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Hands are amazing tools for us to use, but when they hurt, we're miserable! Do you ever get achy tired hands? Most people are using computers and phones frequently, which is adding to the problem of over-use syndrome. As we tap away on our keyboards and texting, our small muscles and joints in the fingers, wrists and forearms start to become grumpy.  Just being alive for more than 40 years, can come with it's own set of issues regarding over use.  Without specific therapeutic exercises and stretches done on a regular basis, this achy tired feeling can become a painful sensation that doesn't seem to want to go away.  If this is happening to you, consider a "hot bath" of sorts for your hands to soak in. I can remember in my teen years back in the 1980's an elderly lady that I knew who loved to regularly play the piano at her church. One day I was at her home and saw her dipping her hand into a container of  liquid and pulling her hand out covered in a f...

Myofascial release is becoming more known as people are experiencing the benefits of receiving this treatment.  'Myo' refers to muscle and 'fascia' refers to the material covering the muscle, so myofascial release is the process of loosening the tightness of the tissue. As you can see in the image below, the fascia surrounds the muscle fibers and also attaches itself in between the fibers.  This covering protects the muscle and keeps it in it's place. Fascia is throughout the entire body from head to toe. When there is tension due to daily activities, injury or emotional strain, the body's response is to send extra fascia tissue to the area to help support it. This tissue is sticky and referred to as an adhesion, which allows it to stick to the area in need. The less hydrated the system is, the more sticky the adhesions becomes. Eventually this leads to the feeling of having knots as the adhesions collect and become clumped together in stickiness. ...

Did you know that May was National Bike Month? Although May is coming to a close, outdoor biking season is just beginning as the weather warms up and dries out.  Rather you ride indoors or out, cycling is a great form of exercise and a lot of fun! The bike was first created in Paris, France with a gain in popularity in the early 1800's. It quickly became as American as apple pie and baseball. It's funny to think that when kids starting wanting to ride bikes, parents were concerned that it was bad for the family. They felt it allowed too much independence and separation from each other and that it seemed physically dangerous. Like many new inventions do, it became more and more accepted and then celebrated. Now it's hard to go anywhere around town or in a gym without seeing someone on a bike and for good reason! In 1903 the Tour De France race started, giving riders a treacherous track through rain, wind, cobble stone, steep climbs and dangerous descents through ...

Ouch! The dynamic and forceful twists and turns of tennis unfortunately can lead to many risks of injury. Knees, lower back and shoulders are most prone to muscle strains for tennis players. Keeping an eye on proper form can greatly reduce problems in these areas. Understanding the causes of this can help develop strategies to improve functional movements that help reduce painful injuries and keep you on the court! Know the Source If you're having pain in your shoulders, the problem might actually originate with your hips. The legs pivot in the hip sockets, allowing the spine and shoulders to rotate and the arms to swing during the back-swing and the follow-through.  For a more powerful hit, tennis players often jump during the swing, which intensifies the stress on the body.  Ample ability to rotate the hips is fundamental to proper form for many tennis moves. If the hips are overly tight and not freely moving in full range of motion, other areas of the body compensat...

The alignment of your knees greatly affects your gait and your gait greatly affects the way your body feels. If you have genu valgum, known as knocked knees, or the opposite problem, valgus angulation, your body is going to eventually let you know that it is not happy with the situation. When that happens, it's time to act quickly to find a remedy! Just like the vehicles that we drive, when the alignment is off, the tires (or in our case feet) start to wear improperly. If your knees bend in, it puts more weight on the inner foot. For knees that point outward the opposite is true. The negative chain of events can unfortunately spread upward to hips, back and eventually the neck area when the foundation of our structure is compromised. To make matters worse, for every pound over your ideal weight that your knees are carrying around, the problem intensifies. Our bodies are amazing at adapting to less than perfect dynamics, but after a bit of time of being forced to comprise it...

When pain is felt between the shoulder blades, it would be assumed that there is a problem somewhere in that area, but it could actually be coming from your neck area. Knowing where the pain originates from can help in formulating a treatment plan to alleviate discomfort. Better yet, knowing how the problem started, can help the pain from developing to begin with. Nerves: The Struggle is Real Pain is caused by the nerves becoming entrapped within tight muscles. The area around the neck and shoulders is especially prone to entrapment due to the crowded nerves that run from the neck area down into the scapular (shoulder) area. They twist and turn in tight spaces around and through muscles that run along your spine from the base of your skull down into your shoulder area.  When the muscles become tight and inflamed they further compress and crowd the nerves. That causes the nerves to become grumpy. The grumpiness runs all the way down to the muscles between your shoulder blades. ...

So many tools, so little time!  We are in an era where tools for myofascial release abound. There are so many choices, that it can become confusing as to what tool to use for what issue and how often, how much and....  The confusion can go on and on. Let's try to unpack some of this to make it easier to understand. First of all it is important to understand what the purpose of these tools are for. Muscles build up tension from such stressors as exercise, poor posture, work and lifestyle habits and even from emotional stress. Have you ever been in terrible traffic for a long amount of time and found yourself reaching for your neck to give it a rub because it feels tight? Tightness that stress has caused initiates the body to respond by sending more fascia to the muscles in the area that is feeling stressed. Fascia is a thin sheath of fibrous tissue that encloses muscles and organs in the body. When extra is needed, it is produced with a stickiness to it...

The Many Benefits of Massage for Cyclists (of all levels) Tammara - Massage Extraordinaire and Cycling Enthusiastic Not only is Tammara an Extraordinary massage therapist, she is also an avid cyclist.  Tammara gets a massage at least once a month and sometimes more often if she's dealing with a particular issue.  Her philosophy,  "The better I take care of myself, the better my body takes care of me." Massage Benefits for Cyclists: Help loosen tight spots Promotes recovery by flushing out toxic chemicals Keeps your fibers smooth and limber Relieves post-exercise pain Boosts heart health Prevents injury with the help of stretching Enhances performance Feels good!! Tammara shares how massage can benefit all parts of the body , which take a beating from cycling. " Massage helps TREMENDOUSLY for a cyclist.  Anyone who spends an hour or more in the same position on a bike will tell you that their low back, neck and shoulders can start compl...

What can Massage do for YOU??? Benefits of Massage Therapy Tammara and Barbara massaging Massage Extraordinaire clients Reduce ANXIETY and DEPRESSION Lower levels of certain stress hormones by 50% Improve mood by increasing serotonin and dopamine      2.  Improve SLEEP ISSUES      3.  Reduce  HEADACHES May reduce the number and severity of migraine headaches Relaxes muscles in the shoulders and neck that can lead to headaches      4.  Improve IMMUNITY Increases white blood cells, that ward off disease       5.  Reduce PAIN Improves circulation to aid in inflammation and healing Helps with acute and chronic pain Improve lower back pain       6.  Improve HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE       7.  Improve EATING DISORDERS       8.  Improve FATIGUE       9.  Improve OSTEOARTHRITIS ...

TENNIS BALLS For Natural Pain Relief The following ( http://www.prevention.com/fitness/fitness-tips/natural-pain-relief-tennis-ball ) is a wonderful article sharing how to use 2 tennis balls to reduce pain when you're not able to get a massage and from a book The Roll Model  by yoga teacher Jill Miller . "You can get into tight areas with tennis balls since these moves get into the deepest layers of your muscle and connective tissue to pry apart adhesions so your muscles can fully contract and stretch," says Miller. These 10 exercises help achy feet, stiff knees, tight thighs, sore hips, a cramped back, bad posture, a tight chest, tense shoulders, tired hands, and a stiff neck. Who knew tennis balls could be so versatile and beneficial? Massage Extraordinaire (located in San Diego Tennis and Racquet Club ) 4848 Tecolote Road San Diego, CA. 92110 (619) 295-3516

Can you guess who this Massage Therapist is? It is… Maddie Lavelle and her younger brother Last year Maddie moved to San Diego from Columbus, Ohio.  As soon as she arrived, she started working at Massage Extraordinaire. Maddie's Specialty Massage Techniques: Sports massage Trigger point therapy Deep tissue massage Maddie loves working with athletes (from the professional to the weekend).  She also enjoys helping clients who are in pain. Maddie's Hobbies: Hiking around San Diego Spinning classes Kayaking Eating Walking and playing with her miniature dachshund, Hercules Speaking of Eating, Maddie's favorite places to eat are: In-N-Out Burger - They do NOT have In-N-Out's in Ohio since they do not use frozen meat. Taste of The Himalayas in Point Loma various Mexican and Mediterranean restaurants (Maddie's younger brother studies at Georgetown Law.) If you haven't met Maddie yet, please stop by the mas...