Feel the burn . Lactate testing

People are often curious as to what the difference between acupuncture and dry needling is, so today Ahmad Salma ,one of our chartered physiotherapists, explains what dry needling is and what it can do for you. First of all, Acupuncture is an ancient technique based on the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) principles of the flow of Chi (energy) through the body. Acupuncture aims to treat pain by balancing Chi via the insertion of needles at specific acupuncture points. While dry needling is a western medicine technique where sterile acupuncture needles are used to alleviate tight bands within an over active muscle. The very fine single filament needles are inserted into the skin and muscle targeting these “triggers points” or “knots” Trigger points are described as hyperirritable spots in the fascia surrounding skeletal muscle. They are associated with palpable nodules in taut bands of muscle fibers. These trigger points have been shown to be a large source of local pain, referred pain and restriction. It is often caused by overuse, increased stress, poor posture or as a response to injury. Needling has been known to produce some great results as part of treatment plans, but it is rarely a stand-alone kind of intervention and is just one aspect of a comprehensive manual physical therapy approach and is usually combined with other manual therapies.At DBSM, Orla Deegan and Ahmad Salma are chartered physiotherapists who are specialized in Acupuncture / Dry Needling treatment as part of their education and experience to date.

DBSM is proud to to have an Alter-G Anti-Gravity Treadmill, an incredible tool and the only one available in the north Leinster, south Ulster region open to the public.

This state of art equipment is a rehabilitation treadmill, which helps patients rehabilitate from injuries, neurological conditions, joint replacements, lower back pain, weight loss programs and many other conditions.

Here in DBSM we can cater for all of the above conditions listed as we have two experienced physiotherapists and a team of strength & conditioning coaches & nutritionists, which work together in a professional environment to provide the best rehabilitation programs and advice for every client.

How can Physiotherapists use the Alter-G Anti-Gravity Treadmill?

There are numerous benefits, which the Anti-Gravity Treadmill has for physiotherapists. They can be used for chronic conditions such as lower back pain, joint replacements or gait training and strengthening for neurological conditions. They can also be used in an elite sport environment for athletes who want to get back to peak physical fitness as fast as physically possible.

When you start to train seriously in your 40’s usually you have a number of aims that you are trying to achieve healthier, fitter, to lose weight or a combination of all. It is important to remember that from a nutrition view point you may not achieve what you expect immediately. You may see marathon training as a great way to lose weight but if you reduce your food intake dramatically at the same time as starting an intensive training program just because “you are in the zone” your success may not be as you would have hoped. And you may run the risk of injury which then throws your training program. Remember what you see on the scales and what is going on below the surface might not be what you would expect. Often when you gain muscle, weight on the scales can go up but you will actually notice that your body shape is changing.

The common questions we get asked when we refer our clients for Pilates are always something like;

“What is Pilates”

“Will it help my lower back pain”

“Will it help me perform better as an athlete”……but the underlying question on everyones mind will always be….”WHY PILATES”

Firstly a little background history on Pilates.

Joseph H Pilates was born in Germany in 1880 and as a child suffered from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever. Joseph disciplined himself physically and overcame his aliments. During his internment at the outbreak of WW1 he began his mat-work routine and later at another camp he began to help the rehabilitation of soldiers using their bedsprings for resistance.

Pilates is a method of exercise that consists of low-impact flexibility and muscular strength and endurance movements. Pilates highlights the use of the abdominals, lower back, hips and thighs the “Core Muscles” of your body. Pilates will improve your posture through shoulder stabilisation, make you feel mentally and physically relaxed and energised and provide you with permanent pain relief by addressing the cause, not the symptom by balancing muscular strength on both sides of your body. Consequently Pilates is ideal for anyone suffering lower back pain, shoulder or hip pain. Pilates will also enhance your balance and joint mobility while reducing stress and tension.

Endurance Sports and how you can use the lactate burn to improve performance!

In endurance sports lactate is a word that is thrown around a lot, but lactate isn’t your foe, in actual fact it can be your training buddy and help improve your training and performance!!

What is Lactate?

Lactate is a by-product of anaerobic metabolism (where oxygen demand is greater than the oxygen being supplied). The anaerobic system uses glucose (carbohydrate) as its fuel. A byproduct of glucose been broken down during anaerobic exercise (at high intensity) is the production of lactate and hydrogen ions. So basically when exercise intensity increases lactate formation also increases.