A few weeks ago I was given the opportunity to go sailing on Six Metre boats down in the States - so I did! 

The weekend was amazing and I had a great time! ... although I did leave the weekend with these very deep bruises on both of my biceps brachii. As spectacular as they looked they were not very painful at all.

Since there were two almost identical bruises I decided to do some experimental work: 

Would working on the bruises really help it heal faster than not working on it? 

In school we were taught how to help speed up the healing process by "dragging" out the stagnant blood so the lymphatic system could reabsorb it quicker. 

I've done work to bruises before but I have never had the chance to compare bruises that received treatment versus no treatment. 

I decided to only treat my left bicep brachii and leave my right one to heal on its own. 

This is what the bruises looked like on Day 2 with no work done: 

I started doing some massage work to the left bruise that night and by Day 4 this is what the bruises looked like: 

Not much difference from a distance; but upclose you could see how the left side looked "smoother" in comparison to the right side which looked "splotchy": (L-R: Right Bicep Brachii, Leftt Bicep Brachii)

After that the bruises started to heal quite quickly! By Day 7 they were basically healed: just a little bit of the inferior portions left: 

Both of the bruises were gone by Day 9. 

I didn't notice any major difference in the healing between the two different sides. I'm right side dominant and use that arm a bit more than the left side so that might have been a factor in the way the right side healed. 

Overall I believe that working on bruises does help them dissolve quicker - I can't tell you how much faster than not having any massage done. 

I will definitely be doing more "experiments" when the opportunity arises though!

Stay Tuned! 

Just recently I've experienced acute neck pain for the first time. I now know how it feels - it sucks. 

Here's the story of how it happened: 
A few friends and I went to watch some MMA fights (which were amazing - there was a KO in under 30 seconds for one fight!), and after the fights, we thought it would be a good idea to try get into the cage and get some photos. (The friends I was with were all involved in some type of martial arts/boxing so this sounded like a great idea.) So we go down to cage level and start talking to some of the people who were involved in the fights. Miraculously my friend and I got into the cage and start play sparring. 

We were probably in the cage for 45-60 seconds; maybe 90 seconds max. We went from play sparring to grappling on the ground. Eventually we were led out of the cage and the night went on. 

The next day I sat in a sailing seminar for 8 hours - with very poor posture. I know - "practice what you preach". Sometimes you just can't get comfortable when you have to sit for long periods of time. I understand that too. 

By Sunday afternoon I could barely move my neck in rotation or side bending (mainly to the left). I thought I could tough it out, but by bedtime my neck was throbbing and it was painful to even just lay down on my back. 

The treatment: 
Monday morning came, and I was able to get a massage, a chiropractic adjustment, and acupuncture - and then I had to work for 6 hours. By Tuesday morning I was 80% better. As the weeks have gone by, I am not 100%, but I'm almost there. 

The Lesson of the story:
Don't trust your friend who you're play sparring with to not "make it real". Always be on your guard and make sure you ground through your centre of gravity. 
Also - don't wait to get help. Because thinking that you can "tough it out" probably isn't the best idea. 

Thank-you alternative medicine! 

As a RMT, I have a lot of patients coming in to see me for acute problems. I've been very fortunate in my life to have not experienced very much pain - but as life goes on, injuries do happen. 

In this section I'll be blogging about my own experiences with injuries and pain. May it be caused by sport, every day living, or my own stupidity. 

Since a young age I've been involved in sports almost all year 'round. I've swam competitively for 9 years, played Ringette for 3 years, girls ice hockey for 3 years; speed skated for 1 year, played high school sports and have completed obstacle courses. I run, snowboard, swim, box, and sailboat race.

So with every injury I've had and healed through; I've gotten a better understanding on how bodies react to treatment. I'm not saying that every body is the same (they definitely aren't), but I can now understand how people feel with injuries. Empathy at its finest.

Are you ready?! Life can get pretty intense - it'll throw you curve balls you're not expecting; and sometimes you get hit. 

- jessica