Esther Gokhale, AKA the “Posture Guru of Silicon Valley”, is a trained biochemist at Princeton University who now works with businesses in the Silicon Valley to alleviate back pain through postural help.  Rather than doing an ergonomic assessment or a hands on treatment, Gokhale teaches clients how to assume a “primal posture”, a way of holding yourself in a similar way to toddlers.

Check out this fascinating article about Gokhale’s unique approach to posture and what, she believes, to be a powerful way to address the root cause of your back pain: The Posture Guru

Breathe a sigh of relief, runners!  It looks like, thankfully, there will be no repeat of last year’s 87 degree weather!

Boston Marathon Weather Forecast

Many of our clients are currently training for the Boston Marathon.  We are often asked what is an appropriate treatment plan for someone who is getting ready for the big run in April.  A lot of factors weigh in to the answer.

If a client is working through an injury, we might recommend that they come once or even twice a week (depending on the severity of the injury) so as to combat that injury so symptoms can be alleviated before the marathon.

For a client who experiences general soreness after runs but isn’t working through an injury, we typically will recommend a  weekly or every other week frequency.

For everyone, it is often a good idea to get weekly massages in the last 3-4 weeks before the marathon and a good last massage about 3 days before the event.  That allows us to still work deeply and address any last minute concerns, while also giving the body the necessary time to recover from the bodywork.

In Massage Today, Ben Benjamin explains how to determine whether that lingering pain you’re experiencing is being caused by a muscle injury or ligament injury.

The best way to differentiate, he explains, is through an assessment.  One assessment involves resisted range of motion, while the other involves passive range of motion.  A resisted test, where the therapist applies counter pressure to the movement, shows injury to the muscle, as both the muscles and their tendons are put under stress in order to complete the action.  A passive test, on the other hand, engages the structures that do not initiate movement, one of which is ligaments.  During the passive test, the client gently allows their body to go into the range of motion without any muscles being exerted.  If pain is experienced during a passive test, it points to an injury to the ligament.

To read more about this and to see an assessment example, please visit: Muscles v. Ligaments.

In a time where gluten intolerance seems to be on the rise, the question of what exactly causes celiac disease and gluten intolerance is quite a hot topic.  I recently read a wonderful article out of the Emerson College magazine called “In the Defense of Dirt”.  The article discusses how there is a preponderance of allergies and autoimmune diseases in modern times and it suggests that our hyper-vigilance towards cleanliness might be a cause.  In order to build a “healthy gut”, we must expose our bodies to dirt and “good bacteria”.

This lovely article out of The New York Times discusses a similar concept, as seen through the light of the relatively recent rise of celiac disease and gluten intolerance.  The article brings up similar themes of the necessity of exposure to a wide range of bacteria.  Being a new mom, I also enjoyed the section on how breastfeeding can really help build a healthy gut from the start.  This is a great read: Who Has the Guts for Gluten?

Thank you to our friend and wonderful chiropractor, Dr. Ryan Shum of Khalsa Chiropratic, for sending along this wonderful research study out of McMaster University.  Here is a link to a synopsis of the study off of the McMaster University website.  There you can also find a link to the actual study itself, published in the February 1 issue of Science Translational Magazine.

This revolutionary new study looks at the effects of massage on the cellular level by performing muscle biopsies on test subjects who cycled over 70 minutes to the point of fatigue, rested for 10 minutes, received 10 minutes of sports massage therapy, and then underwent the biopsies.

After only ten minutes of massage, the biopsies showed that massage triggers biochemical sensors that send inflammation-reducing signals to muscle cells.  In addition, massage tells the muscles to produce more mitochondria, the power centers of the cell that are essential for healing.  Here is scientific evidence pointing to shortened recovery time being one of the many benefits of massage therapy.

This study is a must read for LMT’s and massage lovers alike!

Some of you might not know that our newest therapist, Tasha McKenzie, is also a Certified Instructor of Yoga.  Tasha’s yoga knowledge brings great depth to her work.  Not only does Tasha understand the body in motion, but she also has a real keen sense of how to unlock deep muscles through stretching.

I have heard from many of our clients that Tasha has shown them a wonderful yoga posture to target their problem muscle.  A typical quad stretch, while well intended, might just not be enough to unlock a chronically tight muscle.  Tasha’s yoga knowledge allows her to expand that stretch beyond the basic to something that really intensifies the stretch and targets the muscle both at its origin and insertion, thus really helping to open up the restriction.

We are very happy to have Tasha as part of our team!  For more on yoga and stretching, check out this wonderful article that offers 6 yoga postures to be done after your run.  They target the hips, groin, and thighs, all of those areas that get so tight with running.

Yoga Stretches for Injury Prevention

I am thrilled to have been interviewed by Jaime Budzienski of Mom.me on the positive effects of infant massage, particularly for babies who are born prematurely.  You can read the article here: The Effect of Touch with Preemies

Budzienski cites several of the wonderful research studies out of the Touch Institute of Miami which have scientifically proven the physiological benefits of touch.  One of the most groundbreaking studies showed that preemies who were massaged exhibited between 21 and 48 percent greater weight gain and had hospital stays of three to six days fewer than preemies who were not massaged.

I am also honored to have been quoted several times!  As most of you know, I am a huge believer in the power of touch and starting from day 1 is such a wonderful and beautiful thing.

Thank you to Jim P. for pointing out this article to us from StrongerRunner.com.  “3 Injury Prevention Tips for Runners” eloquently states the importance of looking at injuries from a holistic perspective.

Take the knee, for example.  This article states how pain at the lateral knee can often stem from a weakness in the glute muscles rather than from any problem intrinsic to the knee, itself.  By strengthening the hip muscles, the runner’s gait is able to return to a more normal, stable posture, thereby offering more support for the knee joint.

I also enjoy how this article explains the importance of strengthening the lower body even for runners.  Oftentimes my runners are surprised when I suggest that their hips, hamstrings, or another area of the lower body might be weak.  Running is a repetitive activity that frequently results in certain muscle groups getting stronger than others.  It is important to have your muscles assessed for imbalances to try to figure out what strengthening exercises might be best suited for you.  A running analysis can also be helpful.

This is a wonderful article and also offers some great techniques for keeping the body running!  Happy reading!  3 Injury Prevention Tips for Runners

Our wonderful new addition to our staff, Tasha McKenzie, is also certified in the art of hot stone massage.  Tasha uses hot stones to warm the muscle tissue before applying very deep, targeted pressure, both with her hands and with the stones.  It is truly a relaxing and therapeutic experience that will leave your muscles feeling very loose.  Come try it today!