The Rehabilitation Center

15/02/2018

Why is it beneficial to release The Posterior Chain. (Will also release your sciatic nerve)
Take a look at the skeleton and follow it all the way down to the feet. You can see how the entire bundle of muscle tissue and fibres run all the way on the back of your body in almost a continuous line. If you understand fascial lines you will understand that this corresponds to the superficial back line. .
In life today most of what we do in our daily routine dosent challenge this area to be fully lengthened. (We sit for long periods) For most of us we overuse certain points along this posterior chain and underuse others - common issues such as neck and back pain arises from a highly shortened posterior chain.
Hiding inbetween all these muscle fibres are nerve pathways - When the nerves become restricted , they will not want to fire the muscle up effectively in the range of motion that is most challenging and most restricted. (An example of this would be firing of the glutes/hamstrimgs when sprinting after sitting for a long period, your glutes/hamstrings won't be able fire as well thus resulting in you running slower).
Nerves and congested fibres will just remain tight and continue to get tighter unless you mobilise it frequently and properly. .
Next time, wether your an older person struggling to put on your socks or your an athlete/ sporting person and you feel sluggish, slow or not as powerful as you should maybe take a look and see if your posterior chain is restricted of inhibited. .
Stretching, Treatment or Foam Folling will help loosen these fibres on your posterior chain while also promoting nerve and motor unit function to get you back to your best 👍

09/02/2018

Hamstring Tears

Above is an example of a bad Hamstring Tear (Biceps Femoris) that I had in with me recently. From testing and examination it's looking like a grade 2 injury so he's looking at at least 4 - 8 weeks recovery time. .
Il just give a few tips on how to prevent these types of injuries and also tips to recover quicker if you get these injuries as they can be a nuisance and keep you out of training if you participate in sporting activities. - Make sure to warm up correctly and dynamically stretch the hamstrings. This will get the blood flowing around your body as well as loosen and add length to your hamstring muscles. This is vital. (The injury in the above pic occured from just kick passing a football in a gaa game, a better warm up might have prevented it from occuring) .
- When you pull a hamstring or any muscle badly like this use RICE principles of protection, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. An Ice Pack or compression wrap should be applied immediately for 10 mins and repeat this every hour as much as possible within the 1st 48 hours of injury. A compression bandage or thigh support can be worn to minimize bleeding in the muscle and help control swelling. Rest as much as possible with the leg elevated to help drain away swelling and tissue fluids. .
- In this acute phase after injury NEVER stretch as your muscle as the fibres within the muscle are torn, therefore if you stretch you are pulling the fibres apart from each other and slowing down the healing process by preventing them from nitting back together. Wait at least 4 - 5 days before you start stretching. .
- After the initial acute stage has passed message or foam rolling (message treatment by a professional would be better) can be carried out. As the injury improves and pain allows, stretching and strengthening exercises can commence
- Massage can help loosen scar tissue, relax tight muscles and stimulate blood flow to the area and therefore aid in the healing process as well as help increase flexibility. It should not be done in the acute stage as this may increase bleeding and prolong the healing process.

Thanks. Hope you found this post beneficial. 👍

16/01/2018

Many people suffer from tight hamstrings particularly people who sit for a lot of the day or athletes who do a lot of running etc.

People get tight/tore hamstrings this time of year especially as it is in the middle of the GAA pre - season which results in people doing a lot of running and sprinting as they are trying to build their fitness reserves for the year.
Here I am just illustrating 2 different stretches to help you recover and get a better stretch depending where in the Hamstrings that are bothering you.

First off you have 3 hamstring muscles on each leg - Biceps Femoris, Semitendinosus and the Semimembranosus. If you have anyone tore, treatment should be got first to get out the scar tissue so DO NOT do these until your therapist says it's ok to do so. If you are just tight and stiff these might help you out. ⬇️⬇️
If the middle of your hamstring muscles are tight, (these are the thickest and more muscular part of the muscles often referred to as the "belly") slightly bend your knees when you stretch and you will get a better and more beneficial stretch around the middle of the Hamstrings.
Secondly if you feel tightness in your hamstrings just under your buttocks or down near your knee, keep your knees straight or locked when stretching. When you keep the knees straight while stretching your hamstrings, you stretch the more tendonious parts of the Hamstrings where they attach to the Ischial Tuberosity (Pelvis) and the Tibia and Fibula below the knee. .
By making these small adjustments you will be getting a better stretch on the part of the muscles that require lengthening thus will prevent you from niggles. While also if your an athlete it will also prevent tearing and niggling which will allow you to focus more on your training.
Hope this post helped you out. Thanks 👍

08/01/2018

Do you suffer from Back Pain?

In my own opinion there are 3 main muscle groups to always keep in mind and work on if you suffer from Back niggling or pain.

The are the Quadratus Lumborum (QL), the Gluteus Medius and Iliopsoas!

The Gluteus Medius function is to stabilize the pelvis when you walk or run. And it adducts the leg away from the body.

The QL is a low back stabilizer, this acts to laterally flex and extend the lumbar spine. As well as that the QL also helps depress your ribs during exhalation. (If you are suffering from Back pain and you get pain shooting up your back every so often and you don't know why, it is probably your QL in spasm and you are getting the shooting pain as your ribs depress and go back up when you inhale thus pulling on your inhibited QL muscle which causes the pain)

The Iliopsoas (Hip Flexor) has a vital role in everyday activities like walking and running. They connect your femur (thigh) to your spine. It functions as a powerful hip flexor and a stabiliser to the spine and trunk during other movements. It has an important role in breathing as as it attaches to the diaphragm and can therefore get affected during emotional and physical stress. Psoas is often known as the muscle of fear.... Prolonged stress means a contracted of tight Psoas muscle!

When these muscles become tight or sensitive they can cause extreme back, pelvic, hip or leg pain, Postural Problems, Breathing Problems and stress related aches/pains.
The QL and Illiopsos are generally tight on people who sit for a large period of their day. Wether it be for work or just their lifestyle. If they are tighter on one side of your body than the other they will compress the spine on the tight side which can lead to back pain. Over a prolonged period of time this this can lead to damaging of the joints on the tight side and squeezing of the disk in the opposite direction.

To prevent these types of back pain just ensure that you stretch your QLs and Illiopsoas muscles often if you have to sit for a long period of time during your day.
Thanks

04/01/2018

https://youtu.be/NetcOpNAiXY

Hi lads just another video. This time its on Cervical Kyphosis (which can be also referred to as "Text Neck" or "Military Neck") which I touched on in the last video. Just click on the YouTube link.

Cervical Kyphosis is the straightening or reversal of the cervical curve in your neck.

It is a problem that is becoming a lot more common these days with the way people are living these days due to work, looking down most of the day into either a phone or laptop etc. But can also occur after a person gets whiplash or a bad bang.

Above in the video are the 2 best exercises that I think are the best way to reverse the effects of Cervical Kyphosis and symptoms and improve improve your well being.

As you can see from the attached pictures people go to extreme lengths to get there cervival curve back in order. These exercises in the video you can just do with a bed or a sleave of a jumper/ exercise band.

The exercises show how you can restore your Cervical Curve and come out of Cervical Kyphosis from a Musculoskeletal aspect but also from a Neurological aspect and they also work on your proprioception.

Even if you do have Forward Head Posture only and you do not have CK I would still recommend trying this 2nd exercise that I illustrate here as it will still work on your proprioception and put your muscles and ligaments into the position that they should be in and retrain the brain that it's the proper position to be in.

Hope you find the video beneficial and please feel free to ask me any questions or feedback by commenting or private messaging or whatever.

Please feel free to like and share if you think it will help someone you know out.

Thanks a mill 👍

31/12/2017

This video illustrates perfectly how to sitting for a long period of time (office, car, aeroplane etc) affects certain muscles in your body. Be sure to get up and give a walk around as much as you can to prevent certain muscles from tightening up especially hip flexors and thoracolumbar extensors which can lead to back problems. Also change in positions every so often can reduce stress and loading on the different muscles. Hope ye had a good Christmas and have a happy new year 👍

15/12/2017

https://youtu.be/i2nNoIrckXU Hi Lads. First video done this morning because a few people have been into me with neck problems which were nearly all resulting from bad posture over time so I said I'd make a info video on it.

Have a look if ye feel like it, the editing skills were not great but sure how bad I hope ye can grasp what I'm on about anyway. Feel free to like and share.

Thanks

Forward Head Posture. Forward head posture is getting a lot more common these days due to technology. This video contains info on what forward head posture i...

28/11/2017

Wel lads thanks for liking and sharing the page. Will be taking bookings in Janurary. I very much appreciate it 👍

27/11/2017

What is Neuromuscular Therapy?

Neuromuscular Therapy is a highly specialized type of soft tissue therapy designed to relieve pain and return injured tissues to normal function. It utilizes specific, targeted soft tissue treatment, flexibility stretching and self-care to eliminate the causes of most muscular aches and pains. It can provide long-term pain relief where other approaches have failed. Neuromuscular Therapy balances the nervous system with the muscular and skeletal systems and naturally brings the body back into alignment. It addresses postural and muscular imbalances, nerve entrapment, ischemia Trigger Points - Trigger Point Therapy - Sagewood Wellness Center(reduced blood flow to an area of the body) and muscular trigger points.

Identifying and treating Trigger Points (TrPs) is a significant aspect of Neuromuscular Therapy. TrPs are hyper-sensitive, pea-sized nodules, or “knots”, which develop in injured muscles. Trigger points can cause pain either at the site of the TrP or refer pain throughout the body. They can also cause tingling or numbness, muscle stiffness, fatigue, and/or weakness. Examples of referred pain include: sciatica-like symptoms, carpal tunnel- like symptoms, TMJ Syndrome and headaches. If not treated correctly, Trigger Points often cause debilitating pain which can last for years. Some causes of injury resulting in TrP pain may be activities that require repetitive motion, chronic physical or emotional stress, a fall or accident, and postural or muscular imbalances. Poor nutrition can also play a role in the development of TRPs.

27/11/2017

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVG_nn164hTrRFzMpiaTNDw?view_as=subscriber Feel free to subscribe here on youtube if you wish. Informational videos will be added for all kind of issues related with chronic and acute type of injuries and preventative measures. Thanks

Hi Im Richard Nolan. Im a Neuromuscular Therapist based in Co. Kerry, Ireland. Thank you for visiting The Rehabilation Center Youtube Channel . I am a Neurom...

13/03/2017

13/03/2017

👀