The Muscle Connection

Why is Hydrating your Body so Essential to Optimal Health? As a massage therapist, I have been praising the benefits of water for years.  Simply because it seems to help with the overall effects of a massage.  Recently, I have learned more about the benefits of water from a nutritional perspective and why staying hydrated is so essential [...]

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Stretching to many people, is like eating vegetables.  We know it is good for us but when given a choice – we choose our favorite activity or favorite side dish over what we can benefit from more!   Our mind-set in sports seems to be to “just do it”  And, we continue to be misinformed and uninformed on the proper techniques of [...]

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A Unique and Precise Technique which Targets Muscle Spasm and the Pain Affecting your Overall Health and Well Being. As a massage student in 1996 and a then-competitive triathlete with an over trained body, I was fortunate to be introduced to Tamsin Stewart at one of my classes which showcased different types of bodywork.  She was [...]

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The Iliocostalis, oriented vertically on either side of the spine, are muscles within the group of muscles in the back referred to as the erector spinae.  The erector spinae assist in the motion of extending the trunk.  The Iliocostalis muscles have at least one end attached to a rib and the other end attached to either [...]

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The quadratus lumborum or the ‘QL’ for short, is an extensor of the lumbar vertebrae, bilaterally, and a lateral flexor unilaterally.  It functions in respiration by securing the 12th rib.  It is anchored to the pelvic bone and to each vertebrae of the lumbar spine, on both sides of the body.  When you move one hip up as in [...]

Tags: back pain, lower back pain, Massage Therapy, muscle pain, northern virginia, stretching

The rhomboids reside just below the neck, and are also called the middle back.  The rhomboids are involved in scapular stabilization and movement, and are a large factor in arm movement.  The rhomboids actually consist of two sets of two muscles each.  Each set resides on one side of the spine, and are made up [...]

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