self service post event recovery

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Self Service Recovery-the Calf Muscle Pump-Post Event Recovery using Light Manual Muscle

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Copyright Michael Gillan Long Distance Recovery Specialist

http://aching-legs-relief.com/post_event_recovery.html

Self Service Recovery in Post Event

Ok you have just finished in a competition or event and are totally exhausted andsore-you know if you just stand around you are going to be cold and stiff as well

No matter how much training they do (and you can overtrain) there is nothing like actually being an

event to bring out the best in a runner or walker, the other competitors and the adrenaline rush can

help to push the boundaries to the limits (and beyond)

You need some Post Event assistance but not sure what to have or doIt is unfortunately that not too many people know much about post event recovery because the ones

who do are usually the sports institutes and universities with all their research facilities and it takes

a long time for their information to filter down to the self supporting sports enthusiast

Much of this information were it available may be too scientific and complicated to apply because it

may need some specialized technique or equipment to use and these may be too inaccessible orcostly for the average competitor

Directly after the event has finished is when most people are distressed and need assistance to

recover-but wouldnt you know it-just when you are at your lowest, and need help there is noneavailable and everyone has different ideas on how to approach it

Tough Luck

You will just have to go home and recover the best way you can

Preparing

Training

Competing
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It wouldnt have been if you had the knowledge to look after yourself better

Instead of the graph on page 1, the graph should include some extra steps

This is the Post Event stage

Overuse and abuse of muscles

These people have been running for 3 days-their muscles have been overused and are extremelysore to touch-the fibers have micro-tears in them which are being healed by the body-one of the

first stages in their repair is inflammation which produces heat

The body is in the first stages of repair at the micro-cellular level

No amount of working on the muscles at this stage is going to help them-and interfering withuncontrolled finger force into the muscle tissues can make them worse and lengthen recovery time

because it breaks into the inflammatory repair and increases the heat through friction

The Post Event Phase of Recovery

If the approach to the muscles is appropriate, this stage can be taken advantage of to speed upthe recovery this is done by working with them to facilitate their repair and recovery

They need care not more abuse

Train

PostEvent

FullRecovery

Compete

Prepare


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Post Event Recovery

Post event is done whenever time is available and it is convenient but is better when the muscles are

still warm and are still pliable from their hard use

By the time post event recovery is started, the soreness is intensified by stiffness-every movement is

an effort mixed with pain-time on the recovery table is spent trying to loosen the muscles so that theathlete can simply stand up again

A Grim Fairy Tale

Once upon a time there was a fun run, marathon, ultra marathon that was inhabited by 1000s of

runners/walkers, they had all trained and prepared and really looked forward to completing the

distance in their personal best time and succeeded (or not)

Having totally run themselves into the ground, and needing assistance, the intrepid athlete makes

their way to the recovery area, only to find lines of people already there waiting their turn to getonto the recovery table

Everyone is standing there having just finished, most in just running singlet and shorts-getting

colder, muscles stiffening-see the lucky people getting their muscles worked on-they are onlycovered by a towel-listen to the screams as some of them go into cramp-that lactic acid causes a lot

of problems for runners and walkers (note-lactic acid has a bad name that is undeserved)

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/exercisephysiology/a/aa053101a.htm

See as when the recovery session finishes they crawl off the table and stagger away barely able to

move-did it really do them any good or did the recovery person go in too hard on the muscles andinjure them?

Who would know?

Not the runner/walker because their perception of pain was changed-cold can act as an anaestheticand reduce the pain experience-reduced pain perception can also reduce the sensation of someone

being a little too enthusiastic with their hands on the muscles and causing in unintended injury thatwill affect the rate of recovery and speed at which training for the next event can be started

If someone is considering manual recovery work, they should be aware of what is happening; using

the example from Sandra Brown to stress how important the correct approach to muscles is.

The second tear (at least I have matching legs with old tears on both sides) was caused, to my great

annoyance at the time, by an overenthusiastic physio who was supposed to be helping me to warm

up gently before a 24 hour race and got carried away. I am now more wary of having physio at any

time, and make sure that I stay in control, by saying at the outset what I want and dont want to bedone to me. Having never had a persistent injury (my varied training pattern means that any niggles

have the chance to heal quickly, rather than get hammered and go critical,) I have never had regular

physio or a steady relationship of trust with any physiotherapist who knew me and my needs. The

closest I have come to this was receiving massage from Michael Gillan during the Nanango(Queensland) 1000-mile race in 1996. I had no hesitation in having a massage from Michael again

at the end of the Melbourne 100 miles walk in 1999. Michaels approach is very gentle at all times,and always works with the athlete and puts the athlete in control, thus minimizing the risk of harm

and maximizing the benefit.

(Source:http://www.surreywalkingclub.org.uk/Training?Advice/Articles/training_for_ultras_by_san

dra_br.htm#Training/forUltras_SB)
http://aching-legs-relief.com/post_event_recovery.htmlhttp://aching-legs-relief.com/post_event_recovery.htmlhttp://aching-legs-relief.com/post_event_recovery.htmlhttp://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/exercisephysiology/a/aa053101a.htmhttp://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/exercisephysiology/a/aa053101a.htmhttp://aching-legs-relief.com/post_event_recovery.html


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A Post Event Legs Care Plan

For the average sports enthusiast access to after event care may be limited, the cost of this may be

beyond the financial boundaries of them-the other option is to have a self-service Post Event legs

care plan-but to do this requires some knowledge of how the recovery system works

Lower Leg CirculationTo keep the lower leg circulation working, the muscles rely on having a constant supply of freshblood to the tissues-this is sent to the lower legs under pressure through the arteries and ever

decreasing in size vessels called arterioles and even smaller capillaries-as the vessel size reduces the

pressure taking it there also decreases

By the time the blood reaches the feet, all the pressure has been used, and there is none left to return

it back up the legs to the body against gravity again

Getting it there is solved by a system called the Calf Muscle Pump

The pump is sometimes known as the peripheral heartThe main objective of the calf muscle pump is to move used blood from the lower legs against

gravity back to the body for refreshment with oxygen and other elements that the muscles

Old blood and fluid is taken out of the lower legs through the veins back to the body, fresh blood issupplied to the muscles through the arteries

Bloodpumped fromheart through

arteries under

pressure

Reaches feetPressure runs

out

Calf musclesact as pump

motors

Used blood ismoved up thelegs through

the veins

On return tobody blood isrenourished

and recycled

Arteries

fresh blood

into legs

Veins used

blood out

of legs


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The Calf Muscle Pump

These are the motors to make the pump work

The calf muscle pump is made up of all the muscles in the legs, but the motors that provide the

power for the pump are the calf muscles-these are made up of 2 basic movers-they are Soleus whichis primarily used for standing upright, and Gastrocnemius used for running and jumping

As the muscles move, they increase and decrease pressure on the vessel walls (the veins) which

have one-way valves in them, these open to let the blood pass along them, and close to prevent the

blood flowing back towards the feet

To keep the circulation in the lower legs going, a similar volume should bepumped out of the legs as flows into them

When the muscles are not working properly the pump becomes inefficient

When the calf muscle pump is not working through muscle tightnessfluids under the influence of

gravity become trapped in the lower legs where water (or lymphatic fluid) may separate from the

blood, and migrate through the vessel walls and fill the tissue spaces

As it cant be pumped away quickly enough, the ankles swell (edema)-the build up restricts the

supply of fresh oxygen filled blood to the muscle tissues without which they cant recover

Soleus Gastrocnemius


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Problems caused by calf muscle pump inefficiency include

Poor circulation

Lymph system inactivity

Venous return reduced

Disadvantages of relying on chance to recover the legs

Chance is the most widely accepted form of leg recovery-it relies on a number of factors for its

success in helping the legs to recover-it is also the most passive

Time-how much do you have to spare for elevating the legs for an unspecified time?

Schedule-what is your schedule for the next day

Cold-do you get cold easily

Place-are you somewhere you can lie down without being fallen over by others

Convenience-it is difficult to do wherever and whenever you actually need it

Health-depending on your age and health, it may be dangerous to be lying down for longperiods after pushing yourself; some people suffer from vertigo when they stand up, andmay go light headed and dizzy

A pro-active recovery system is the best option for someone who has pushedthemselves to the limit

Calf

Muscle

Fati ue

Tight

calf

muscles

Poor

blood

return

Fresh

blood

reduced


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The Calf Muscle Pump-its contribution to recovery from fatigue

While the effects of the pump has a great effect on the condition of the legs, broken down into its

various parts it is just a pump-not too sophisticated in the way it operates, except that it is made

from living tissues rather than manufactured components

In the pump there are a series of flexible tubes (veins) to take fluid (used blood) from the lower legsback to the body against gravity-in the tubes are a series of one-way valves that open to let fluidpass through when the tube is squeezed by the motors (the calf muscles)

When the pressure on the tube is released, the valves close again to prevent the fluid going back

down to the feet again

To keep the fluid moving there is a reliance on the calf muscles ability to keep working at applying

and releasing pressure the tubes-once this stops or interfered with, the fluid cant be moved up the

legs-the used fluid is allowed to just become static

Swollen ankles from lymph fluid (or water) separating from the static blood and migrating through

the vessel walls into the tissue spaces instead of being pumped away can be the result inefficient use

of calf muscles

Being a mechanically based pump, the system can be serviced or restarted using a manual system to

remove some of the fluid and pressure that has built up-once started, fresh blood can more easily

enter the muscle tissues and start the recovery process

Half an hour before this picture was taken-his muscles had gone on strike andstopped working completely

I serviced his legs and got them moving again

Pro-active recovery is better than relying on chance-taking control of your own postevent recovery is the best option providing you have the knowledge to do it


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Using a simple recovery strategy is more effective than using complicated hard tolearn skills-it is also more effective than relying on chance for leg recovery

The above figures show what a leg service using the calf muscle pump can do for recovering the

legs-they are from the 1995 Colac (Australia) 6 day event-and show on a daily basis (accross the

page) the increase that was obtained using Light Manual Muscle Relaxation

It demonstrates the decrease in time needed for recovery when increased freshblood flow is obtained by working with the muscles not on them

FIGURES TAKEN FROM THE (1995 COLAC 6 DAY FOOTRACE)

NAME Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6

237.2 113.6 130 106 126 108Kilometers

539 284 325 265 315 270Laps

215.2 98.8 98 139.6 138.4 122.4Kilometers538 247 245 349 346 306Laps

M Taylor 174.4 128.8 143.6 123.6 120.8 89.2Kilometers

436 322 359 309 302 223Laps

180.4 133.2 124 117.6 110 93.2Kilometers

451 333 310 294 275 233Laps

P Gray 150 134 105.2 94.8 111.6 106Kilometers

375 335 263 237 279 265Laps

138.4 108.4 106.8 116.4 106 107.2Kilometers

346 271 267 274 265 268Laps

I Davis 168 119.2 90 116.4 72 98.8Kilometers

420 298 225 291 180 247Laps

G Watts 131.2 96.4 99.2 104.4 92.8 133.6Kilometers328 241 248 261 232 334Laps

C Young 142 91.2 90 97.6 88 92Kilometers

355 228 225 244 220 230Laps

D Kettle 138.2 86.8 90.8 95.2 94.4 84.8Kilometers

332 217 227 238 236 212Laps

R Hill 128 80.8 99.2 70 95.6 96.4Kilometers

320 202 248 175 239 241Laps

K Fisher 164 91.6 50 115.2 49.6 81.2Kilometers

410 229 125 288 124 203Laps

G Pollard 120 74.8 73.6 68.4 69.6 61.2Kilometers

300 187 184 171 174 153Laps

The above group came in for massage and stretchingThe group below did not or had their own massage people

141.6 112.8 104.8 101.6 98 96.4Kilometers

354 282 262 254 254 245Laps

145.6 110.8 114.8 113.6 108.4 106Kilometers

364 277 287 284 271 265Laps

152.8 110.8 126.4 113.6 114.8 95.2Kilometers

382 277 316 284 287 238Laps

140.8 82 84 34 0 0Kilometers

352 205 210 85Pulled out (Blisters)

127.2 98.4 74.8 0 0 0Kilometers

318 246 187Pulled out 0Laps

N Mercer 166 16.4 0 0 0 0Kilometers415 16.4Pulled out 0 0Laps

Underlining in the top group shows where the results of Gentle Manual Muscle Relaxation

was starting to take effect. The inconsistencies in the results on a daily basis was

caused by reverting back to conventional massage to see what happened

Note the higher injury and drop out rate in the bottom group.

A Krouglikov

T Rusek

B Beauchamp

D Parris

T Rafferty

G McConnell

G Audley

S Scanlon

J Timms


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Active Servicing means taking a pro-active role in helping the calf muscles towork the pump at moving the fluid up the legs

The faster the legs receive help during or after they are fatigued, the faster they recover but it is

important they get it as soon as possible before soreness and stiffness limits what can be done with

them

This is applied through

The latest in non-technical, non-invasive 'cutting edge' solutions to fatiguedaching legs relief-Light Manual Muscle Relaxation

The advantages of using this system

Do It Yourself recovery

No disrobing

Works with the muscles not on them

No oil used

Non invasive

User friendly

Using a simple but effective lower legs recovery strategy will help the legs recover from your event,

quickly and efficiently without provoking the legs into more anger

All that is needed for self-service recovery and leg maintenance arethe hands

Light Manual Muscle Relaxation-A Tested Trusted EnvironmentallyFriendly Alternative-for aching legs relief when working longer than

anticipated, anything else is a luxury or not necessary

Incorporate Light Manual Muscle Relaxation into your leg care and

post event plan


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What is Light Manual Muscle Relaxation?It is a Self-Service leg servicing and anger management system

It is system developed for ultra marathon runners and walkers leg recovery and has been tested on

long distance events worldwide (ultra marathon is any distance over marathon-42.19

kilometers/26.385 miles)

Ultra marathon is very long distance competition where they have to run or walk as far as possible

in a given time; it can be over 6 hours-24 hours-48 hours-6 days-16 days or even around the worldwww.worldrun.org

It is basically making the calf muscle pump work again to take some of the pressure away from the

lower legs and let fresh blood into the muscle tissues to help the legs recover so you can get back to

doing what you want to do-play your sport


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How Light Manual Muscle Relaxation leg servicing works

Using just these-and the knowledge of how to use them

Light Manual Muscle Relaxation-the leg servicing and anger management

system-when it comes to calming the legs, anything else is a luxury or notnecessary

Calf muscle fatigue, tight muscles, and poor lower leg circulation can chase each other around in a

cycle that is difficult to break out from-each is a self destructive part that props up the other parts of

the cycle and it will take a circuit breaker to disrupt the cycle of fatigue

Medically caused leg health should be referred to those best qualified to deal with it-the doctors, but

there are non-medically related problems that can be dealt with by some simple activities

Such as knowledge about how the calf muscle pump works and using it to the

best advantage

Light ManualMuscle

Relaxationapplied

Tense tightmuscles are

calmedrelaxed and

moved gently

Used fluidmoves through

the veins backto the body

Fresh bloodmoves through

the arteriesinto the

muscle tissues


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My working area at the 2007 Montreal World Distance Championships

(the chair near the bottles was my home and working area for 24 hours)

My working area at Antibes 6 day event (France) 2007

When you refer to medical physiology and use it to work for you, it

is possible to achieve things that were previously left to chance-afaster recovery is one of them

Contact [email protected]

http://aching-legs-relief.com/post_event_recovery.htmlhttp://aching-legs-relief.com/post_event_recovery.htmlhttp://aching-legs-relief.com/post_event_recovery.htmlhttp://aching-legs-relief.com/post_event_recovery.htmlhttp://aching-legs-relief.com/post_event_recovery.htmlhttp://aching-legs-relief.com/post_event_recovery.htmlhttp://aching-legs-relief.com/post_event_recovery.html


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Some References

Michaels 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,

Michaels techniques are gentle, safe, reassuring, and highly effective. They enhance comfort andflexibility, build confidence, and promote success.

This booklet will help others to learn and practice Michaels 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 the race after a short stop.

In years past, that would have ended up as a non-finish. A number of walkers were able to keepgoing for 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)

A word from Jesper Olsen World Runner about Light Manual Muscle Relaxation

If I hadn't had the qualified help from the excellent masseur Michael Gillan, taking several

thousands of km out of my legs, I could spare myself the effort!

My crew for the current stages, Michael Gillan, has proven to have other talents than the quite

taxing job of taking care of all the requirements of a really tired ultra runner!

He has since years back been working on a new approach to stretching and muscle-rebuilding forultra runners. I have the last two days tried his careful stretch and massage, and a bit to my surprise

the muscles are beginning to feel like before the start back in Greenwich, London!!

Usually I doesnt take massage as the legs of an ultra runner will often be quite sore during the long

time events (and especially in an multi-year event like this...), and getting a massage can at times

cause more injury and cramping up than good. For example my last massage was some 12 000km

ago when I ran the 12-hour competition in Finland. And so far that has been the only one.

But Gillan came with best recommendations from my main contact in Australia, Phil Essam, who

besides being vice president in the Australian Ultra runners Association has heaps of goodknowledge to share. And this new kind of mild massage for ultra runners is definitely one of the

good tips! There should be a fair chance that I actually get fresh enough to do some decent runningat the 6 Day Race that I have coming up in Colac from the 21.November. I quite look forward to

that, even though I cant expect to make a top class result :-)

He won! 756.2 kilometers (Jesper holds the record for the longest run in history over 26000

kilometers and the first person to run around the world Taken from www.worldrun.org


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Some references for Light Manual Muscle Relaxation

To: [email protected]: RE: Emailing: m gillan reference.docDate: Mon, 4 May 2009 16:48:31 +1000

Hi Michael,

COBURG 24 HOUR CARNIVAL

May 3rd2009TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

For many years Coburg Harriers has conducted the Victorian 24 hour Track Championshipand the Australian Centurion 24 Hour Race Walk, the overall event being the Coburg 24Hour Carnival, which also includes a separate 6 Hour run/walk event.

This type of event is very demanding on Competitors, and each year, in addition to FirstAid support, we seek to have the services of a masseur who can work on tired legs andalso treat blisters in order to keep entrants on the track.

We have been privileged for many years to have had the voluntary services of MichaelGillan who with his techniques is able to coax renewed life from extremely tired musclesand legs to get athletes back on the track when they were thinking that they would haveto retire.

Michael has a very well deserved reputation in the "Ultra" running and walking fraternity

who look forward to his presence at our events as they know he gets results withoutcausing further injury with his treatments.

It is rewarding to see exhausted competitors come from the track in the early hours of themorning, convinced that they are unable to continue, only to see them return to the eventafter being treated by Michael.

Our Organising Committee at Coburg is grateful to Michael for his dedication to the sportand can commend his techniques to Athletes.

Yours Sincerely, Bernie Goggin Raceday Director / Referee Coburg 24 Hour Carnival2009

http://www.coburgharriers.org.au/joomla1/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/


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Physiology References

The calf muscle pump(p.209) Physiology: a regulatory systems approach. Fleur L. Strand. Macmillan Publishing Co. Inc.ISBN 0-020979860-4

(p.209)Physiology: a regulatory systems approach. Fleur L. Strand. Macmillan Publishing Co. Inc.ISBN 0-020979860-4

"Venous valve incompetence and varicose veins"'Guyton-Textbook of Medical Physiology eighth edition-1991 W.B. Saunders Company-ISBN 0-726-3994-0

Effect of "Hydrostatic" Pressure on Venous Pressure ( P.165)'Guyton-Textbook of Medical Physiology eighth edition-1991 W.B. Saunders Company-ISBN 0-726-3994-0

Effect of Hydrostatic Factors on Arterial and Other Pressures (P.167)'Guyton-Textbook of Medical Physiology eighth edition-1991 W.B. Saunders Company-ISBN 0-726-3994-0

Calf muscle pump inefficiency'Guyton-Textbook of Medical Physiology eighth edition-1991 W.B. Saunders Company-ISBN 0-726-3994-0' (P.177) 'Guyton-Textbook of Medical Physiology eighth edition-1991 W.B. Saunders Company-ISBN 0-726-3994-0

The Blood Circulatory System(P.150) 'Guyton-Textbook of Medical Physiology eighth edition-1991 W.B. Saunders Company-ISBN 0-726-3994-0

"The Lymphatic System(P.180) 'Guyton-Textbook of Medical Physiology eighth edition-1991 W.B. Saunders Company-ISBN 0-726-3994-0

"Pumping caused by external Compression of the LymphaticsGuyton-Textbook of Medical Physiology eighth edition-1991 W.B. Saunders Company-ISBN 0-726-3994-0 (p.182)

Peripheral Nervous System Textbook of medical Physiology (Physiology- fourth edition-Robert M. Berne, Mathew N. Levy, Bruce M.Koeppen, Bruce A. Stanton-Mosby ISBN 0-8151-0952-0)(P.98)

You can buy an expensive book on medical physiology or you can check up for furtherinformation on Light Manual Muscle Relaxation at


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self service post event recovery

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