relief of aching legs using the World Run Recovery System

The Flat Floor Syndrome and Aching Legs

What is flat floor syndrome?

Flat floor syndrome is caused by working and walking on floors which do not give the legs enough contrast to make the calf muscles work at pumping used fluid back up the legs so that fresh blood can enter the muscle tissues

If you do not get fesh blood nto the tissues the muscles can fatigue very quickly and this can lead to accidents from trip and falls

People who can suffer from this are those into many professions and occupations

Retail staff • Catering/waiting staff • Machine operators • Teaching staff • Assembly line workers • Construction workers • Checkout operators • Hairdressers/barbers • Casino dealers • Dental staff • Postal workers/sorters • Traffic wardens • Industrial laundry staff • Bar/hospitality staff • Health care workers • Museum staff • Nursery staff • Library assistants • Reception staff • Warehouse staff • Meeter-greeters • Canvassers • Bank staff • Cleaners • Flight attendants • Ticket collectors • staff in hospitals • Maintenance workers • Security workers • cabin staff with airlines • Dockers • Printers • Laboratory technicians • Personal trainers • Doctors • Firefighters • Gardeners • Refuse collection workers • Nurses-medical students
(see www.hazards.org/standing)

Aching legs caused by being on them for long periods is an occupational health and safety issue-the long term effect of them on their health is very real

One of the major contributors to flat floor syndrome is and this always finds its own levelfluid always finds its own level

Gravity and the weight of fluid in the body

Fill a contain of water from a tap and it always Water is subject to pressure-the deeper it is the more pressure there is at the bottom; on the surface the swimmer feels none, but the deeper he goes the more it affects his body as the pressure increases

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

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!

The term for this is Hydrostatic pressure (Hydro-water Static-standing still) and is measured in mm hg

Head -10 mm hg

Feet +90 MM hg

To reduce the build up of fluid in the lower legs and allow fresh blood into the muscles, some of the used fluid has to be removed

Fresh legs-healthy calf circulation

To kept the lower leg circulation working and the calf muscles fresh, the muscles rely on having a constant supply of fresh blood to the muscle tissues-it is sent to the lower legs under pressure through the arteries and ever decreasing in size vessels called arterioles and even smaller capillaries while at the same time the pressure taking it there also decreases

By the time the blood reaches the feet, all the pressure has been used, and there is none left to return the blood back up the legs to the body against gravity again

The Calf Muscle Pump

To keep the circulation in balance in the legs and reduce muscle fatigue, the same volume of blood should come out of the legs as goes into them.

The arteries take blood away from the heart to the rest of the body and the veins which have one-way valves in them take it back to the body again; the way used blood gets back up the legs so that it can be replaced by fresh blood

The calf muscle pump forces used blood against gravity up the legs back to the body for recycling by alternately putting pressure on the venous system and releasing it-as the muscles squeeze, they open the valves, letting blood pass through them; when the tension is released, they close stopping the blood flowing back down towards the feet

The calf muscle pump is made up of all the muscles in the legs, but the prime movers, or motors that provide the power for the pump are the calf muscles-these are made up of 2 basic movers-they are Soleus which is primarily used for standing upright, and Gastrocnemius used for running and jumping

When you are walking/working on a flat floor, only one of the muscles, the Soleus is working-so the calf muscle pump has become inefficient at what it should be doing-working as the motors and providing power to operate the pump

Problems caused by calf muscle pump inefficiency include

By not moving the legs, the pump does not work as well as it should-this disrupts the cycle and allows used blood to remain in the lower legs-as it its not being removed, water (lymph fluid) separates from it and fills the tissue spaces, as it is not being pumped away quickly enough, the ankles swell

• Poor circulation

• Lymph system inactivity

• Venous return reduced

Calf muscle fatigue, tight muscles, and poor lower leg circulation can chase each other around in a cycle that is difficult to break out from-each is a self destructive part that props up the other parts of the cycle and it will take a circuit breaker to disrupt the cycle of fatigue

The circuit breaker many people seem to find may be passive methods such as lying down with the legs elevated to let gravity drain the fluid out of the legs back to the body so that fresh blood can flow into the muscle tissues to help them recover

First aid needed for fatigued leg muscles

The faster the legs receive help during or after a long day, the faster they recover but it is important they get it as soon as possible before soreness and stiffness limits what can be done with them

The most advised way of helping the legs recover is to lie with the legs elevated higher than the body to let the used blood and fluid in the ankles flow back; it took the legs hours to get like this-how long is it going to take for gravity to drain it all back?

Elevation is too 'passive' and obviously not too efficient as there are so many lost days off work still through industrially caused diseases

This is time consuming as well as being difficult to do if you have a busy lifestyle

Active Recovery means taking a pro-active role in helping the calf muscles to work the pump at moving the fluid up the legs-this is applied through

The latest in non-technical, non-invasive 'cutting edge' solutions to fatigued aching legs relief-Light Manual Muscle Relaxation

The advantages of using this system

• Do It Yourself recovery

• No disrobing

• Works with the muscles not on them

• No oil used

• Non invasive

• User friendly

Most people just need something simple and effective to maintain the health of their legs as there may not be much wrong with them except that they spend too much time on flat floors-so they do not need to use a sledgehammer to break an eggshell when a teaspoon will do the same job

Light Manual Muscle Relaxation-A tested Trusted Alternative-for aching legs relief, anything else is a luxury or not necessary

What is Light Manual Muscle Relaxation?

It is a massage-lite recovery system developed for ultra marathon runners and walkers it has been tested on long distance events worldwide (ultra marathon is any distance over marathon-42.19 kilometers/26.385 miles)

Ultra marathon is very long distance competition where they have to run or walk as far as possible in a given time; it can be over 6 hours-24 hours-48 hours-6 days-16 days or even around the world www.worldrun.org

Sometimes a long time spent on flat floors can make the legs feel as if they have done a marathon

It is basically making the calf muscle pump work again to take some of the pressure away from the lower legs and let fresh blood into the muscle tissues to help the legs recover

Light Manual Muscle Relaxation is a Do-It-Yourself method based on encouraging the muscles and tissues to assist with their own circulation

• It is not a massage system (but it is massage-lite)

• It is not invasive

• It is not aggressive

• It is not time consuming

• It does not need disrobing

• It does not need oil applied to the skin

• It does not need strong hands and fingers

• It does not need hand/brain coordination

• It does not need equipment

• It does not work on the muscles

• It does not work on any specific injuries

• It does not threaten the integrity of the muscles

• It does not use force on the muscles

• It does not need more than a few minutes to do

• It does not require a long course or workshop

A group of athlete's who suffer similar problems are ultra marathon runners and walkers-the main similarity between them is that their muscles are always sore, stiff, and fatigued and the muscles are angry-this can interfere with their sleep because their muscles cannot cut off and stop moving

They have to get up and get back on the track or road on a constant basis whether they want to or not to achieve their objective-the person with aching legs also has to get up and move on a constant basis whether their legs have recovered or not www.hazards.org/standing


Some References

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
"I know that your massage kept a number of competitor<>s in the event. The cold weather of Saturday afternoon and night certainly got to many of the walkers and your prompt action had them back in the race after a short stop.

In years past, that would have ended up as a non-finish. A number of walkers were able to keep going for the full 24 hours on the basis of your expert help."

Tim Ericson Secretary Australian Centurions Club

'I have known Michael Gillan for many years and have always got quick relief for my aches and pains from the stretching he performs'.
CLIFF YOUNG-75-80 24 Hour World Record Holder (150.07 kilometers)

A word from Jesper Olsen World Runner about Light Manual Muscle Relaxation

"If I hadn't had the qualified help from the excellent masseur Michael Gillan, taking several thousands of km out of my legs, I could spare myself the effort!"

"My crew for the current stages, Michael Gillan, has proven to have other talents than the quite taxing job of taking care of all the requirements of a really tired ultra runner!
He has since years back been working on a new approach to stretching and muscle-rebuilding for ultra runners. I have the last two days tried his careful stretch and massage, and a bit to my surprise the muscles are beginning to feel like before the start back in Greenwich, London!!

Usually I doesn't take massage as the legs of an ultra runner will often be quite sore during the long time events (and especially in an multi-year event like this...), and getting a massage can at times cause more injury and cramping up than good. For example my last massage was some 12 000km ago when I ran the 12-hour competition in Finland. And so far that has been the only one.

But Gillan came with best recommendations from my main contact in Australia, Phil Essam, who besides being vice president in the Australian Ultra runners Association has heaps of good knowledge to share. And this new kind of mild massage for ultra runners is definitely one of the good tips! There should be a fair chance that I actually get fresh enough to do some decent running at the 6 Day Race that I have coming up in Colac from the 21.November. I quite look forward to that, even though I can't expect to make a top class result :-)"

He won! 756.2 kilometers (Jesper holds the record for the longest run in history over 26000 kilometers and the first person to run around the world Taken from www.worldrun.org

The Flat Floor Syndrome Manual available for US$20

Flat Floor Fatigue Syndrome

*Many people diagnose themselves as having restless legs which is a sleep disorder and its origins may be medical; there are treatments for these so it recommended that a visit to a physician to get it identified would be the first course of action.

ANGRY muscles are giving a reaction to overuse by standing or walking on a consistent basis-they do not have chance to recover properly before repeating the same action over and over.

Calf Muscle Fatigue

There are many medical reasons for fatigued calf muscles, and to find out whether any of them are contributing to them, they should be checked out by a medical professional so that the cause can be addressed-do not take chances and self diagnose-you could be risking your life if they are ignored

Contact mgillan@hotmail.com