Surviving A Night Out On Killer Heels!

It’s Christmas party season and for the girls out there that means digging out the little party dress and the high heels and can mean coming to visit us at the studio with knee, ankle or lower back pain.

High heels may look great on but the damage they can do to your posture, lower back and lower limbs is pretty scary. The heels shift the position of your hips causing them to tilt forward put extra pressure on the muscles of your lower back and tightening the calves, the Achilles tendon, the hip flexors and the muscles and fascia of your feet.

But fear not! We are here to help you look fantastic at your Christmas party without the painful side effects…

Here is your High Heel Survival Stretch Programme!








The Arch Stretch
Wearing heels causes the muscles in the foot to shorten and tighten.
Applying downwards pressure whilst you roll the golfball along the foot can help to stretch out those tight muscles and release any knots that have formed.
It may hurt a bit but it’s worth it, a bit like wearing your heels!




Hip Flexor Stretch
Place knee on floor with the other foot out to the front. Tuck the hips forward, squeeze the buttocks and feel the stretch through the top of the thigh and into the hips.

Hold each stretch for about 20 seconds x 1-2 per day









Calf Stretch
Stand on the edge of a step.
Drop your heel toward the floor off the step, keeping the legs straight
Hold for about 20 seconds or until the tension eases off.


This simple programme will take you two minutes to complete but will relieve the painful effects of wearing high heels - I follow this all of the time and happily totter around in my heals on a Saturday night!!

Do Premier League Football Players Need Personal Trainers?

David Osgathorp investigates the recent injuries to Owen Hargreaves, the approach to rehab training and asks the question; Will Hargreaves play again?

Having gone through a number of knee injuries at a young age which resulted in me giving up competitive sport I always take an interest in players recovering from injury.

I was really pleased to see Owen Hargreaves back in the Manchester United starting line up 777 days after his previous start – a lucky omen possibly? Unfortunately that wasn’t to be and Hargreaves come-back appearance lasted just five minutes!
What was the reason? This is a guy that plays for Manchester United and England; he’s gone through the best possible exercise rehabilitation over the last few years. He plays for Sir Alex Ferguson who never risks any of his players unless he’s 100% confident that they are match fit and able to add something different to his star-studded team.

Hargreaves cost Manchester United £19million from Bayern Munich in 2007 and was England’s best player by a long way at 2006 World cup but over the last two years Hargreaves has spent his time competing on treadmill’s and with dumbbells and United’s Carrington training ground rather than getting stuck in to United’s opponents at Old Trafford. One of the fundamental principles of training is called Specific Adaption to Imposed Demand (SAID). That means if you want to get fit for football you need to play football, the only thing you get better at lifting dumbbells is lifting dumbbells!

His fitness programme will have been designed in this way with his specific needs in mind. Training would have included specific leg strengthening exercises, core conditioning, and specific stretch and post-training recovery techniques before going anywhere near the first team squad.

This isn’t your typical player recovering from injury though, apparently he was told by Richard Steadman, the Colorado based surgeon that his knees were in a worse state than any other professional footballer he had examined in 35 years! Which begs the question will he ever be able to compete at the top level again and will his knees be able to stand a full 90 minutes let alone a full premiership season?

Perhaps United need to look at a similar arrangement to the one Tottenham have with Ledley King, the captain who doesn’t train and instead, is wrapped in cotton wool between matches. The performances King has delivered for Spurs, and in particular during their march towards fourth place at the end of last season certainly warrant that approach.

What can be done?

In my opinion the main issue with football teams is that they don’t give players the one to one training they really need. They spend millions of pounds on acquiring players but very little or no investment in training them to their specific needs.
Hargreaves has spent the last two years working with the physiotherapy team and strength and conditioning specialists at Old Trafford to get him back to “match fitness”. He then joins up with the first team where they all work in the same way. All players warm up together in the same way, they all stretch in the same way, they all throw a few weights around the gym in the same way which is fine for 80% of all professional players but extremely detrimental to players coming back from long term injuries.

Hamstring injuries are very common amongst footballers. The hamstring muscles act as the brakes for a player when they change pace or direction on the pitch. Every footballer will stretch their hamstrings during a pre match warm-up. This is great from most people but for some players it can cause more issues.
If a player has developed long weak hamstrings and you then stretch these even further you’re only going to cause more problems. Hargreaves hasn’t played for two years, there’s a very strong possibility that his hamstrings are probably not the strongest!

Hargreaves is desperate to play again, United are desperate to get something out of their £19 million investment before he inevitably moves on or retires at the end of his contract but the truth is unless they take an individual approach to Hargreaves training he will probably never complete a full 90 minute session again.

Football is a team game, players want to play, if they can’t play they want to train together. They all need to be involved in the training ground banter and to feel part of a unit. Hargreaves has been on a painful and lonely journey over the last two years and it is understandable that for his own mental state he wants to back involved with the first team squad but I honestly believe that if he wants to play first team football again he needs to look at creating a unique training programme that works for him.

Homeopathy at All About You

We are always looking for ways to improve the service we deliver to our clients at All About You and we are pleased to announce that Louise Robinson has recently joined the team to offer homeopathy treatments.

Louise has kindly written an article for our blog and will also be delivering a free talk at the studio next Thursday 11th November 7:30pm - 8:30pm.

Why not try homeopathic remedies as an alternative treatment for seasonal bugs?

The damp and drizzle of a typically British autumn is well and truly upon us and as always there are an ever increasing number of seasonal bugs about!

Many people look for alternatives to conventional drugs to combat flu and other seasonal bugs. Parents have also become increasingly concerned about giving their children medications such as paracetamol and cough medicines, especially as increasing number of over-the-counter medications have become off limits for children.

Homeopathy is a system of medicine which is based on treating the individual with remedies that trigger the body’s natural system of healing. Remedies are prescribed on an individual’s experience of their symptoms, matching the most appropriate medicine to the patient.
Homeopathic medicines, known as remedies, are non-toxic and safe for use in babies and children, and research has shown that homeopathic remedies can be effective in the treatment of people with respiratory tract infections, otitis media infection and inflammation of the middle ear – commonly referred to as an ear infection and sinusitis.
Recurrent coughs and infections should been seen by a professional homeopath but homeopathic remedies can be used at home in acute short-lived conditions *. Many remedies, available over the counter, can be useful for treating many winter ailments and each has their own particular characteristics.
Homeopathic remedies commonly used in winter illnesses include:

Gelsemium: the number one homeopathic “flu” remedy! Symptoms are slow to come on, where there is much heaviness and drooping, fatigue, clammy skin, flushes of hot and cold, dizziness and congestion.

Belladonna: indicated where the symptoms have come on suddenly and there is heat, throbbing and pain, irritability, and symptoms worse from jarring. Children can be obstinate and may bite or hit.

Pulsatilla: has blocked painful sinuses, sticky mucus, patient feels better in the fresh air and has a changeable, clingy, tearful mood. Children will want to be carried.

Bryonia: the symptoms are slow to come on, there is much dryness and pains are worse from even the slightest movement. Firm pressure on the affected area is helpful. They are irritable and want to be left alone. Children may reject what they have just asked for.

Phosphorus: this is a hacking, tickling cough, often with sweating. The patient is worse at night and might ask for icy drinks or ice cream, which may be vomited up immediately. They may be hoarse and are better for affection and massage and worse for cold air.

Rhus tox: slow onset with high temperature and great restlessness, constantly changing position, muscles stiff and painful. Any draft or cold air will aggravate. There is a feeling of heat inside, but skin is cold to the touch. There is a desire to sip water.

Nux Vomica: throat feels rough and scraped, extending into the ear, with constricted feeling and hoarseness. Heavy feeling in stomach with nausea and vomiting. This patient is irritable and cannot bear noises, light or odours.


* Any ongoing health concerns should be discussed with a GP.

Come and hear more about how homeopathy could help you!

Louise Robinson and Melanie Tomsett from LM Homeopathy will be at All About You to talk about the benefits of Homeopathy and offer advice on any particular family health concerns on

Thursday 11th November 2010 from 7.30pm – 8.30pm

All About You Performance and Wellbeing, 3 Broadbent Close, Highgate, London N6 5JW


As numbers are limited please call to book your free place for the evening.

Contact

Louise Robinson BSc (Hons) LCHE RSHom

Tel: 07502 024 421

Email: louise@lmhomeopathy.com
www.lmhomeopathy.com