Bee RelaxeD - Sports Massage Therapy

FUN FACT FRIDAY - DID YOU KNOW YOU HAVE A “SECOND HEART”?

It’s not actually another heart… it’s your calf muscle pump!

Your calf muscles play an important role in helping blood return from your lower legs back towards your heart. And it doesn’t matter what size or shape your calves are — they still perform the same important job!

Every time you walk, run, move your ankles or contract your calf muscles, they squeeze the veins in your lower legs and help push blood upwards against gravity.
The valves inside your veins then help prevent the blood from flowing backwards.
So, your calves aren’t just important for walking, running and jumping — they also play a key role in circulation!

The two main muscles in your calves are the Gastrocnemius and Soleus.

As demonstrated by several different people, calves come in all different shapes and sizes. Their appearance may vary, but the muscles still perform their important functions.

So whether your calves are big, small, long, short, defined or not — they’re all working hard!

💡 This is one reason why regular movement is important, especially if you’ve been sitting or standing in one position for a long time. Motion is lotion!

🐝 Look after your body from the ground up!

FUN FACT FRIDAY with my trusted assistant - John Bone Jovi

🦵 WHAT IS THE LONGEST MUSCLE IN THE BODY?

The answer is the SARTORIUS!
The sartorius is a long, narrow muscle that runs diagonally across the front of your thigh — from your hip towards the inside of your knee.

📍 ORIGIN:
Anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) of the pelvis.
📍 INSERTION:
Medial surface of the proximal tibia, as part of the pes anserinus.
💪 WHAT DOES IT DO?
The sartorius works across both the hip and knee.
Its main actions are:
➡️ Hip flexion
➡️ Hip abduction
➡️ Hip external rotation
➡️ Knee flexion
➡️ Assists with medial rotation of the tibia when the knee is flexed

It helps you perform movements such as crossing your legs or bringing your foot towards your opposite thigh — hence its nickname, the “tailor’s muscle.”

🧘‍♀️ HOW CAN YOU STRETCH IT?
Because the sartorius performs several movements, you want to stretch it by moving the hip into the opposite positions:
✔️ Hip extension
✔️ Hip adduction
✔️ Hip internal rotation

⚠️ Remember: You don’t need to force a stretch to feel it working. Keep the movement controlled and comfortable.

🐝 At Bee RelaxeD – Sports Therapy, I love educating clients about how their bodies move because understanding your body is the first step towards looking after it!

✨DESK STRETCHES✨

Do you spend hours sitting at a desk?

Long periods in a seated position can leave us feeling stiff and restricted, particularly through the:
🔹 Cervical spine (neck)
🔹 Thoracic spine (upper back)
🔹 Lumbar spine (lower back)
🔹 Shoulders
🔹 Hips
🔹 Hamstrings & posterior chain

When we’re sitting, our hips and knees remain flexed and our hamstrings are held in a shortened position. Staying in one position for too long can contribute to stiffness and reduced movement.

Your body is designed to MOVE!
Try taking a few minutes every couple of hours to get up, move around and perform some simple stretches.

Here are some desk-friendly stretches to help mobilise your:
✨ Neck & shoulders
✨ Upper back
✨ Lower back
✨ Hips
✨ Hamstrings
✨ Posterior chain

You don’t need a full workout — just a few minutes of movement throughout your working day can make a difference.

👉🏼 Save this post and come back to it during your working day!

EDS — WHAT IS IT & DID YOU KNOW IT CAN AFFECT YOUR TEETH AND JAW?

👉🏼 WHAT IS EDS?
Ehlers-Danlos syndromes are a group of heritable connective tissue disorders caused by genetic changes.
Connective tissue helps provide structure & support to areas including our skin, joints, blood vessels, bones, gums etc.
Not everyone with EDS will experience the same symptoms.

👉🏼 WHO "CREATED" EDS?
Two doctors created it in the early 1900s:
🔹 Dr Edvard Lauritz Ehlers, a Danish dermatologist
🔹 Dr Henri-Alexandre Danlos, a French dermatologist

👉🏼 HOW MANY TYPES OF EDS ARE THERE?
The current 2017 classification recognises 13 types of EDS, including hypermobile EDS (hEDS), vascular EDS & periodontal EDS (pEDS).

👉🏼 WHAT IS pEDS?
Periodontal Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (pEDS)
This is something that doesn't always get talked about when discussing EDS!
Because EDS affects connective tissue, it can also affect the mouth, gums, teeth and jaw/TMJ. It is particularly associated with severe, early-onset periodontal disease, fragile or reduced attached gum tissue and premature tooth loss.
Some people with pEDS can experience:
🦷 Gum recession or fragile gums
🦷 Difficulties with dental anaesthesia
🦷 Jaw/TMJ clicking, locking or instability
🦷 Headaches associated with jaw dysfunction

👉🏼 WHAT ABOUT THE JAW & TMJ?
The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is the joint connecting your jaw to your skull.
The masseter is one of the main muscles involved in closing & moving the jaw.

Depending on the individual problem, a medical professional may consider treatments such as physiotherapy, bite management, splints or, in some circumstances, botulinum toxin (Botox) injections into muscles such as the masseter.
⚠️ Important: Botox may be used in selected patients to reduce excessive muscle activity associated with clenching or grinding.

👉🏼 SPECIALIST DENTAL SUPPORT
If you have EDS, suspected EDS, hypermobility or ongoing jaw/TMJ problems, the below dental professionals will help as they understand connective tissue disorders and how they can affect the mouth & jaw.
•Dr Siobhan Hewson — Aberdeen based at her new clinic - The Terrace
•Dr Lorraine Bruce — Peterhead/Boddam based - Buchan Braes Dental Practice

⚠️ This post is for educational awareness only and is not intended to diagnose.

🦶GAIT ANALYSIS — WHY SHOULD YOU CHECK YOUR GAIT BEFORE STARTING A NEW HOBBY? 🏃🏽‍♀️

With so many people currently training for half and full marathons, I wanted to raise awareness of something that is often overlooked — your gait aka feet position.

The Aberdeen Half Marathon and Full Marathon 2027 are already sold out, so if you’ve secured a place, you may already be increasing your training load.

Before suddenly increasing your running, walking or training volume, it can be beneficial to understand how your feet and lower limbs are moving and coping with the demands you’re placing on them.

Your gait influences how forces are distributed through your:
👉🏼Feet / Ankles / Knees / Hips
For example, you may pronate — where the foot rolls inwards, or supinate — where the foot rolls outwards.

Neither movement is automatically a problem. However, if your movement pattern, strength, mobility or load management isn’t coping well with your training demands, it may contribute to symptoms developing over time, such as:
⚠️ Heel pain
⚠️ Plantar fascia or arch pain
⚠️ Ankle problems
⚠️ Knee pain
⚠️ Hip issues

👉🏼WHERE CAN YOU GET YOUR GAIT ASSESSED IN ABERDEEN?
There are several options available if you’d like your running or walking biomechanics assessed:
🏃‍♂️ Scott Shand Podiatry — slow-motion gait analysis + 2D pressure analysis
🏃‍♂️ Kevin at Total Endurance — biomechanical running analysis
🏃‍♂️ Run 4 It, Holburn Street — Run Lab / in-house running assessment
👉🏼 James Cruickshanks at Physio Run also has a programme called ‘Unlace the Brace’, which focuses on helping you build strength and addresses potential issues before they become a bigger problem.

👉🏼AND WHERE DOES SPORTS MASSAGE FIT IN?
A gait assessment can help identify how you’re moving, while sports massage can complement this by addressing the soft tissues involved in your movement.
If certain muscles are tight, overloaded or not functioning effectively, treatment may help improve tissue mobility and support your rehabilitation and training programme.

It's not simply about treating the painful area — sometimes where you feel the pain isn't necessarily where the problem starts.

✨Baby Bee 🐝 big debut ✨

You’re a new mum — maybe for the very first time.

You’re exhausted from pregnancy and giving birth, your body is recovering, and suddenly you’re responsible for looking after a tiny human…while remembering to feed and hydrate yourself, keep the house going and somehow find time to sleep!

And now I’m going to tell you to think about your posture and stretching too… 😅

I know it sounds like just another thing to add to the list, but small changes now can make a big difference to how your body feels in the long run.

🤱 While feeding your baby:
Try not to stay in exactly the same position for long periods.
• If breastfeeding, alternate sides where possible.
•If bottle feeding, try alternating the arm/side you use.
•Gently roll your shoulders regularly.
•Move your head and neck rather than staying fixed in one position.
•Support your arms and baby with pillows so you’re not constantly holding tension through your neck, shoulders and upper back.

💪 Preparing for life with a baby:
That car seat can feel ridiculously heavy — and then add a changing bag over your other shoulder can be challenging.
During pregnancy, exercises such as single-arm farmer carries can help you practise carrying weight on one side while maintaining good posture and control.
After birth, particularly following a C-section, your body needs time to recover. Don’t rush back into heavy lifting or intense core work. Build things back up gradually and listen to your body.

👶 Picking up and carrying your baby:
Where comfortable, gently brace your core before lifting and try to bring your baby close to your body rather than reaching away from you.
If you’re carrying your baby on your hip, try to change sides regularly rather than always favouring the same side.
A supportive baby carrier can also be useful when appropriate and fitted correctly.

👉🏼Thoracic movement - complete both sides
👉🏼Resistance band - use a light resistance
👉🏼Keep your arms straight when above your head, and keep your elbows into your side when performing the last move.

💛 And most importantly… look after YOU too.

🏔️ Preparing for the Cuillin Ridge⛰️

Dave and his friend Ben is taking on an incredible challenge next week — climbing 11 Munros across the Isle of Skye’s Cuillin Ridge over two days. The expedition will even involve sleeping outdoors near the summit of some of the Munros… I can’t wait to see the pictures!

To prepare for this demanding adventure, David has been putting in the miles with plenty of Munro hikes and runs. Just four days ago, he tackled Schiehallion, running up and down it twice in one day — the equivalent of a half marathon!

Today, we’re giving David a well-earned flush, stretch and full body assessment to help him feel as prepared as possible before taking on the Cuillin Ridge.

He’ll be assisted by Abacus Mountain Guides , who will help him reach all 11 summits of the Black Cuillin, from hiking to technical mountaineering.

From the airy crest of Sgùrr nan Gillean to the iconic Inaccessible Pinnacle, these peaks demand expert route-finding, technical skill and steady nerves.

It’s going to be one incredible adventure! Good luck, David & Ben.

We can’t wait to follow along and see those summit views!