Hi. I’m Will, a Registered Massage Therapist in Vancouver, BC, Canada. This is where I share information about my work as an RMT, homecare suggestions like stretches and hydrotherapy, and links to related related sites and articles.
You can also find me on Facebook, Google+ or LinkedIn as Will Wells, RMT, and on Twitter @WillWellsRMT.
Well that’s embarrassing… it’s been almost 2 years since I posted anything here! I’ve been busy, with a new job at Spa Utopia Pan Pacific, and most of all, a new baby in October 2017! It’s all been a bit of a blur, but things are settling down now, the weather’s improving, and I’m looking forward to a great summer. Hope you are too!
What a year! Thanks to everyone who helped make it so good. I’ve had great clients, and lots of support from the folks at Trikinetic Massage Therapy.
Starting now, I’m at Trikinetic one day a week, Mondays 11:45a- 9:00p. Other than that I’m taking some holiday time right now (and moving house!); I’ll keep posting updates as my future moves take shape.
I hope your year was as rewarding as mine, and that you’ve got good things lined up for 2016. Don’t forget to take time to look after yourself – you deserve it, and you owe it everyone who’s counting on you to be on top of your game!
Best wishes for the new year,
Will
The two heads of the Biceps Brachii muscle are involved in flexing the elbow (bringing the hand to the shoulder), supinating the forearm (turning the palm up to the ceiling), and flexing the shoulder (raising the arm in front of the body). Because of its attachments to the scapula, a tight biceps tends to hunch the shoulder forward and in. Here are a couple of quick and easy stretching variations to get a little more length in the upper arm.
Biceps Brachii. Red=long head Green=short head
Guidelines for stretching:
Variation 1:
For a more intense stretch:
References:
1. ↩This image was made out of, or made from, content published in a BodyParts3D/Anatomography web site. The content of their website is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.1 Japan license. The author and licenser of the contents is:
“BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science licensed under CC Attribution-Share Alike 2.1 Japan.”
© William Wells 2015
Getting into the upper traps.
A big thank you to everyone who helped make the Trikinetic booth so successful at the Hastings Park Farmers Market this past Sunday, April 26: Karen Fleming, owner of Trikinetic, for lending me the chair and providing promo materials; the Market organizers, for being so darn organized; the other vendors, for their friendly, welcoming attitude; and of course the folks who climbed in the chair and gave me a chance to work on them.
And a huge thanks to the ridiculously supportive Julia Hewko, for getting up at 8am on a Sunday to help me with setup and strike, plus doggy daycare for my clients! I had a great time, and met some fabulous people. Would definitely do it again!
The booth.
Getting coffeed for the day.
Work that scapula!
© Will Wells, 2015; photos © Julia Hewko 2015.
Glute max, largest of the “butt muscles,” is a powerful extensor of the hip, attaching to the sacrum and iliac crest at one end, and the femur and IT band at the other. It works hard and can develop trigger points. Its attachments also cross the SI joint, so glute max tension can result in pain or reduced movement at the base of the spine.
Gluteus Maximus:
Guidelines for stretching:
For your hip and buttock (gluteus maximus muscle):
Happy stretching! Let me know if I can help with anything.
References:
1. ↩ “Sobo 1909 294” by Dr. Johannes Sobotta – Sobotta’s Atlas and Text-book of Human Anatomy 1909. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sobo_1909_294.png#/media/File:Sobo_1909_294.png
© William Wells 2015
Here’s a stretch for the tensor fascia latae (TFL) muscle. It’s a hip flexor that runs from the point of the hip diagonally down to the IT band. Because of its location, it can be difficult to isolate.
Tensor Fascia Latae. Image created by Beth ohara (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons
I got this exercise from this video from Upright Health:
Happy stretching! If you contact me, I’m happy to answer any questions you might have.
© William Wells 2015
Do you feel like you’re always leaning forward or hunching over a computer? Chances are, your pectoralis minor muscles are short and tight. Here’s a stretch you can do in a couple of minutes during your work day to provide relief and reduce tension.
Pec minor runs from the coracoid process, a forward projection of the scapula (shoulderblade), down to upper ribs. It pull the scapula down and forward, and raises the ribs when your breathe in deeply. When it’s short, it causes the bottom of the scapula to wing out, and puts strain on the serratus anterior muscle, leading to trigger points and pain over the lower ribs and side. Releasing pec minor can lead to easier breathing and a feeling of increased openness through the chest.
Here’s a picture:
Image via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.1 Japan license. Original poster Was a bee. Created: September 10, 2012
As a guideline, stretch on the exhale. If you feel pain, back off a little. Hold the stretch for 4-10 breaths, or until you feel the resistance soften. 3 times is considered ideal, but if you’re short on time then some is better than none.
I hope that helps. Drop me a line if you have questions. Have a great week!
© William Wells 2015.
I’m always on the lookout for new ways to stretch the hip flexor muscles: rectus femoris and the iliopsoas group. I found this video and tried it out, and I like it a lot. “Supine,” means, “Lying on your back.”
Remember, with stretching, if you feel pain, back off a little; definitely avoid anything that causes sharp or stabbing pain. Hold the stretch for 4-10 breaths, or until you feel the resistance soften. 3 times each side is considered ideal, but if you’re short on time then some is better than none.
Here’s the original video. You can substitute a couple of pillows or a bolster for the foam roller.
Here’s the instructions I put together after trying it:
Supine hip flexor stretch:
1. Lie on your back on a firm surface like a yoga mat.
2. Draw your knees up as far as you can while keeping your feet on the mat.
3. Lift your pelvis off the mat in a “bridge” pose.
4. Slide a bolster, a foam roller or a couple of pillows under your sacrum.
5. Pull your knees up to your chest.
6. Holding one knee to keep your tailbone rolled up, slowly let the other leg down to the floor.
7. Feel the stretch in the front of your hip and thigh, and in your lower abdomen.
8. Experiment to find what gives you the best stretch. You can play around with lifting your lower leg or letting it rest on the floor. You can also engage your hip flexors for a few seconds by raising your whole leg, then relax back into the stretch. Alternatively, extend your leg through the heel or toes. Try rocking your pelvis up and down, and side to side.
** When you switch sides, do so by bringing both knees up, then letting the other leg down; this avoids overstraining the low back. **
Have fun, and please contact me if you have any questions.
© William Wells 2015.
The trapezius muscle is one of the big stars of the musculoskeletal world; who hasn’t heard of the traps? It’s understandable. The traps (upper, middle and lower) cover about a third of the back and do a wide range of tasks. Trapezius is a postural muscle, which means that it’s always working to keep you upright. It pulls your shoulders back and down, and your head back, so it’s constantly contracting to counter slouchy shoulders and head-forward posture. Constant contraction in an overstretched position leads to trigger points, aching and pain in the back of the neck.
Trapezius muscle. Image via Wikimedia Commons. Originally posted by Mikael Häggström.
Today we’re focusing on the upper traps. When somebody grabs the bundle of muscle to either side of your neck, that’s upper traps on top.
If you feel pain when you’re stretching, back off a little. Hold the stretch for 4-10 breaths, or until you feel the resistance soften. 3 times each side is considered ideal, but if you’re short on time then some is better than none. Try alternating with stretching the levator scapulae, SCM and scalenes.
Make sense? Got questions? Send me a message and I’d be happy to help you out.
Once again, thanks to the ever-amazing Ray Ranger, RMT from Trikinetic Massage Therapy for posing.
© William Wells 2015.
Your scalenes (there’s 3 of them) are moderately deep muscles in the front of the neck; they’re mostly covered by the much larger sterno-cleidomastoid (SCM), but even though they’re small, they can be a big source of trouble. In fact, because they’re so delicate, they’re highly prone to trigger points.They have a referral pattern of pain that radiates over the front or back of the shoulder, and down the arm to the hand, especially on the thumb side.
The scalene muscles run from the sides of your vertebrae to your first two ribs, and pull the ribs up when you breathe deeply. They also tend to pull your head down and forward when they’re tight, contributing to head-forward posture and pain in the back of the neck.
Anterior, middle and posterior scalenes. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons: Original uploader was Mikael Häggström at en.wikipedia
Here, then, is a stretch to isolate the scalenes, especially the anterior (front) and middle scalene. You can do this stretch as many times a day as you like. It’s good in combination with stretches for the levator scapulae, SCM and upper traps.
If you feel pain when you’re stretching, back off a little. Hold the stretch for 4-10 breaths, or until you feel the resistance soften. 3 times each side is considered ideal, but if you’re short on time then some is better than none.
Thanks to my Trikinetic colleague Ray Ranger for modelling the photos.
© William Wells 2015.
Will Wells, RMT 
