Yes, Summer is Here!!!

Yes, Summer is here!! Summer is a great time to participate in outdoor sports, see outdoor concerts, take vacations, or just work in your own yard.
Unfortunately, as we get more active over the summer and the weeks leading up to it, we also give injuries more opportunities to manifest themselves. While it is unrealistic to tell someone who is playing football not to get injured, it is realistic to be informed about what to do if you are injured, and how to make a quick recovery.

Many of my clients ask me “ What causes Muscle soreness?”. This is a very good question, and pretty easy to answer:

Muscle Damage
Due to repetitive contractions, microscopic tears occur within the muscle fibers, causing pain and leading to inflammation, which serves to protect the body from invaders, but also causes more pain.

Damage to Connective Tissue
Microscopic tears occur in the connective tissue due to contractions in which the muscle lengthens instead of shortens. Also referred to as eccentric contractions, or negative work, like lowering weights or running downhill.

Spasms
Lack of Oxygen and buildup of by-products cause pain which causes the muscle to spasm, which further reduces oxygen, increases toxins, and now we have the spasm cycle.

In any of the above cases, Muscle Soreness usually occurs when we perform an activity beyond what our body is normally accustomed to, when you repetitively use the same muscles for extended periods of time, when your movements are jerky or bouncy, or when your activity includes negative work, or eccentric contractions.

To relieve muscle soreness, increase blood flow to the area of soreness and pain, which will get some oxygen to the area, decreasing pain & speeding nutrients to the damaged cells for repair. Relax the muscles.

To more easily get the above to occur, do the following…the sooner the better after strenuous activity:

Slow and gentle stretching
Stretch just to the point you feel the stretch, not beyond. Try to maintain that position as long as is comfortable. DON’T BOUNCE! Bouncing or stretching too far is NOT GOOD!

Low Impact exercise
Muscles you don’t normally use will become stiff and take longer to recover. Non-stressful exercise will relax your muscles and increase your circulation.

Massage
Massage is much like light exercise or gentle stretching. Massage increases your circulation and relax the muscles. With Massage, the work is done by the therapist and all you do is enjoy. Also, the therapist can locate and work with those areas most in need of attention, getting you feeling better quicker and for longer periods of time.

Cold
Ice packs or cold water breaks the inflammation/spasm cycle by increasing circulation and blocking pain signals to the brain. It also greatly speeds healing, and is good for acute injuries.

Alternating hot & cold
Hot water will relax muscles (think HOT TUB) , but will also increase inflammation and swelling within muscle fibers. Therefore, alternating hot with cold (think sauna & swim, hot tub & cold plunge, hot & cold shower, hot bath & ice) is an important path to speedy recovery.

Movement
Whether it be walking, in a pool, a tai-chi class, gentle yoga, etc… movement will facilitate recovery and healing, outside and in. Keep moving! But remember, NEVER STRETCH A COLD MUSCLE! Light exercise followed by gentle stretching or yoga is the best formula!

Remember, if you have a burning sensation during and immediately after exercise, this is more likely due to lactic acid build-up, and is temporary and will diminish when the lactic acid is metabolized and oxygen is restored to the muscles. It is usually directly associated with exercise and not considered an “injury”.

The sore ache and debilitating pain you feel 2-3 days after over exertion, or over-doing-it is typically referred to as delayed muscle soreness and is caused by micro tears in the muscle fibers, micro tears of connective tissue or fascia, or pain resulting from simple over use, inflammation, edema, or a combination of all three.

While it is important to have a fun summer, it is just as important to eat right, exercise, drink lots of water, and take good care of oneself. You can’t have one without the other. But, if you find yourself on the injured list this summer, be sure to refer back to my blog and e-mail me with any questions here: melaniegates11@gmail.com

Be Love & Be Healthy!

Mele

COMING SOON….. Summer eating tips to keep you looking and feeling GREAT!