Are You Fit To Run?
Have you taken up walking or running as part of a new years resolution? Or maybe you are competing in a marathon this year? In the lead up to the various marathons taking place this year many thousands will develop a lower injury as a consequence of extra walking or running. Walking aside, running doesn’t come naturally to most people and in our opinion only 5% of runners have the perfect “body set up” and are unlikely to suffer with injury. So what causes lower limb injury? Poor biomechanics Incorrect training Increasing distance or frequency of training too rapidly Inappropriate footwear Trauma – ankle sprains etc.. In this article we are going to look at how we can observe, analyse and correct faulty biomechanics that contribute to the onset of injury. Biomechanics refers to how the body functions from a mechanical point of view....
Read MoreMuscle Stretching – more harm than good?
Stretching we all do it, but is it really necessary? Stretching became very fashionable in the 1980’s, there wasn’t a fitness programme or video that didn’t advocate it. But does it work and do we really benefit from it? What we do know is that static stretching for less than 40-60 seconds is a waste of time! Your muscle has built in stretch receptors that need to switch off to allow the muscle to relax and lengthen and it takes approximately 40 seconds for this to take place. Static stretching will make muscles longer, eventually and if done enough. However some research suggests that you have to stretch for up to 30 minutes a day to achieve this! So is stretching actually good for us? Lets take a good old fashioned stretch – “touching our toes”. This can be...
Read MoreGareth Bale’s Ankle Sprain
Gareth Bale’s Ankle Sprain I am sure many of you would have heard about or seen Gareth Bales ankle injury, if not follow this link to our Facebook page to see it . Gareth rolled over on his ankle last week and from the video/photo his ankle appears to be at right angles to his leg – ouch! Now most ankles have approximately 30-50 degrees into this direction (inversion) certainly not 90 degrees so how is it that he is scheduled to return to playing football in 2 weeks? Before I explain how, it’s important to understand a little more about the ankle. The bottom of the tibia (shin bone) and fibular bone form a mortise for the talus bone to sit into (a mortise is essentially a hole designed to receive a corresponding projection – the talus)....
Read MoreTrainer Trouble…
Trainer trouble! I wanted to share a patient story with you that is quite common around this time of year. Clive came to see us at the clinic a few weeks back he had been training for the Virgin London Marathon and had developed shin pain (shin splints or as now called Medial tibial stress syndrome). He had attended the marathon exhibition the week before and after undergoing a video gait analysis by a well known sports company was advised that he had over pronation and was to ditch his Mizunos trainers and buy their product (and get a second pair for free!). There was no repeat video in his sparkling new trainers instead he was sent on his way a few pounds lighter after being told they would fix his problem. On attending our clinic he felt the...
Read MoreAchilles pain – Tendonosis or tendonitis?
From the physio couch – Achilles Tendonosis In the clinic we tend to see Achilles problems on a regular basis. Quite often people are coming to us after many months of pain despite various treatments and interventions. This week I (Dan) was interviewed for an online website one of the topics discussed was Achilles Tendonosis. With the marathon season upon us I thought I would share the transcript with you. 1. What is the Achilles Tendon and what does it do? The Achilles tendon essentially connects the calf muscles Gastrocneimus and Soleus to the heel bone. When the calf muscles contract the tendon points the foot down and pushes the heel and foot off the ground. A good example of this occurs when we stand on our tip toes. 2. What is Achilles Tendonosis? A chronic (long standing) condition...
Read More