Achilles tendon injuries, like tendinitis and tendinopathy, can be debilitating for athletes and active individuals. Recent studies suggest that heavy calf raises performed at around 1.9 times your body weight are highly effective in strengthening the tendon, reducing injury risk, and speeding up recovery. Here’s a deep dive into why this approach works, the science behind it, and how to implement it into your workout regimen.
Why Heavy Calf Raises?
The Achilles tendon is a powerful structure, but it endures substantial stress from walking, running, and jumping. Over time, repetitive movements can lead to micro-tears and inflammation, especially if the tendon isn’t strong enough to handle these loads. Research indicates that eccentric loading (the lowering phase of a movement) plays a crucial role in strengthening the tendon by aligning its fibres and increasing tensile strength. For the Achilles, calf raises at high resistance around 1.9 times body weight have proven to be particularly effective for these purposes.
How Eccentric Loading Strengthens the Achilles Tendon
Eccentric loading has unique benefits for tendon health. When you focus on the lowering phase of calf raises, you engage the Achilles in a controlled lengthening under load. This process encourages tendon fibres to realign along the line of force, which builds resilience and helps repair damaged tissue. Over time, this results in a stronger, healthier tendon that’s better equipped to handle stress.
Recommended Rep Range and Progression
To safely build up Achilles tendon strength, start with a rep range of 12 to 15 reps for 3-4 sets using manageable weight. As strength improves, progressively increase the load to approach the 1.9x body weight goal. 8-12 reps at this higher weight level can provide the tendon stimulus necessary for lasting strength and resilience. Each rep should be slow and controlled, with a particular emphasis on the eccentric (lowering) phase, which is where the real tendon-strengthening benefits lie.
Practical Tips for Adding Calf Raises to Your Routine
Start with Both Legs: Begin with two-legged calf raises to build a baseline strength level. Add weight only when you can perform this comfortably without pain.
Move to Single-Leg Raises: Transition to single-leg calf raises, which apply even greater stress to the Achilles tendon, helping it adapt to more load.
Increase the Load Gradually: Adding weight in small increments helps avoid injury while gradually increasing tendon strength.
Consistency and Rest are Key: Give your tendon time to recover between sessions. A day or two of rest between heavy loading exercises can help prevent overuse injuries and flare-ups.
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In today’s fast-paced world, caffeine has become a staple for many people to stay alert and energised throughout the day. From morning coffees to midday pick-me-ups, it’s easy to rely on caffeine to get through busy schedules. However, excessive caffeine intake, especially later in the day, can disrupt sleep patterns and lead to restless nights. So, how can you manage your caffeine consumption to ensure a good night’s sleep? Here are some tips and tricks to help you:
Set a Caffeine Cut-off Time: One of the simplest ways to manage caffeine intake is to establish a cut-off time in the afternoon or early evening. For most people, consuming caffeine after 3 PM can interfere with the body’s natural sleep cycle. Swap out that late afternoon coffee for a decaffeinated option or herbal tea to avoid sleep disturbances.
Monitor Your Intake: Be mindful of how much caffeine you consume throughout the day. Besides coffee, caffeine is present in tea, energy drinks, soda, and even some medications. Keeping track of your total caffeine intake can help you stay within recommended limits and avoid overstimulation close to bedtime.
Opt for Decaf or Alternatives: If you enjoy the taste of coffee but want to reduce your caffeine intake, consider switching to decaffeinated versions. Decaf coffee offers a similar flavour profile with significantly less caffeine, making it a suitable choice for evening enjoyment. Alternatively, explore caffeine-free herbal teas for a soothing pre-sleep beverage.
Practice Sleep Hygiene: Managing caffeine intake is just one aspect of promoting good sleep. Create a relaxing bedtime routine and prioritize sleep hygiene practices such as keeping your bedroom dark, cool, and quiet, limiting screen time before bed, and maintaining a consistent sleep schedule.
Listen to Your Body: Everyone metabolizes caffeine differently, so pay attention to how caffeine affects your sleep quality. If you find that even small amounts of caffeine in the afternoon disrupt your sleep, consider cutting back further or shifting your consumption earlier in the day.
Stay Hydrated with Water: While caffeine can provide a temporary energy boost, it’s essential to stay hydrated with water throughout the day. Dehydration can contribute to feelings of fatigue, so aim to balance your beverage choices with plenty of water.
By managing your caffeine intake thoughtfully and incorporating healthy sleep habits, you can enjoy the benefits of caffeine without sacrificing restorative sleep. Experiment with different strategies to find what works best for you, and remember that small changes can make a big difference in your overall well-being.
Light sleep actually occurs in two stages: NREM stages 1 and 2 sleep.
Think of NREM stage 1 as “falling asleep.” During this time, your muscles relax, your heart begins to slow down, and your body temperature dips. Your brain waves slow down moving from a regular, rhythmic pattern to one with less frequent, less regular waves. Stage 1 sleep usually only lasts a few minutes.
NREM stage 2 sleep makes up the bulk of your NREM sleep. During this stage of sleep your muscles relax and may jerk. Your respiration and heart rate slow down. And your body temperature drops.
REM SLEEP
Associated with dreaming and memory, REM sleep plays an important role in re-energising your body. REM sleep makes up 5-50% of your total sleep and is regulated by your circadian rhythm. Typically you get more REM sleep in the second half of your sleep.
DEEP SLEEP
Deep sleep is the most restorative part of your sleep cycle. Deep sleep includes your normal sleep and your naps. Deep sleep can make up anywhere from 0-35% of your total sleep. On average the adult range is 15-20% which makes up 1-1.5 hours of deep sleep a night. This usually decreases with age. When you’re in deep sleep your blood pressure decreases, heart and breathing rates are steady and your muscles relax. During deep sleep, your muscles repair and grow which is why you often get more after a hard workout. Your immune system refreshes and your brain flushed out toxins. Normally deep sleep occurs mostly in the early stages of the night so try to get a consistent bedtime routine to help this occur to its best potential.
More on how to improve these cycles of sleep next week.
Undergoing surgery is a significant event that can bring both relief and apprehension. While surgery aims to address specific health issues, the recovery process can be challenging and often involves managing pain and restoring mobility. Chiropractic care offers numerous benefits to patients seeking post-surgery recovery.
Pain Management:
Pain is a common post-surgery concern, and chiropractic care can be instrumental in providing effective pain relief without relying solely on medications. We can assess musculoskeletal imbalances and identify areas of discomfort. By reducing inflammation and improving nerve function, chiropractic adjustments can help manage post-surgical pain and minimise reliance on painkillers.
Enhanced Healing:
Following surgery, scar tissue can develop, affecting the mobility and function of nearby tissues. We employ various techniques, such as Active Release Techniques and targeted adjustments, to promote tissue healing and prevent excessive scar tissue formation. By improving blood flow, reducing swelling, and enhancing lymphatic drainage, chiropractic care can accelerate the healing process and restore range of motion.
Restoring Mobility and Flexibility:
Surgery can lead to stiffness and reduced mobility in the affected areas. Chiropractic adjustments can help restore proper joint mobility, allowing patients to regain flexibility and range of motion. By addressing imbalances and reducing muscle tension, chiropractic care can assist in improving overall functionality and enhancing the rehabilitation process.
Individualized Rehabilitation Plans:
We take a personalized approach to post-surgery recovery. We assess each patient’s unique needs and develop tailored rehabilitation plans to address specific concerns. These plans may include a combination of chiropractic adjustments, rehabilitative exercises, and lifestyle recommendations. By collaborating with surgeons and other healthcare professionals, chiropractors ensure comprehensive care that supports the patient’s recovery goals.
In Conclusion:
For post-surgery recovery, chiropractic care offers a non-invasive approach that can significantly contribute to the healing process. By providing pain relief, enhancing healing, restoring mobility, and supporting overall well-being, chiropractors play a valuable role in the journey to recovery.
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Did you know that your shoe wear can be a powerful indicator of your biomechanics and even your risk of injury? That’s right! The shoes you wear can provide valuable insights into how your body moves and functions during various activities. Let’s dive deeper!
Wear Patterns: Take a close look at the soles of your shoes. Are the wear patterns even or concentrated in specific areas? Irregular patterns could signify imbalances in your foot mechanics, such as overpronation or supination. Identifying these patterns can help us understand how your body compensates and guide us towards the right solutions.
Load Distribution: The distribution of wear on the sole can reveal where your body weight is concentrated during movement. Uneven wear may suggest that certain areas of your feet are under excessive stress or that you’re not distributing weight efficiently. By addressing these imbalances, we can help prevent injuries and improve your overall performance.
Injury Prevention: Your shoes are an essential piece of the puzzle when it comes to injury prevention. Ill-fitting or worn-out footwear can contribute to various issues, including shin splints, plantar fasciitis, and even knee or hip problems. By analysing your shoe wear and considering your biomechanics, we can recommend proper footwear and orthotic solutions tailored to your needs, reducing the risk of injury.
Let’s put your shoe wear under the microscope and pave the way to optimal movement and injury-free activities!
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Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) and jaw pain can be incredibly debilitating conditions, affecting not just the jaw but also the neck, shoulders, and back. Fortunately, chiropractic care can be an effective treatment for TMD and jaw pain, helping to reduce pain and improve range of motion.
Here are some ways that a chiropractic clinic can help patients with TMD and jaw pain:
Manual adjustments: We can manually adjust the joints of the jaw, neck, and spine to help relieve tension and improve mobility. Chiropractic adjustments can reduce inflammation, improve range of motion, and alleviate pain.
Soft tissue therapy: Soft tissue therapy can be an effective treatment for TMD and jaw pain. Chiropractors can use techniques like trigger point therapy and myofascial release to help loosen tight muscles and reduce inflammation in the affected areas.
Posture correction: Poor posture can contribute to TMD and jaw pain, so we may also work to correct your posture. This can involve exercises to strengthen the muscles that support the jaw and neck, as well as adjustments to the spine to improve overall posture.
Lifestyle changes: Lifestyle changes to help manage TMD and jaw pain. This could include dietary changes to reduce inflammation, stress management techniques, and ergonomic changes to the patient’s work environment.
Overall, chiropractic care can be an effective treatment option for TMD and jaw pain. By addressing the underlying causes of the condition and working to reduce inflammation and improve mobility, chiropractors can help patients find relief from their symptoms and improve their quality of life.
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Shoulder pain is a common issue for gym-goers, especially those who engage in activities such as weightlifting, running, and other high-impact exercises. This pain can be caused by a variety of factors, including muscle strains, overuse injuries, and even poor posture. Fortunately, there are a variety of treatment options available to help alleviate hip pain, including dry needling and rehabilitation exercises.
Dry needling is a technique that involves inserting thin needles into trigger points in the muscles, which can help relieve pain and improve mobility. We use this technique along with other therapies, such as chiropractic adjustments and Active Release Techniques, to provide comprehensive care for shoulder pain. During a dry needling session, we insert the needles into specific points in the shoulder muscles and rotator cuff, stimulating them to release tension and improve blood flow.
Alongside dry needling, rehabilitation exercises can help to strengthen and stretch the muscles around the shoulder joint and shoulder blade, which can help alleviate pain and prevent future injuries.
If you are experiencing shoulder pain as a result of your gym activities, it is important to seek treatment as soon as possible. Ignoring the pain or continuing to push through it can lead to further injury and prolong your recovery time. In the clinic, we offer a range of treatment options, including dry needling and rehabilitation exercises, to help alleviate shoulder pain and get you back to the gym as quickly and safely as possible. Contact the clinic today on 0578678904 or book now.
Hip pain is a common issue that can affect people of all ages and activity levels. Whether it’s caused by injury, overuse, or underlying conditions such as arthritis, hip pain can significantly impact a person’s quality of life. Fortunately, there are several non-invasive treatment options that can help get rid of your hip pain, including chiropractic care, active release techniques, and dry needling.
Chiropractic care uses hands-on techniques to manipulate the spine and other joints in the body to improve mobility and reduce pain. In the case of hip pain, we may perform adjustments to the pelvis, lower back, or other areas to help relieve pressure on the hip joint.
Dry needling is a technique that involves the insertion of thin needles into trigger points or knots in the muscles. This technique can help to release tension and improve blood flow to the affected area, leading to pain relief and improved function. Dry needling can be particularly effective for hip pain caused by overuse or muscle imbalances.
Active Release Techniques (ART) is a manual therapy that is used to treat soft tissue injuries and conditions. This technique involves the application of pressure to specific areas of the body while the patient performs specific movements. ART can help to break up scar tissue, release tension, and improve mobility in the affected area. For hip pain, ART can be used to address issues such as tight hip flexors, gluteal muscles, or the iliotibial band, which can all contribute to hip pain.
Chiropractic care, ART, and dry needling are all non-invasive treatment options that can help to alleviate hip pain.
If you need help with your pains or just want some advice feel free to contact the clinic today on 0578678904 or book now.
Achilles pain is an incredibly common complaint for runners, but with the right treatment and rehabilitation strategies, you can get back on the track in no time.
The Achilles tendon is the largest and strongest tendon in the body and can be prone to injury due to overuse, tightness, and inflammation. When the Achilles tendon becomes overly strained, it can lead to pain in the heel and calf area, which can make running and exercising difficult.
Fortunately, there are a number of treatments that can help reduce the pain and discomfort associated with Achilles pain. Active Release Techniques (ART) and chiropractic care are two of the most effective methods for treating Achilles tendonitis and other related conditions.
Active Release Techniques involve using a series of targeted soft tissue manipulations to reduce tension, improve range of motion, and help restore the body’s natural balance. During treatment, a practitioner applies a specific pressure and movement to the affected area to break down scar tissue and encourage blood flow. This helps to reduce inflammation and reduce pain.
Chiropractic care is another effective treatment for Achilles tendonitis and other running-related issues. Chiropractors use manual adjustments and other treatments to improve joint mobility and reduce muscle tension. This can help reduce pain and discomfort and improve range of motion.
If you’re experiencing Achilles pain, it’s important to seek professional treatment right away. Active Release Techniques and chiropractic care can be effective treatments for reducing pain and inflammation. Additionally, a personalised exercise program can help you to reduce the risk of injury and get back on the track faster.
If you need help with your pains or just want some advice feel free to contact the clinic today on 0578678904 or book now.
There are many ways to help increase the amount you walk and to get more steps in. But normally people focus on small ways to do this for example parking further away from work so instead, we will help name some bigger-picture ways of improving your step score.
Walking the Walk
Taking a 10-minute walk after each meal is not only a good way to ensure the numbers on your pedometer rise, but it will also improve your digestion. A recent study published in Sports Medicine found that even 2 to 5 minutes of walking after a meal improved insulin and blood sugar levels which will help with your heart health. Although it is worth adding if you are going to walk 2 minutes, why not walk 10 or 15?
Post-workout walks. If you add on a 15 to 30-minute walk after your workout it can be a great way of increasing your step count. As you have already set aside time to work out you might as well take it a little bit further. Along with helping you raise your step count, walking after exercise helps you clear lactic acid so you feel less stiff the next day.
Overall if you are working out consistently and staying active you may not need to worry ahout your step count. Because whatever the activity is you’re doing for example hiking or running or Crossfit, your workout may contribute to your steps-per-day count. So overall being on your feet and moving many times a day is a good way to stay on top of your health.
Walking and talking is a great way of helping to gain an incentive to walk more. Taking the opportunity to socialise on a walk instead of for example a coffee date will help you achieve your goals quicker. Over the last couple of years people have begun to walk and talk more with gyms being shut so keeping these habits is much easier than building them. These habits resulted in great conversations, closer relationships, and more familiarity with the people in the community. And these hidden benefits are just as important for good health as the steps you’re taking.
Some athletic teams prescribe players 800 meters of walking as part of their workouts. It was shown to help players bond and enhance their playing as a result. So adding this as part of your routine or going for a post-sports training walk with some of the team can help performance and health.
If you need the incentive to walk, it is important to know it is one of the best ways to ensure that you’ll sleep well at night. Walking, even if you’re not doing it at a fast pace, is fatiguing and also being outside exposes you to light, which helps with the circadian rhythm so you sleep more routinely and better as a result.
When all else fails, get a dog. Or borrow from your friend or family members. If you’re committed to an animal, you’ll have no choice but to walk. All dogs as well as humans need to get their steps in.
If you need help with your pains or just want some advice feel free to contact the clinic today on 0578678904 or book now.