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Housework Athletes-recovery using Light Manual Muscle Relaxation

Copyright Michael Gillan Long Distance Recovery Specialist

http://womensweb.aching-legs-relief.com/housework_recovery_from_fatigue.html

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DO IT YOURSELF FITNESS-DO MORE HOUSEWORK

Do you want to get fit without the expense of gym fees and equipment costs?

Do more housework!

There has been research by many fitness researchers that proves doing housework can burn caloriesand keep you fit-yes after all that vacuuming, washing, scrubbing and mopping you are exercising you

upper and lower body, and doing a cardio workout!

As you do housework you do you are exercising with each implement such as vacuum cleaner, or mop

or even a bucket of water taking the place of, or substituting for a piece of gymnasium equipment

Love the housework or loath having to do it; one factor that both parties overlook is that it is cheaper;and just as effective as going to the gym

One thing you should be aware of though it like any gym work and exercising you should not overdothings because

When you clean up around the home you are actually being an ‘accidental athlete’

Like any athlete, or gym junkie, the housework ‘accidental athlete’ can pay a price for their fitness andperformance in accidental muscle soreness and stiffness

All the kneeling, scrubbing, and moving furniture takes a toll after a hard day in the house-feeling,tight, wound up, stiff and sore is a common occurrence amongst people who work around the home as

their primary occupation

If not countered by some basic stretching and muscle recovery, any accidentally caused muscular

problems can develop into a long term injury-unfortunately; most of the people responsible for the

home duty side of things do not have workplace representatives or insurance to cover those injuries

Housework injuries are the silent epidemic of much of the population and the incidence of them can bereduced if the approach to housework is treated the same way as other athletes treat their approach to

sport-that is with a professional attitude to prevention of injury and recovery afterwards

They have a few stages they go through to be able to effect their best performance at what they do with

as few injuries as possible

Prevention-Performance-Recovery








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Muscular stress-Range of movement and shoulder defensive positionsMuscles or soft tissue are made up of fibers all running in a line along the length of the muscle; theyare elastic and springy; like an elastic band when it is new, they will snap back into place when it is

pulled and let go

When the band ages and well used, it lose this ability to spring back into shape, and muscles can also

lose this ability and flexibility not only with ageing but also with soreness and tightness caused through

overuse and the muscles repairing themselves

Shoulder soreness and stiffness, reduced range of movement and with this the reduced blood flow to

the brain contributing to stress levels.

• The shoulders may be sore to touch and have a slight hunch to them as the muscles have shortened while

moving away from the soreness.

• They may get tension headaches.

• The range of movement from left to right when the head is turned may be restricted.

• Feelings of fatigue

Upper neck and shoulder tension can also cause poor performance as it reduces muscle power-manypeople are aware that they carry tension in the shoulders and do attempt to fix this themselves by

making a conscious attempt to straighten up; this usually fails because of muscle memory and the

natural inclination of the body to move away from pain.

The shoulders may develop a hunched defensive position with the muscles pulling the rib cage upwards

preventing the lungs from being able to expand to full capacity; breathing is restricted to the upperportion of the lungs reducing the oxygen intake.

The muscles feel sore and burning due to a build up of inflammation in the muscle structures.

Sore muscle fibers Sore burning shoulder

Bending over and

lifting and pullingstretches neck, the

back and shouldermuscles.

It may tear some

fibers leaving

soreness and

inflammation

As the back muscles stretchlonger, the chest

muscles go shorter

and tighten up.

Areas of rippedfibers where trigger

points may

develop.








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Trigger Points

Trigger points are small areas fibers that have ripped and healed in the muscle body, they can cause

muscle weakness or if they become active can refer pain to different areas of the body.

Muscle soreness and stiffness are caused by micro tears in the muscle fibers from overuse; over the

long term a few minor muscle tears become chronic soreness as layer on layer of inflammation builds

up and gradually works its way to the surface and spreads.

If a sharp pain is experienced when the sore area is pressed, it could be a ‘trigger point’; if when thepoint is pressed a dull aching pain is experienced in a different area, this is the referred pain from it.

(This can feel like a dull nagging pain, so if you are rubbing some cream on in this area you areprobably putting it in the wrong place!)

*Range of movement test If the neck is tight and the shoulders sore, the range of movement is limited and they stay in the one

position putting the neck under tension and contributing to stress levels.

Have someone standing directly behind the person to be tested and ask them to slowly turn the head to

the left (or right) as far as it will go without causing any discomfort.Do not force the head beyond which it can comfortably move, stop if it starts to hurt.

Check to see how much outline of the nose is visible.Observe how far the head can turn before it hits a barrier to further movement.

Now get them to take the head to the opposite side, again, note how much nose is visible.It may be found that the range of movement is restricted to one side or the other but the restriction can

be on both sides.

Other risk factors

Repetitive strain injuries from scrubbing and polishing

Occup Environ Med. 2009 May;66(5):299-304. Epub 2009 Mar 1.

Lower back aches from pulling heavy furnishings

Spine. 1998 Jul 15;23(14):1572-87.

Housemaids knee from too much kneeling

Med Lav. 2007 May-Jun;98(3):232-51. javascript:PopUpMenu2_Set(Menu17598351);


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/utils/fref.fcgi?PrId=3159&itool=AbstractPlus-def&uid=9682314&db=pubmed&url=http://meta.wkhealth.com/pt/pt-core/template-journal/lwwgateway/media/landingpage.htm?issn=0362-2436&volume=23&issue=14&spage=1572

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/utils/fref.fcgi?PrId=3159&itool=AbstractPlus-def&uid=9682314&db=pubmed&url=http://meta.wkhealth.com/pt/pt-core/template-journal/lwwgateway/media/landingpage.htm?issn=0362-2436&volume=23&issue=14&spage=1572

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/utils/fref.fcgi?PrId=3051&itool=AbstractPlus-def&uid=19254910&db=pubmed&url=http://oem.bmj.com/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=19254910







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Tight legs and reduced flexibility from standing in awkward postures while vacuuming andmopping can lead to problems of swollen ankles and varicose veins

The overall picture

Any muscular-skeletal problems associated with housework should be initially checked out by amedical professional as there may be an underlying medical condition related to the complaint; oncethese have been cleared then it may be possible that muscular stress can be managed through

physiotherapy, chiropractic, osteopathy and of course massage in its various forms, some of which aremore relevant than others to relieving it

An option is to go for a sports massage

Because many upper body soft tissue problems are deep seated they may need some aggressive work todisarm the trigger points that are causing the referred pain, .and break up the fibers that are preventing

free movement in the head and neck area

This is a specialized job and needs specialized training; I would suggest that a visit to a sports massage

therapist who knows about trigger point therapy and the stretching needed afterwards because more

than any other they have studied stretching and reduction of soreness; they are more aware of the

stretching techniques and precautions for working in these areas than many other massage practitioners.

Increasing this range of movement should be left to a trained sports massage therapist who works at the

level of the client but they should be reminded that they are not dealing with a trained sports person so

should work within the person’s limits-make them aware of this before having any work done.

Why deeper work with stretching is needed

The fibers of any muscle are usually running in one direction and the way they work is all or nothing; if the muscle is a healthy one it has full strength and can work at peak efficiency-all it takes is a few of

them to be damaged or ripped, and the muscle can become weak and then other muscles in the samegroup have to work harder until it recovers and heals.

As the healing process takes place, the fibers can go out of alignment and stick together forming a hard

lump which is sometimes referred to as ‘knots’; these can turn into trigger points that cause tensionreferred pain.

Working deeply into them can break up the fibers but it leaves them where they were before the work

started and nothing except that the interpretation by the brain of the sort of pain that is felt has changed,

so it feels better.

A change of pain can give a feeling that the problem has gone away and provide temporary relief; by

having someone pressing hard in the sore spots, the short-term type of pain will temporarily block out

the long-term pain and soreness from the brain.

The brain can only accept one kind of pain at a time so relief will be obtained but when the short-termpain goes it allows the long-term pain to take over the same problems as before.

To give longer relief, the muscle fibers have to be re-aligned after breaking the ‘knot’ up as it makesthe muscle ‘lengthen’, relax and reduce pain.








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If the body reacts with great feelings of relief as the muscles are stretched and tension is removed, it is just muscular stress caused by workplace posture; if some tension can be relieved by massage that is

one problem less to cope with, accept that but go and see the appropriate other health professionals

people for help in dealing with any other issues.

Once the deep-seated work has been minimised then a return can be made to the gentler relaxation

forms of massage preferred.

*Note-Before doing any work around the neck area be aware that certain conditions do not lend themselves to any type of

massage or stretching work.These conditions could include neck or venous problems, whiplash, age, rheumatoid arthritis, if dizziness orlightheadedness is present or experienced, low blood pressure, viral infections, coughs colds or flu. (Or any other upper

body problems). Please check with the appropriate medical authority before attempting anything yourself

The sore legs from home/housework/workplace/gymnasium cleaning are a much simpler proposition-

the cleaner has similar problems of recovery as my ultra marathon runners and walkers-because likethem, they may be doing this work on a daily basis are a much easier

If you can increase the used blood flow out of the legs you can increase the flow of fresh blood into

them-this is achieved by simply working the calf muscles which are the motors for a pump that takesthe old blood from the lower legs against gravity back to the body for re-nourishment

Well that is the theory anyway

The practical part is a little more complicated but it does work-Light Manual Muscle Relaxation, the

system I developed and use with my ultra marathon runners and walkers is the simplest, easiest most

tested do it yourself recovery system around

Anything else for recovery is either a luxury or not necessary








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What do they say about Light Manual Muscle Relaxation?

Michael’s methods of massage and blister care helped me to stay mobile throughout the race and to

recover quickly afterwards. His techniques are safe and gentle.

Unlike some treatments, which put the runners and walkers at risk of muscle tears or infection,Michael’s techniques are gentle, safe, reassuring, and highly effective. They enhance comfort and

flexibility, build confidence, and promote success.This booklet will help others to learn and practice Michael’s methods. It is recommended reading for

everyone who walks and runs and who wants to go further, go faster, or just to enjoy life more!!'

SANDRA BROWN 1996 Ladies 1000 Mile World Record Holder

1999 Ladies 100 mile Race walking World Record Holder

“I know that your massage kept a number of competitors in the event. The cold weather of Saturday

afternoon and night certainly got to many of the walkers and your prompt action had them back in therace after a short stop.

In years past, that would have ended up as a non-finish. A number of walkers were able to keep goingfor the full 24 hours on the basis of your expert help.”

Tim Ericson Secretary Australian Centurions Club

'I have known Michael Gillan for many years and have always got quick relief for my aches and pains

from the stretching he performs'.

CLIFF YOUNG-75-80 24 Hour World Record Holder (150.07 kilometers)

Find out more about Light Manual Muscle Relaxation by visiting


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