relief of aching legs using the World Run Recovery System

Occupational Health and Safety-Sitting at workstations for too long is a Health Hazard

There are many occupations and professions where people spend much of their working life sitting at workstations-for some of the research I suggest visting the following sites

http://jrsm.rsmjournals.com/cgi/content/full/101/5/237

http://fromthenews.net/10-it-health-risks%E2%80%94and-how-to-combat-them.htm

http://www.allsteeloffice.com/NR/rdonlyres/7D516676-DEBB-4203-8D5D-BAF337556B46/0/SUM_Ergo_Review_RaniLueder.pdf

http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse;ID=ogugvfc9ws6j

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Deep_vein_thrombosis?OpenDocument

http://osha.europa.eu/en/riskobservatory/risks/forecasts/physical_risks/chapter_en_5.pdf

A serious hazard of office work is seated immobility thromboembolism (SIT)

Poor lower leg circulation and aching from the effects of gravity holding used blood and fluid down in the lowest part of the body-the legs and ankles-this brings risks of Deep Vein Thrombosis (or economy class syndrome) long considered a problem associated with air travel

Sitting for long periods without moving is an occupational health and safety issue because the long term effect on health of sitting workstation workers is very real-but so is the implied threat of time wasting if they get up and move around too much

Keeping the legs healthy so they can provide trouble free use over many years of working should be a priority for everyone-the leg health of many people who spend their working life sitting at workstations will over the course of their careers be at risk because they are not moving enough

swollen ankles or edema caused by inactivity

Why do the feet swell?

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

Gravity and the weight of blood in the body

Water is subject to pressure-at the surface the pressure is the same as the atmospheric pressure but the the deeper goes the pressure (and weight of it) increases

Head -10 mm Hg

Feet +90 mm hg

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

Arterial Pressure and Venous Pressure

The body is subject to 2 types of pressure that has an effect on fluid down at the in the lower legs they are from the veins and arteries

The veins and arteries are very complicated and have many purposes-but the basic one of each in the circulation cycle is that the arteries pump fresh blood under pressure to all parts of the body while the veins return used blood back to the body for recycling

Arterial Pressure

Blood is pumped under pressure down to the bottoms of the feet by the arteries through a series of vessels that decrease in size-by the time it reaches them all the pressure has been used and there is none left to return the depleted blood back up the legs through the veins again

Venous Pressure

Once in the veins it becomes subject to pressure from gravity and this is known as venous pressure-because of gravity the pressure is lower at the top of the head and higher at the feet

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

While the health hazards are well known, the most general practical suggestion on relieving them is usually related to elevating the legs to let gravity drain the fluid out of them so that fresh blood can flow into the muscle tissues to help them recover-this is an impossibilty at work

What someone who needs to maintain the health of their legs is a simple practical recovery solution they can do during a break and after they have finished working
'Pumping caused by external Compression of the Lymphatics'
Guyton-Textbook of Medical Physiology eighth edition-1991 W.B. Saunders Company-ISBN 0-726-3994-0 (p. 182)

Dr Guyton offers the theoretical solution to the problem of aching legs and Light Manual Muscle Relaxation offers the practical, tested, simple, oil free, environmentally friendly version

The Calf Muscle Pump

The muscle pump is made up of all the leg muscles and together they form a pump which 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 sqeeze, they open one-way valves in the veins, letting blood pass through them; when the tension is released, they close stopping the blood flowing back down towards the feet

Blood and lymph fluid 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 through the arteries

Calf Muscle Pump-made up of they leg muscles which supply the power to move depleted blood and lymph fluid from the lower legs back up to the body for renourishment and recycling-the main muscles involved in driving the pump are Gastrocnemius and Soleus

They work together by alternately putting pressure on the veins which have one-way valves in them and releasing it

The calf muscle pump sometimes does not work properly

The muscle pump can have its operating effectiveness reduced for many reasons, these can be medical or mechanically caused-but the one concerning someone with a sedentary occupation is not moving the legs enough

Just like athletes, the muscles tighten with activity, and in the case of workplace non-activity, the calf muscles become fatigued as fresh blood is not able to enter the tissues

Calf muscle tightness reduces the veins ability to open and close by keeping constant tension on them, this is called calf muscle pump inefficiency

Problems caused by calf muscle pump inefficiency include

• Varicose veins

• Poor circulation

• Lymph system inactivity

• Venous return reduced

First aid needed inactive leg muscles

First aid is usually given to someone when they have an accident-but the legs can also be in need of first aid when the muscles are fatigued and aching-the faster they recover the faster you can get back to doing what you do-but it is important they get it as soon as possible before soreness and stiffness limits what can be done with them

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!

-10 mm hg

+90 mm hg

Elevation is too ‘passive’ because inactivity caused the problems in the first place-so the lst thing that is needed is more of it

Active recovery

is where the legs are helped to recover using a system that is directed at increasing the circulation so that fresh blood can flood the muscle tissues

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 seated workspace Micro-Gym and Home Recovery Center

The massage-lite do it yourself environmentally friendly recovery system

What is massage -lite?

It is a fully portable totally stripped down to its bare essentials leg recovery systemdeveloped for ultra marathon runners and walkers

It has been fully tested on many long distance road and track events both at home and internationally
(see list on references page)

The advantages of using Light Manual Muscle Relaxation

• Do It Yourself recovery

• No disrobing

• Works with the muscles not on them

• No oil used

• Non invasive

• User friendly

• Can be done while sitting at the workstation!

My working area at a 24 hour event-the chair near the bottles I live and worked off for the whole time

Light Manual Muscle Relaxation-A tested Trusted Alternative

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

Win! Win!

I am making my many years of knowledge available for the princely sum of $20 a manual
This is going towards helping me set up Light Manaul Muscle Relaxation workshops in third world countries

*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.

When the time comes for sleep, they throb and ache and the brain cannot switch the muscle nerves off so they keep wanting to move.

This is possible to see in ultra marathon athletes when they have been going around a track for 18-20 hours-on resting the legs just keep moving and the nerve actions can be seen rippling up the calf muscles.

It is Light Manual Muscle Relaxation that calms them down

Seated Workstation Hazards

Contact mgillan@hotmail.com

Copyright 2007 aching-legs.org