womens sports and aching legs recovery
The Leg Owners Manual
(the manual that didn't come with the legs when they were new-the manufacturer forgot to include it)
Ok it is a very basic one because only the manufacturer knows how it all works but it is better than HE put in!
Using Light Manual Muscle Relaxation
The Tested Environmentally Friendly Green Alternative
That uses
- Simplicity
- Predictability
- Consistency
To help relieve tired, fatigued, aching legs
Light Manual Muscle Relaxation works with the muscles not on them
Women and Tired Legs
Michael’s 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, Michael’s techniques are gentle, safe, reassuring, and highly effective. They enhance comfort and flexibility, build confidence, and promote success.
This booklet will help others to learn and practice Michael’s 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
The conditions of Sandra's walk were similar to those above
How would these techniques Sandra refers to benefit the woman who is not thinking of doing a 1000 Mile walk but whose legs at the end of the day may feel that she has done such a distance?
Women's leg health is as important to them as the rest of their physical health because what happens to their legs can have an effect on the rest of their body
To see just how poor leg health can have a bearing on their wellbeing, it is suggested you go to www.hazards.org/standing which will a wider overview on problems that can be caused from having chronic non-medically related aching, tired, fatigued legs
These guys have non-medically related aching legs
Do you have non-medically related aching legs?
Do you?
- Stand for long periods on your feet
- Spend much of your time walking
- Under constant pressure
- Do you feel that?
- There are not enough hours in the day
When you have a rest break it is not enough time to recover?
When you sit down the legs throb?
When you sit down too long and try to stand up your muscles are stiff?
- Are you
- Tired
- Exhausted
- Are your legs
- Aching
- Tired
- Heavy
- Ankles and feet swollen
A reason for swollen ankles is that the blood is made up of many things including water, when the blood is static,the fluid separates from it and fills the tissue spaces-as it can't be pumped away fast enough, the ankles swell
The Calf Muscle Pump
To keep circulation in balance and the legs healthy, a similar volume of blood should come out of the legs back to the body through the veins as goes into them from the heart through the arteries
Fresh blood has no problems getting into the lower legs because the heart pumps it their, but by the time it reaches the feet and toes all the pressure it was sent there under has run out-there is no pressure to return it back up the legs against gravity
The way used blood gets back up the legs is through the veins-these have one-way valves in them which open to allow the used blood to pass through them then close again to stop is reversing back down the legs again towards the feet
Power from the calf muscles
The power supply for this used blood return system is mainly provided movement of the calf muscles as we walk, run-as the muscles sqeeze the veins, they open the valves, letting blood pass through them; when the tension is released, they close again
Oxygen depleted blood is progressively moved from the lower legs back up to the body where it is re-nourished with oxygen and nutrients and sent back out again to various parts of the body
When things go wrong
Being a pumping system, things can wrong when it does leg health deteriorates
Venous insufficiency
The pumping may stop or slow down through constantly standing in one place, running around or sitting down either as a result of work, hobby, sport, long flights or other activity or non-activity
When the veins have a reduced volume of fluid passing through them on its way back to the body, this is called venous insufficiency
Other than constant standing, walking and sitting other contributors to a reduced volume of fluid may include a combination of gravity and muscle tightness
Calf muscle tightness and tension reduces the diameter of the veins affecting their ability to open and close
Over the long term the sheer weight of the column of used blood can force the vein to widen, this then leaves gaps in the valves letting the blood go back down towards the feet and gradually weakening and stretching the vessel walls
There are many other problems caused by venous inefficiency and it may be worthwhile looking at www.hazards.org/standing
Some of the problems that result when there are failures can be seen in the form of spider veins, varicose veins, swollen ankles, aching, tired and fatigued legs
Gravity and the weight of blood in the body
All fluids are subject to pressure-the greater the depth from the surface the greater the pressure-at the surface of any body of water-the pressure is equal to the atmospheric pressure-below the surface the pressure increases each millimeter in depth is travelled
The name for this is
Hydrostatic pressure (Hydro-water Static-standing still) and is measured in mm Hg (millimeters of Hydrostatic gravity)
Blood in the body is similar, at the head, the pressure is almost non-existent, but at the feet the lowest part of the body the pressure is higher
Head -10 mm hg
Feet +90 mm hg
In a standing person, pressure in the veins is low at the top of the head and high at the bottom; the pressure and weight that is placed on the veins in the legs is very high; the only thing preventing all the fluid running out of the feet is the ends of the toes!
If we do not move to make the calf muscle pump do some work, with all the weight on the legs veins and the feet, we would be a triangular shape!
First aid needed for fatigued leg muscles
There are ways to give the legs first aid
It can be passive; this means letting the legs have their own way and letting them fix themselves up
The effects of hydrostatic pressure can be reversed by using gravity (after all it took it there in the first place) so it can take it back up the legs again!
Lie down with the legs elevated (anything interesting on the television?)
-10 mm hg
+90 mm hg
If time constraints are not an issue then this is the best option to take
If time is a problem because of children, work or play then there is not much left to devote to doing this
Active recovery for aching legs
Active Recovery means taking a pro-active role in helping the calf muscles to work the pump at moving the fluid up the legs and they are helped to recover using a system that is directed at increasing the circulation fresh blood
The objctive is to take advantage of the bodies natural healing powers and enhance recovery through increasing input/output of fresh and used blood through-
- Simplicity
- Predictability
- Consistency
Do It Yourself recovery
- No disrobing
- Works with the muscles not on them
- No oil used
- Non invasive
- User friendly
- Easy to learn
What difference does using a tested environmentally friendly green alternative make to the woman who has legs that feel as though they have done a 1000 miles?
Below is the results of the 1995 Colac 6 day event when Light Manual muscle Relaxation was developed-the daily distances can be seen reading across the page from the name
Notice the spike in the distances achieved by the athletes halfway through the 6 days-this is the time when they should have been dropping the distances of because their legs were tired, aching and fatigued
The only change that was made to the system of recovery was that I changed it from working on the muscles to working with them
A workshop in Denmark
Working with them is applied through the latest in non-technical, non-invasive 'cutting edge' solutions
Light Manual Muscle Relaxation
The Leg Owners Manual
The manual that did'nt come with them when they were new!
The Leg Owners Manual PDF US$20
Anyone can get aching legs
The way to deal with them is in the way they are approached-if you deal with them in an aggressive way, they can be stimulated even more by firing pain receptors in the skin and muscle tissues
Manuals for various areas of need are available-please look through and buy one
Atmospheric Pressure and Calf Muscle Pump
