Movement Therapy Clinic will again sponsor Albertina Kerr’s Race for the Roses on April 14th, 2013.  Come on down to the Oregon Convention Center on race day and take advantage of some of Portland’s finest sports massage therapists!  Good luck with your training!!

Track & Field USA Olympic Trials

Hayward Field, Eugene, OR

What a wonderful team to be part of!  This year we had medical professionals from all over the country here in Eugene to help support the Olympic hopefuls in the Track & Field USA Olympic Trials. And we are especially fortunate to have a large number of the massage therapists, chiropractors, physical therapists from the Oregon area.  A special thanks to Don Butzner & Holley DeShaw (the  sports massage team co-coordinators) who put in many hours of volunteer work to make this event go so smoothly for us and the athletes.

April Neufeld Volunteers for Olympic Team

Hayward Field, Eugene, OR

In 2008 April Neufeld worked with the medical team to support the Track & Field Olympic hopefuls.  She is proud to return with other Oregon sports massage therapists (LMTs) & LMTs from around the country to support this years USA Olympic Team. Good Luck athletes!!

Prefontaine Classic 2012

Hayward Field, Eugene, Oregon

Congratulations to all the runners in this year’s event.  The sports massage team had a wonderful time working with all of you.  We had a wonderful medical team who worked together to support the athletes.

Race for the Roses sports massage 

Tomorrow Race for the Roses will receive post-event sports massage from Movement Therapy Clinic and other local massage therapists.  Post-event sports massage primarily supports runners in recovering from the strenuous workout of running.  The goal is to help the body return to homeostasis.  The massage therapists providing sports massage are professionals from different clinics in Portland who work as a team.  These therapists can help athletes on-going to achieve their fitness goals.  Thank you to: Susannah Skye, Jon Wood, Jeannie Brickley, and Ron Patt for being great LMTs!

We look forward to seeing you out there.

Join Fit Right NW and Movement Therapy Clinic for the First Thursday Run leaving from NW Portland every first Thursday from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm.

Competitor Magazine Announces Annual “Best of” Winners

The annual reader survey published in the January issue of Competitor recognizes the top stores, events and products for athletes.

San Diego, Calif. ‐ December 19, 2011 ‐ The votes are in, and Competitor magazine’s readers have once again chosen their favorite products, events and services in the active sports world. The results of the annual reader survey—votes are tabulated on the magazine’s website—will be published in the January 2012 issue of Competitor.

More than 5,000 readers voted to choose their favorites of 2011. “Our readers go to more events, visit more stores and try more new products than anyone,” says Competitor SVP/Publisher Doug Kaplan. “Our collection of Best of Awards is a great way to find the best innovators across the country.”

The categories of the Best of Awards include recognition of events, sporting goods stores, clubs, charity training programs, gyms and products that prove to be favorites of Competitor’s readership.

Ever wonder if post-event sports massage is really doing anything? Well, the researchers at the Institute for Research on Aging and McMaster University in Hamilton Ontario just released a study that shows muscle cells recover faster with massage therapy than with just rest alone.

Study shows massage reduces inflammation following strenuous exercise

Most athletes can testify to the pain-relieving, recovery-promoting effects of massage. Now there’s a scientific basis that supports booking a session with a massage therapist: On the cellular level massage reduces inflammation and promotes the growth of new mitochondria in skeletal muscle. The research, involving scientists from the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and McMaster University in Hamilton Ontario appears in the February 1st online edition of Science Translational Medicine.

The study involved the genetic analysis of muscle biopsies taken from the quadriceps of eleven young males after they had exercised to exhaustion on a stationary bicycle. One of their legs was randomly chosen to be massaged. Biopsies were taken from both legs prior to the exercise, immediately after 10 minutes of massage treatment and after a 2.5 hour period of recovery.

Buck Institute faculty Simon Melov, PhD, was responsible for the genetic analysis of the tissue samples. “Our research showed that massage dampened the expression of inflammatory cytokines in the muscle cells and promoted biogenesis of mitochondria, which are the energy-producing units in the cells,” said Melov. He added that the pain reduction associated with massage may involve the same mechanism as those targeted by conventional anti-inflammatory drugs. “There’s general agreement that massage feels good, now we have a scientific basis for the experience,” said Melov.

Study participants were recruited at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Lead author Mark Tarnopolsky, MD, PhD, from the Department of Pediatrics and Medicine said the research provides much needed validation for a practice that is growing in popularity. “The potential benefits of massage could be useful to a broad spectrum of individuals including the elderly, those suffering from musculoskeletal injuries and patients with chronic inflammatory disease,” said Tarnopolsky. “This study provides evidence that manipulative therapies, such as massage, may be justifiable in medical practice.”

About 18 million individuals undergo massage therapy annually in the U.S., making it the fifth most widely used form of complementary and alternative medicine. Despite several reports that long-term massage therapy reduces chronic pain and improves range of motion in clinical trials, the biological effects of massage on skeletal tissue have remained unclear.

Provided by Buck Institute for Age Research

“Study shows massage reduces inflammation following strenuous exercise.” February 1st, 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-massage-inflammation-strenuous.html

The time has come for spring training.  The Get Fit Live Fit running & walking program will prepare you for a 5k, 1/2 marathon or full marathon.  Fit Right NW is the official training program for the Vancouver Marathon and Movement Therapy Clinic has again partnered with them to support those runners (and walkers!) who are setting new fitness goals.  Come out and join us Wednesdays at 6pm at Duniway Track and Saturdays at 8am at Fit Right NW.