08, 2017/ Richard Lebert

"On your very first run your body will have become suddenly aware that it needs to remodel to match its new training loads. Our muscular system responds to training easily, and can repair and rebuild in a matter of days. And, because the heart and lungs are part of this system they too will improve rapidly. After just a few runs, the cardiorespiratory system will become more efficient making you feel fitter and stronger. And this is at the core of where most new runners get into trouble. The tragedy is that other soft structures, connective tissues like tendons and ligaments, are just as weak as when you stepped out for your very first run. They are slower to repair and remodel than muscles, and about ten days in to your new regime, they will probably have completed the adaptation from only your first run."

January 04, 2017

Traumatic muscle fibrosis: From pathway to prevention

January 04, 2017/ Richard Lebert

This is a great research paper follow up to my last post - Sports Massage - The Science is Emerging. My last post was a brief look at the psychological & physiological responses to massage therapy.

In this post I wanted to share some excerpts from a recent review of traumatic muscle fibrosis published in The Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery. This paper may provide some insights for therapists wanting to learn more about the interconnected adaptive responses within the nervous system and soft tissue structures.

January 03, 2017

Sports Massage - The Science is Emerging

January 03, 2017/ Richard Lebert

Massage therapy has been shown to be an effective way to relieve pain, decrease stress and promote overall well being. The best way to describe the effects of manual therapy is not a single, unified response but a collection of interconnected adaptive responses within the nervous system and soft tissue structures.

December 21, 2016

Brainy bones: the hidden complexity inside your skeleton

December 21, 2016/ Richard Lebert

"Your bones are savvy. They are light yet strong and they repair themselves when they break. What’s more – although you can’t tell – your bones continually renew themselves, replacing old bone for new."

December 18, 2016

2016 in Review - Ten articles about low back pain

December 18, 2016/ Richard Lebert

With the many documented biological and psychosocial benefits to a massage therapy, we are uniquely suited to help those who suffer from low back pain. One speed bump still in the way is the lack of systematic reviews and randomized control trials of massage therapy. There has been some movement it the last couple of years, but because because of the lack of a research culture in the profession these things take time.

To help massage therapists understand the issue of low back pain here we provide a break down a list of 10 articles on low back pain, this list is representative, not exhaustive.

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