Happy Pop, Happy Knees

I'm going to finish up my study of the lower leg today with a post on a tiny muscle that can cause BIG issues. It's called the Popliteus. The Popliteus is a huge contributor in knee pain. 95% of knee pain cases i see has some dysfunction with this little muscle.

The Popliteus runs across the back of the knee from the lateral epicondyle of the femur to the back of the tibia. It is responsible for internal rotation of the lower leg as well as unlocking the knee from a fully straightened position. It also provides the knee with some very important stability.

With my clients i find the popliteus overworked a lot! I have found the popliteus to have a really hard time after ACL surgerys and ligament tears as well. In order to have healthy knees, you have to have happy politeus'.
I recently had a cyclist client come to me with constant achy knees and trouble fully straightening his knees after a long bike ride. After our session, we were able to find a compensation pattern with his Popliteus overworking for his hamstrings. It's no wonder his knees were complaining!

If you or someone you know has knee pain or stiffness, it would be a good idea to get assessed and see if Popliteus is involved!

Don't Trip on Your Toes! Thank Tib Ant!

Since we have been talking about ankles, lets study another big player in ankle stability. It's the shin muscle called the Tibialis Anterior.

The Tibialis Anterior is the largest muscle on the front of the lower leg. It attaches on the top of the lateral condyle of the Tibia and goes down to attach on the first metatarsal of the foot.
The Tibialis Anterior is a dorsiflexor of the foot which is when you pull the top of your foot towards your shin. It also does a slight inversion of the foot. These actions are very important in stabilizing your ankles and legs when you walk. Without dorsiflexion and the Tib Anterior you would trip over your toes when trying to take a step and you wouldn't be able to balance on one leg as efficiently.
 

I find dysfunction in the Tib Anterior all the time, especially with runners. When the Tib Anterior gets angry shin splints can result. Any runner knows Shin splints are not fun and can often set back your training. Keep Tibialis Anterior happy by getting assessed! “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Have a great day folks!

This Post Won't Make Me Popular Among MT's.....

I will always offer a glass of water to my clients and even promote hydration, however, i believe i don't have the expertise or SOP to tell my clients about metabolic waste or toxins of any kind. Great article. Worth the read.
"The body is good at handling metabolic wastes, and even many exogenous poisons, without any special help. If it wasn’t, we’d really be up the creek."

https://www.painscience.com/articles/drinking-water-after-massage.php

Ankles!

I have had a hard time getting motivated lately to continue my study of the lower leg, but recently i had a client that a history of multiple ankle sprains that was causing him a lot of issues, so my motivation got a boost and here i am.

Today we are going to talk about 2 little muscles that are very important for healthy ankles. They are called the Fibularis longus and Fibularis brevis (Also called peroneus, but for the sake of simplicity i will call them their new name). These two muscles lie on the outer side of the lower leg. The Fibularis longus attaches to the head of the fibula (the bone of the outer, lower leg) and runs all the way down, turns into a tendon and stretches under the foot and attaches at the first metatarsal.
The Fibularis brevis lies just underneath the FL, it attaches on the middle of the fibula and runs down to the outer side of the 5th metatarsal bone.

These two muscles play a huge roll in the workings of the foot and ankle. They are responsible for outward movement of the foot as well as play a roll in helping pointing the toes. These muscles are so important in keeping the body balanced when you are standing on one leg or if you are walking on uneven surfaces. I see a lot of fibularis muscles not working correctly, especially in people who have sprained their ankle before, or feel like they have "weak ankles". If these two muscles aren't working as well as they should, your possibility of rolling your ankle is huge, also i have found that people who have sprained their ankles before are more likely to do it again. Maybe it's because that dysfunction is still there!

It's so important to take care of your body, you only get two ankles, and they work hard for you every day! Like a car, if you don't keep up on the maintenance, something will break down eventually. Do some maintenance on your body today! Eat well, get enough rest, exercise, and get a massage/bodywork! Your ankles will thank you.:)

Lymphatic Drainage To Keep You Moving!

Did you know a stagnant lymphatic system can cause all kinds of problems? Lymphatic drainage massage is a unique modality that offers unique and powerful results! By re-energizing sluggish lymphatic circulation, you're body can naturally detox easier and function better! If you aren't recovering from your workouts as fast as you would like, or you feel like your immune system needs a boost, manual lymphatic drainage work is something you should try! It's gentle massage work that works with the body to accelerate lymphatic flow.
I have used lymphatic drainage to help treat my sinus head aches lately, and it works amazingly without having to take any drugs! You're body works hard for you! Take care of it! Have a wonderful and healthy day folks!

Breathing is Kinda Important....

This next anatomy post is going to be a little different. It may be one of the most important structures for everyday life, as well as moving, feeling, and functioning to the best of your ability.
I'm going to discuss the diaphragm.

The diaphragm is a dome shaped sheet of muscle that is positioned at the base of the thorax and right above the abdomen. You can find it by placing your fingers right around your lower ribs. The diaphragm is a breathing muscle. During normal breathing, the diaphragm contracts downward creating a vacuum in the thoracic cavity so the lungs will inflate and when it relaxes, you breathe out and air flows out of the lungs, similar to when a balloon deflates. 
 

The Diaphragm, like any other muscle can become tight, overworked and dysfunctional. When that happens it can be felt in a variety of ways often throughout the entire body. We do a lot of breathing everyday, so if we are breathing into our chest, instead of our belly, dysfunction can occur. Stress is also a huge cause of problems with breathing. If you think you're having issues with your diaphragm, get assessed! It's amazing when your body can do when it's functioning properly!

Breathing is imperative to healthy movement! I encourage you to notice how you breath today, is it shallow and into your chest? Do your shoulders move when you take a deep breath? Slow down and let your diaphragm do it's very important job!
Have a healthy Sunday friends!

Taking the Blame For Low Back Pain Everyday!

I'm going to finish up my series of commonly abused muscles today with this big one. As a massage therapist i get people on a daily basis who come and see me looking for relief from their low back pain. They want me to punish their low back because it hurts, and maybe if i'm mean enough and use enough pressure the pain wont come back, i'm here to say that almost never works! Especially long term!

So, today i'm going to talk about a big player in low back pain, it's called the Quadratus lumborum or affectionately, the QL.

The QL is a muscle of the low back that is located on either side of your spine. It's the muscle between your lowest rib and your hip bones or illiac crest and It attaches to lumbar vertebrae 1-4 in between.
The QL is a very important muscle in creating stability for your lower spine. It helps extend the spine as well as assists in lateral flexion or bending to the side. When the ribcage is fixed the QL also hikes the hip.

The QL gets blamed and abused all the time. Sometimes it is the problem, but not without a reason. A common problem i see is when the erector spinae muscles aren't working correctly. The erector spinae muscles are largely spine stabilizers, if they aren't pulling their share of the weight, the QL has to start working overtime to keep you upright.

Another very common problem is when the glutes decide to take a nap. With no stability in the hips, the QL will be forced to do the job that the much bigger and stronger glute muscles should be doing!

I love the QL muscles, especially when they are working correctly. Sometimes abusing these muscles isn't the answer for helping your body move the best way it can. Get assessed and find out whats going on before poking and stretching. :)