Obesity and Poor Lower Leg Circulation

Obesity Calf Muscle Fatigue-poor circulation-Michael Gillan Ultra Marathon Recovery Specialist

Copyright 2008 Michael Gillan http://www.aching-legs-relief.com/obesity_fatigued_legs.html

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Obesity Leg Fatigue and poor lower leg circulation

Obesity is fast becoming a worldwide epidemic and there are many problems arising from being obese-these can range from heart disease through to diabetes through to lower leg circulation problems where blood is not able to get from the lower part of the body, the legs and feet back up into the main part of the body for recycling

Fresh legs-healthy calf circulation

To keep the lower leg circulation working and the calf muscles fresh, the muscles rely on having a constant supply of fresh blood to the muscle tissues-it is sent to the lower legs under pressure through the arteries and ever decreasing in size vessels called arterioles and even smaller capillaries while at the same time the pressure taking it there also decreases

By the time the blood reaches the feet, all the pressure has been used, and there is none left to return the blood back up the legs to the body against gravity again

The job of returning used blood back up the legs for re-nourishment and recycling is carried out by a pumping system formed by the muscles in the legs, but the main power for this is supplied by the calf muscles as they move, putting pressure on and taking it off the vessels called the veins

The veins have one-way valves in them which open as the blood passes through them, and closes to stop it going back down to the feet again-in this way, as used blood leaves the legs, and fresh blood replaces it-to maintain the balance between them, a similar volume of used blood should leave the legs as enters them

Calf Muscle Fatigue There are many medical reasons for fatigued calf muscles, and to find out whether any of them are contributing to them, they should be checked out by a medical professional so that the cause can be addressed-do not take chances and self diagnose-you could be risking your life if they are ignored

Blood pumped from heart through arteries under pressure

Reaches feet Pressure runs

out

Calf muscles act as pump

motors

Used blood is moved up the legs through the veins

On return to body blood is renourished and recycled

http://www.aching-legs-relief.com/obesity_fatigued_legs.html



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Calf Muscle Fatigue

Most obese people develop a lifestyle of little movement an inactivity-this not only reduces activity further it reduces the benefits that may be gained from exercise when it does happen-it also reduces the ability of the legs to contribute to their own circulation

By not moving the legs, the pump does not work as well as it should-this disrupts the cycle and allows used blood to remain in the lower legs-as it its not being removed, water (lymph fluid) separates from it and fills the tissue spaces, as it is not being pumped away quickly enough, the ankles swell

The calf muscles start to move even less, and the less they move, the less used blood and fluid is removed from the lower legs, and the flow of fresh blood into them is reduced even more

Calf muscle fatigue, tight muscles, and poor lower leg circulation can chase each other around in a cycle that is difficult to break out from-each is a self destructive part that props up the other parts of the cycle and it will take a circuit breaker to disrupt the cycle of fatigue

Leading to even less activity as the weight gained makes it more difficult to walk, so more weight is gained and the risks to health increase-when walking is attempted, the changing body shape supported by the legs adds pressure to the leg joints and muscles, and it becomes difficult to do activities like climbing stairs

As the legs start to fill up with fluid, they get heavy and wearing shoes that fit properly and provide stability becomes harder to do, so many people resort to wearing thongs which provide no stability at all for the legs and feet, and makes the wearer develop a shuffling gait when they walk simply to keep them on

The shuffling reduces the use of the muscles pumping action even further by tightening the calf muscles and prevents fresh blood entering the tissues so the legs are tired all the time

Calf Muscle Fatigue

Tight calf muscles

Poor blood return

Fresh blood reduced




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Keeping mobile is keeping independence, once you lose that and the legs stop working, everything else slowly stops working as well-a little story about this, and the loss of independence and early death, and the pain that can come with dying this way

There is plenty of information out there about obesity and the dangers of being obese and why the aim should be to lose weight to reduce the possibility of poor health and an early death-this is not my area of expertise so I am not going to worry about this, my advice is not going to add anything to the argument or motivate the obese person into trying to lose weight

My skills lie in recovering people who are running and walking long distances, so I deal with lower leg circulation and calf muscle recovery-my arguments lie in convincing you to keep the circulation in the lower legs going to keep the legs as healthy as possible so that some health problems may be minimized

I work in a small country hospital as an orderly to pay my bills, we got a man in who was very obese in the emergency department-we did not have a suitable wheelchair that he could sit in so he had to go on a trolley that could barely hold his frame-to get him onto it we had a lifter but he was over the safety limit, but we had no choice

The sling hurt him because although it was a large one, it was too small for him and it caused him pain as we hoisted him up from the edges cutting into him-eventually we had found the strongest bed in the hospital for him on the ward-but not the biggest

Transferring him into the bed was a major undertaking as once we got him up to the ward the room was only big enough to take the bed, not the lifting machine as well-once we had him in bed, we had to leave him there because the height of the bed would not adjust once we has him on an air mattress-the electric motor was under strain because of his weight

Changing and washing him was a major affair as to simply roll, clean, and change gown, him and the bed needed 4 of us to do it safely-but gentle as we were, the pain of being moved made him scream-but we had to do it because his weight caused him to have bed sores all over

He stayed with us for 3 weeks slowly becoming more helpless through the inability to move-I will never forget the look of pain and helplessness in his eyes as he was dying slowly while fighting for each breath-it was not a pretty or dignified death for anyone to have to go through

No I am not a doctor or qualified to lecture on the health problems connected with being obese, but I have seen the final result of the pain and discomfort that these problems can bring-seeing someone going through it in the final few weeks of their life and knowing it could possibly have been prevented by losing some weight is not an experience that is easy to forget

Diet by itself is not the answer to losing weight-o r improving lower leg circulation Quote-‘A journey of a 10,000 miles begins with 1 st ep’ Mao Tse Tung

Exercise is also needed but to start doing this if you are past the moving stage is difficult-you can’t just stand up and start walking after being immobile for a long period and basically losing the ability to move-to take the first step, it is better to start the legs moving gently while at the same time taking some of the fluid pressure from the lower legs so the muscles can get some fresh blood into the tissues




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Massage and recovery from calf muscle fatigue

Massage in sport is one of the most commonly used (and cheapest) forms of recovery from stiffness and soreness after an event-it is also one of the least understood-if considering this as part of a recovery program and considering getting someone to work with you, there are 2 basic rules in deciding the best method for you

• The body recovers itself-anything used is just there to assist or facilitate that • No matter how good the therapist-the last man who could heal with his hands using touch

died 2000 years ago

Many therapists have a belief that they know what is best for recovery and tend to work too hard on the muscles; they may accidentally cause damage to the tissues which the body then has to repair

To illustrate my point-I recently officiated as the recovery person at a 24-hour 100 mile event, I have my own area slightly away from the track where people come in when they have pushed their boundaries too far, and I am usually kept busy from about the 12 hour mark

I did not know there was a massage therapist pulling the walkers off the track for work until one of the first aiders on a walk around caught him digging into one of the walker’s muscles and reported what he saw to the official in charge

It was too late, the damage had been done, she had a bad injury to her buttock muscles which made it impossible to continue-her event came to an abrupt finish and she went home devastated because someone considered that he was going to fix her soreness issues with his hands

It turns out he was a qualified massage therapist, but had only worked with huge football players, and while he may have been good in that area, did not have the slightest idea and could not adapt to recovery of slightly built runners and walkers who had just pushed things too far If someone is considering massage, they should be aware of what is happening; using the example from Sandra Brown to stress how important the correct approach to muscles is.

“The second tear (at least I have matching legs with old tears on both sides) was caused, to my great annoyance at the time, by an overenthusiastic physio who was supposed to be helping me to warm up gently before a 24 hour race and got carried away. I am now more wary of having physio at any time, and make sure that I stay in control, by saying at the outset what I want and don’t want to be done to me. Having never had a persistent injury (my varied training pattern means that any niggles have the chance to heal quickly, rather than get hammered and go critical,) I have never had regular physio or a steady relationship of trust with any physiotherapist who knew me and my needs. The closest I have come to this was receiving massage from Michael Gillan during the Nanango (Queensland) 1000-mile race in 1996. I had no hesitation in having a massage from Michael again at the end of the Melbourne 100 miles walk in 1999. Michael’s approach is very gentle at all times, and always works with the athlete and puts the athlete in control, thus minimizing the risk of harm and maximizing the benefit Source:http://www.surreywalkingclub.org.uk/Training?Advice/Articles/training_for_ultras_by_sandra_br.htm#Training/forUltras_SB

SANDRA BROWN 1996 Ladies 1000 Mile World Record Holder




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Light Manual Muscle Relaxation

The walk you have when you are not having a walk

The system I use to put my runners and walker back together offers a simple system of movement and muscle assistance that helps the circulation by using the muscles themselves to start things off It trains the muscles and brain to move together by giving the body a walk before exercise is started doing this prepares the legs for work so that when it actually happens it is easier to do

It is a Do-It-Yourself method based on encouraging the muscles and tissues to assist in their own recovery-it works with the muscles not on them

• It is not a massage system

• It is not invasive

• It is not aggressive

• It is not time consuming

• It does not need disrobing

• It does not need oil applied to the skin

• It does not need strong hands and fingers

• It does not need hand/brain coordination

• It does not need equipment

• It does not work on the muscles

• It does not work on any specific injuries

• It does not threaten the integrity of the muscles

• It does not use force on the muscles

• It does not need more than a few minutes to do

• It does not require a long course or workshop




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What makes Light Manual Muscle Relaxation different from other systems? Light Manual Muscle Relaxation combines a sound medical physiological based theory with simple movement to offer a practical ongoing system for self recovery

Dr Guyton offers the theoretical solution to the problem of aching legs and Light Manual Muscle Relaxation offers the practical, tested, simple, oil free, environmentally friendly version 'Pumping caused by external Compression of the Lymphatics' Guyton-Textbook of Medical Physiology eighth edition-1991 W.B. Saunders Company-ISBN 0-726-3994-0 (p. 182)

It is an alternative stripped down basic tool which uses the muscles to work with themselves rather than relying on the skills of someone who works on them

This model has many benefits for someone who has to take the place of a skilled therapist where there is a shortage of them or there is not the financial ability to afford the real thing What do I do differently and how can the obese pers on benefit from my experience? By understanding that the body is recovering itself, and using the muscles by working with and not

working on them, a better circulation can be achieved

Some references for Light Manual Muscle Relaxation

Michael’s methods of massage and blister care helped me to stay mobile throughout the race and to recover quickly afterwards. His techniques are safe and gentle. Unlike some treatments, which put the runners and walkers at risk of muscle tears or infection, Michael’s techniques are light, safe, reassuring, and highly effective. They enhance comfort and flexibility, build confidence, and promote success.

This booklet will help others to learn and practice Michael’s methods. It is recommended reading for everyone who walks and runs and who wants to go further, go faster, or just to enjoy life more!!' SANDRA BROWN1996 Ladies 1000 Mile World Record Holder 1999 Ladies 100 mile Race walking World Record Holder

“I know that your massage kept a number of competitors in the event. The cold weather of Saturday afternoon and night certainly got to many of the walkers and your prompt action had them back in the race after a short stop. In years past, that would have ended up as a non-finish; a number of walkers were able to keep going for the full 24 hours on the basis of your expert help.”

Tim Ericson Secretary Australian Centurions Club

'I have known Michael Gillan for many years and have always got quick relief for my aches and pains from the stretching he performs'. CLIFF YOUNG-Ultra Marathon Runner




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For many years Coburg Harriers has conducted the Victorian 24 hour Track Championship and the Australian Centurion 24 Hour Race Walk, the overall event being the Coburg 24 Hour Carnival, which also includes a separate 6 Hour run/walk event.

This type of event is very demanding on Competitors, and each year, in addition to First Aid support, we seek to have the services of a masseur who can work on tired legs and also treat blisters in order to keep entrants on the track.

We have been privileged for many years to have had the voluntary services of Michael Gillan who with his techniques is able to coax renewed life from extremely tired muscles and legs to get athletes back on the track when they were thinking that they would have to retire.

Michael has a very well deserved reputation in the “Ultra” running and walking fraternity who look forward to his presence at our events as they know he gets results without causing further injury with his treatments. It is rewarding to see exhausted competitors come from the track in the early hours of the morning, convinced that they are unable to continue, only to see them return to the event after being treated by Michael. Our Organising Committee at Coburg is grateful to Michael for his dedication to the sport and can commend his techniques to Athletes. Yours Sincerely, Bernie Goggin Raceday Director / Referee Coburg 24 Hour Carnival 2009 www.coburgharriers.org.au


http://www.coburgharriers.org.au/



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Physiology References

The calf muscle pump (p.209) Physiology: a regulatory systems approach. Fleur L. Strand. Macmillan Publishing Co. Inc.ISBN 0-020979860-4

(p.209)Physiology: a regulatory systems approach. Fleur L. Strand. Macmillan Publishing Co. Inc.ISBN 0-020979860-4

“Venous valve incompetence and varicose veins” ‘Guyton-Textbook of Medical Physiology eighth edition-1991 W.B. Saunders Company-ISBN 0-726-3994-0 Effect of “Hydrostatic” Pressure on Venous Pressure ( P.165) ‘Guyton-Textbook of Medical Physiology eighth edition-1991 W.B. Saunders Company-ISBN 0-726-3994-0 Effect of Hydrostatic Factors on Arterial and Other Pressures (P.167) ‘Guyton-Textbook of Medical Physiology eighth edition-1991 W.B. Saunders Company-ISBN 0-726-3994-0

Calf muscle pump inefficiency ‘Guyton-Textbook of Medical Physiology eighth edition-1991 W.B. Saunders Company-ISBN 0-726-3994-0 ’ (P.177) ‘Guyton-Textbook of Medical Physiology eighth edition-1991 W.B. Saunders Company-ISBN 0-726-3994-0 The Blood Circulatory System (P.150) ‘Guyton-Textbook of Medical Physiology eighth edition-1991 W.B. Saunders Company-ISBN 0-726-3994-0 “The Lymphatic System (P.180) ‘Guyton-Textbook of Medical Physiology eighth edition-1991 W.B. Saunders Company-ISBN 0-726-3994-0 “Pumping caused by external Compression of the Lymphatics Guyton-Textbook of Medical Physiology eighth edition-1991 W.B. Saunders Company-ISBN 0-726-3994-0 (p. 182) Or you can use planned and structured movement that is based on medical physiology and been tested on many ultra marathon runs and walks around the world that takes into account the problems of the client and makes the most of any movement restrictions placed on them

Using an environmentally friendly pro-active leg recovery system is easier than you think when you learn how to use the muscles to work on themselves

Quickly-easily and in an environmentally friendly way! Light Manual Muscle Relaxation (massage-lite) the physiology based recovery

system-anything else is a luxury or not necessary

If you want more details go to my website at http://www.aching-legs-relief.com/obesity_fatigued_legs.html





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Obesity and Poor Lower Leg Circulation

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