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We have been qualified to apply Kinesiology Tapes (also known as Elastic Therapeutic Tapes) and Fixed Tapes for a few years now, following additional training at St Mary's University, Twickenham. It rapidly became one of our favourite methods of treatment in our busy Limassol based Sports Massage Clinic because of the success we have had with it.

Why does Kinesiology Taping prove to be so helpful? The reasons are not scientifically proven. It is thought to help with the fascia by lifting the skin and giving the muscle and fascia a little more comfort. It is thought to keep the area a little warmer, to give a little support (depending on the way it is applied) and to help one remember that they have an injury that they are rehabilitating. 

How has Kinesiology Tape helped our Clients? We have used these tapes in a number of treatment applications. They have helped Marathon Runners as part of their treatment for Jumper's Knee/Patellar Tendinitis, Achilles Tendinitis and Iliotibial Band Syndrome. These runners had injuries resulting from doing too much, too soon in training and their races were at risk. Following intensive Sports Massage Therapy, they were taped for periods of two weeks. The taping helped prolong the benefits of the treatment and allowed for assistance with their recovery. Runners were taped for their races too. Other Sports disciplines/applications have included:

• Pole Dancing - shoulder strain injuries are very common here.
• Swimming - rotator cuff injuries and anteriorly rotated shoulders are frequently seen in this discipline.
• CrossFit - shoulder strains and lower back strains have been treated.
• Weight-lifters - with lower back issues and forearm tightness.
• Tennis Players with forearm issues.
• Desk-sitters - with anterior rotation of shoulders and neck/shoulder issues.
• Gardeners - with repetetive strain issues in the forearms.

Generally, tendinitis and soft-tissue conditions respond well. I have had my rib-cage and abdomen taped following fascial tightness following a fall from inline skating. Post injury, much of the surrounding soft tissue goes in to a protective spasm and taping is a great way to re-educated the tissue that it is safe and can relax again. 

A Cyprus Ultra mountain race never passes without us taping some of the runners. It is usually helpful to tape the quad muscles to help them relax a little and we have used advanced techniques to tape a mal-tracking patella, which we believe saved one of the runner's races one year. Our running experience and Sports Massage Therapy knowledge has aided our understanding of application methods and has even allowed us to blend elastic and fixed tape for more effective treatment protocols in certain cases.

Personally, I think that there is an additional benefit. I believe that the focus/awareness of the injured area helps to send more blood there. Increased blood flow can help with recovery and can bring healing agents in a more directed manner to the site of injury. It has been proven that focusing on an area of the body sends more blood to it.

How is Kinesiology Tape applied? There are often several ways of applying elastic therapeutic tapes. Main principles include stretching the muscle whilst it is being taped. Tape edges are rounded to help them stay in place. The edges of the tape are not stretched; in order to ensure that they adhere well. The main section of the tape is stretched a certain percentage, depending on the area and the desired outcome of tape application - it is not stretched 100%, but 50-70% is very common. The tightest part of the muscle is often the part that the tape is first attached to. Whilst some knowledge of the path of the muscle in question should be understood and followed, there is not really anything that you can do wrong with elastic therapeutic taping; it simply will not be so effective if it is not positioned correctly.

Shin Splints can make your training programme a misery, read on for some tips to help combat this condition.

Debilitating and painful, shin splints tend to come on when we have increased the demands of our training without pre-conditioning our lower leg muscles. Runners often suffer if they increase their mileage on hard ground, or up hills too quickly. Walkers can suffer with sudden increases in distances. Gym users who suddenly perform lots of explosive movements and 'on your toes' type exercises can get this condition. In mild cases it can feel like tenderness across the front of the shin that temporarily eases off with movement. In extreme cases, it can lead to fractures of the  surface of the tibia (the load bearing lower leg bone). In fact, we have seen swellings the size of an egg on shins where this has unfortunately been the case. When shin splints present in such an extreme manner, complete rest from activity is required. In milder cases, and remember that catching sports injuries as early as possible is key, there are a few things that you can do to help with a smoother recovery.

As soon as you feel tenderness across the front of the shin, try to rest from the activity that triggered it. A smaller rest at this point could save you from a much longer rest due to the condition deteriorating. Think about changing your sport for a while, or at least altering some aspects of your sport. It is best to avoid high impact activity until symptoms subside. When you have a sports injury type niggle, you have three options; to stop whatever is causing you a problem, to modify the activity, or to try and deal with the symptoms (the latter works best if you catch the injury sooner rather than later).

Taping the Tibialis anterior muscle can be a good option too. Zinc oxide tape can be used to draw the muscle away from the shin bone in a spiral fashion during rest phases. If exercise continues, the elastic therapeutic taping methods are better. Speak to us in Clinic about which method will suit you better.

Stretching the Tibialis anterior muscle is very helpful. Sit on your heels in a kneeling position for 20 seconds. Try this for two weeks at least 5 times per day. There are more advanced versions of this stretch available too.

Sports Massage Therapy is ideal for this condition. Releasing the muscles in the lower leg and using specialist techniques to stretch the Tibialis anterior muscle is very helpful. Try at least three sessions over two weeks and follow the home-care advice carefully for optimal results. 

Try some ice therapy in acute phases. Just 10 minutes at a time on a small localised area a few times a day. This is especially useful post activity. Pre sports, apply a warm compress to allow the muscle to soften and relax a little.

When you are symptom free in walking for at least two weeks, you can go ahead and slowly reintroduce some exercise in moderation. Do not do too much, too soon or too fast as your symptoms will return very quickly.

When you are back to very light training and symptoms are symptoms are not present at all, you can add some very basic strengthening exercises. Be aware that rehabilitation exercises are very different to training exercises and they may appear to be easy for you but that is okay. Speak to a Personal Trainer with a rehabilitation qualification for assistance. Try toe raises whilst sitting. Aim for 10 raises per day for two weeks and when this goes well, without symptoms, move on to two sets from week three onwards. Calf raises can also be helpful, do these without weights and be extra careful to build up slowly. Try 5 slow raises on two legs for two weeks. If symptom free move on to single leg raises from week three onward. 
​
As always prevention is better than cure. Be hyper vigilant for small aches and pains, watch out for any tender areas and allow enough recovery time so you have a better chance of keeping repetitive injury free.

Eva Evangelou, BA Hons, PGCE, Adv Diploma, ITEC & IFA Dips, is the UK Qualified Sports Massage Therapist behind Limassol Sports Massage. Being a Qualified Sports Massage Therapist has given her extensive training and experience in Injury Prevention, the Theory of Training and Injury Rehabilitation. She has been a Body Worker since 2004. Eva has run 3 full Marathons including Nicosia, Rome and the Limassol Marathon. She is usually injury free and believes that prevention via education is better than cure. She is the Author behind 'Say No! To Neck and Shoulder Pain' and she is a Qualified Teacher. Learn more about her at www.LimassolSportsMassage.com and contact her via eva@LimassolSportsMassage.com 

Tearing your meniscus cartilage in the knee can be a very painful and debilitating injury. We know this first hand, as we have a severe and a moderate tear in each knee. It does not always mean surgery is required, even when it is recommended to us by our Specialist. Read on and get down to your Sports Physiotherapist for some assistance.

​Meniscus Tear Rehabilitation

In the first instance of a tear, you will need to get medical assistance for a correct diagnosis and advice for the best way forward. Treatment can involve surgery if the knee is locking or there is advanced age/activity related degeneration. Loose cartilage can be trimmed and in some advanced more costly operations, some replacement can be made (just think of some of our elite athletes especially in first division football) .

The first port of call is to reduce inflammation. 
Ice 3 times a day for 10 minutes at a time across the front of the knee. Wrap a pack of frozen peas in a damp tea towel. Never ice around the entire knee. Never exceed 10 minutes of icing at a time. Repeat as much as you like, as long as the tissue has returned to its original colour and tone. If you have access to a swimming pool, water walking is great for reducing inflammation. Keep repeating until swelling subsides completely. Repeat as needed if swelling returns.

2. Tape the patella if it is suspected of mis-tracking. When the knee is injured, the quad muscles often lose their ability to anchor the patella adequately. Taping the knee cap to anchor it more medially is often a good idea. Use elastic therapeutic taping as it still allows unrestricted movement.  Kinesiology taping can be used for up to 5 days at a time if no allergy is present. Remove the tape slowly and carefully to avoided irritating the skin. Aim for two weeks of taping with a couple of days off to let the skin recover when the tape is due for a change. Stop if the skin is irritated.

3. Quadriceps stretch (front of thighs)
Grab hold of your ankle, take heel to bottom and keep your knees together. Repeat for other side. Perform again for the tighter quad. Do this stretch 5 X a day for two weeks and then review. We need to keep the quad muscles supple. If you find it hard to kneel, you need to keep practising this stretch.
Hold stretches for 20 seconds. If one side feels tighter than the other, perform the stretch again on the tighter side. When you feel symmetry, perform the stretch once per side.
Only perform when warmed up later on in the day. Modify if discomfort is present and stop if there is pain. Stretches should feel comfortable. If there is any shaking, release the stretch and attempt again with less effort. 

4. Strengthen the medial quad muscle with wide legged squats. Perform two sets of 10 twice a day for two weeks. Get a PT instructor to check your form if you are unsure, but aim to keep knees over the feet. A small range of movement is acceptable until you are able to get a little lower (never lower than 90 degrees however).

5. Try a single leg squat for the affected leg with a support strap to take most of your weight. Only do this if you have a strong and supportive strap/anchor. 2-5 X single leg squats once per day for two weeks.

6. If you have access to a gym, try a single leg press with the affected leg. Keep your foot flat against the platform and keep the weight very light indeed. 5-10 presses per day for two weeks, or for at least three days per week until you gain strength.

If there is pain, modify a technique or stop using the technique. 

7. Practise flexing and extending the knee. Start off by sitting on a tallish stool, and straighten and then bend the knee in a slow and controlled manner. Perform 2-4 times a day for two weeks. This can be done whilst standing and holding on to a surface for support. 

8. Develop your proprioception by standing on one leg for 10-20 seconds. When this is easy, try it with your eyes closed; but have something to steady you close-by, in case you lose balance. This exercise will strengthen your leg/ankle and re-develop any balance issues arising from the injury.

9. Other tips 

• Avoid activities that make the knee pain worse. 
• Make sure that you reduce tightness in the quad with sports massage, a foam roller or a massage stick (a rolling pin like massage stick with four revolving barrels to be used whilst sitting across the inside, mid and outer thigh). 
• Eat anti-inflammatory foods and spices/herbs (radishes, turmeric, cumin and black pepper). 
• Use anti-inflammatory essential oils such as German Chamomile - get help from a qualified Aromatherapist for suitability and safety.
• Use MSM (Methyl Sulphonyl Methane) to help reduce inflammation and pain. 
• Anti-inflammatory medicines may also have a place in your care regime for a limited time of a few days, but check with your Medical Professional first.
• Avoid impact sports until pain, swelling and range of movement have returned.
• Avoid sports with twisting movements as this can pinch the meniscus cartilage.
• Avoid maintaining an over flexed position of your knee by sitting on very low surfaces for prolonged periods of time, as this can encourage impingement.
• Review your progress and adapt the rehab programme after two weeks.

The overall aim of the programme is to:

1. Combat inflammation (feel around the knee cap for bogginess, sponginess and a delayed spring back of tissue post pressure application with a finger tip).
2. Anchor the knee cap adequately through strengthening the quads (our knees have good lateral support through the IT band, but poor medial support and this is often made worse during an injury as the quad muscles can not be used properly).
3. Keep the quads supple so we can have a good range of movement in the knee. 

This combination of flexibility and strength is key to managing most injuries. After two weeks of rehab review your progress. Is there any lingering inflammation? If so, continue with the icing and water walking. Is your knee feeling more comfortable? Can you feel the quad muscle on the inner knee getting stronger? Add another set of quad squat repetitions as long as there is no increase in pain. Continue for another two weeks and then review progress again. It can take three months of rehab to get to a more functional knee position once again. Then it will be a juggling act to maintain your progress, by keeping the quad strong and flexible, and being super vigilant for any inflammation flare ups or aggravating activities. Be aware that when you do return to activity, build up slowly and carefully so that your body adapts without any issues.

Fed up of being in pain?

A long time ago, we had pain that originated from boney changes in our spine. We had physiotherapy and a long, long course of osteopathy. We felt better, but we were still having to take pain killers. We had to stop doing what we loved. Our martial arts practise was over after 7 years of dedicated practise - we were not going to reach our second Dan black belt and this was sad. We were avid horse riders and now we were being told to stop this activity too. Our visit to the Doctor and the tests that followed confirmed that the athletic life I had led had started to take its toll on my skeletal system. The Doctor told me that it was time to give up my sports and lead a more sedentary life. 

As far as I was concerned, my life felt like it was over. I was not ready to give up on my pained, but otherwise strong body. Nights passed and sleep eluded me due to pain. Pain killers became my best way through this period. I asked the physiotherapists what I was supposed to do. How would I manage my pain levels? They recommended a Pain Management Clinic. 

The truth is, when we are in pain, we can become locked in to a pain cycle. Pain becomes the norm for your body. Seeking assistance in the early stages of pain offers better results for pain management. 

What can we do to minimise pain? We have to look for the pain triggers and we have to deal with them. This may mean modifying or getting rid of an activity that causes us pain. It may even be necessary to stop some activities altogether; this should be avoided, but may be an option for activities we do not like anyhow. 

Our latest book takes you through the stages necessary to identify your pain triggers. We learnt these technique when we were managing our own pain and during the 12 years plus that we have been specialist Sports Massage Therapists. 'Say No! To Neck & Shoulder Pain' is an info-book, work-book guide that shows you how to log your activities and pain levels. It teaches you to be in control and find your own pain triggers. Why suffer in silence and be sentenced to a life full of pain killers? Take control and use this new book to help yourself recover and lead a fulfilling life again.

For your copy of 'Say No! To Neck & Shoulder Pain' drop us an email and ask to pick up your copy in our Limassol Sports Massage Clinic for just  €10. International deliveries are  available   within the EU and for the Rest of the World via PayPal for €15 and €20 respectively - including  VAT along with Packing and Postage fees. Please be advised that you are liable for any import fee or Tax in to your own Country.

Eva Evangelou,  BA Hons, PGCE, Adv Post Grad Dip, IFA Dip & ITEC Dips, is the Author of Say No! To Neck & Shoulder Pain and the owner of Limassol Sports Massage in Cyprus. She has been a body worker for over 12 years and was a teacher prior to this. Contact her here.

Say No! To Neck & Shoulder Pain

Our latest book came in to fruition because we have many clients with neck and shoulder pain. We found ourselves repeating the same advice and giving the same information to our clients about dealing with and managing their sore neck and shoulders. In the end, we decided to put all the relevant information that was needed in to one guide. It is in a info-book/work-book format, succinct and easy to read. With no frills and no excess information. 

Neck pain can be excruciating. It can be debilitating and it can stop you getting on with your daily life. Is your life impacted by awful headaches, neck stiffness, a lack of mobility, an inability to turn to look over your shoulder, tightness creeping on to the surrounding muscles and structures, are sports activities becoming too difficult to embark upon, do you get migraines, are you having days off from work, are you fed up of being in too much upper body pain to socialise, do you have difficulty sleeping due to neck pain?  We know what it is like to suffer from chronic neck pain. We also know that this need not be the case. It was not until we became an experienced Sports Massage Therapist, that we started to understand that there are many things that we can all adjust, modify and counter in our daily lives that can help us to become and remain pain free. 

Too many times, we see clients in our busy Sports Massage Clinic at the end of their tether with their neck and shoulder pain. They often have severe headaches and some believe they have migraines. They think that this pain will be with them forever. Some believe that they will need to be on pain killers for the rest of their lives. We can honestly say that this does not need to be the case. Find out what can be making your pain symptoms exacerbate and what you can do about it to make it stop. It really does not have to be this way for you.

This new book will help you to find the causes of your particular neck pain. It will give you the tools to help you get rid of, change and manage situations that make you have pain. It will give you the simple exercises that you require to help you ease out your neck and shoulder muscles. It will teach you how to reintroduce activities in a way that prevents them from impacting your health. You will become your own neck pain expert and be in charge of your own well-being. 

Ask us in Clinic, or email eva@limassolsportsmassage.com for your copy of 'Say No! To Neck & Shoulder Pain'. Copies cost just €10 each inclusive of VAT when picked up in Clinic.  Please inquire about delivery outside of Limassol and Cyprus, or use the PayPal purchase option below for online orders. Prices include VAT  and  Packing/Postal fees.  Please note  that you are responsible for import duties or Tax on all orders.

Eva Evangelou,  BA Hons, PGCE, Adv Post Grad Dip, IFA Dip & ITEC Dips, is the Author of 'Say No! To Neck & Shoulder Pain' and the owner of Limassol Sports Massage in Cyprus. She has been a body worker for over 13 years and was a teacher prior to this. For more information, please contact her  here.