Citizen Sport injury clinic blogs
With CMK Therapy
Get in the garden
With the London Marathon on Sunday, all the athletes will have finished their training and be tapering down before the race.
Meanwhile spring is in the air and we start to look towards the garden that has suddenly grown out of nowhere.
Many of those gardeners would never dream of going and running for four to five hours, yet without any training or conditioning they will spend four to five hours in the garden digging, cutting down bushes, mowing the lawn and other activities that use muscles or parts of the body that haven't been used frequently, only to find that they wake the following day as if they had just run the Marathon.
The advice here, if you haven't done much gardening or general exercise over the lat few months, slowly ease yourself back into it or you will find you may injure yourself.
Dynamic stretching
Before any physical activity do dynamic stretches instead of static ones as they will get your joints and muscles stiff and ready for exertion.
Only do static stretches after activity as stretches will lengthen the muscle keeping the joint loose and healthy.
Latest breakthrough in running injuries
Video motion analysis is becoming the latest breakthrough in clearing up long term injuries that have failed to respond to conventional treatment.
This is because the way we move i.e. our running style may be a big factor in why we are getting injured. Yes, people have been videoed before, but now computer software allows us to analyse frame by frame and this is important as it allows a qualified biomechanically trained physiotherapist to look at movement patterns.
As we know what movements cause certain injuries, by changing these movements we can help eliminate the injuries.
Why is back pain increasing despite all the latest technological advances like MRI scan?
One of the main reasons back pain is so common is due to the lifestyle that is forced upon so many of us by our work situation.
More and more jobs involve sitting in front of a computer for 7-8 hours a day and often we have driven for up to an hour to get there. On a cold winters night we may sit in front of the TV and by the time we are ready for bed we have hardly stood up straight all day.
Many back problems can be resolved just by getting up and moving around a lot more and taking a 20 minute walk every day.
If your pain still persists visit a physiotherapist for an assessment.
A great new addition to the clinic
We know over 70% of running injuries can be helped by improving your running style and we now have the software that enables us to look at your gait; frame by frame.
Sergio, one of our physiotherapists, has a masters degree in Biomechanics and is now starting to use the video motion analysis to identify poor technique or problems with peoples running styles.
If poor technique is identified then correcting it can aid the recovery of existing injuries or prevent injuries before they occur.
Changing your running technique also provides the possibility of improving your times. The video motion analysis can be used for both long and short distance runners.
Pilates is not just for Women!
Nearly all sports people need to work hard on their core stability from rugby players and athletes to tennis players and horse riders. As we know, good core strength can help prevent some types of injury and can also improve performance.
However, the more athletic your sport, the stronger your core must be. Pilates classes are designed to build up your core strength and can benefit both men and women.
As different people require different levels of core stability, there are different levels of Pilates classes available, so make sure you find the right level Pilates class for you.
Don't let the cold weather stop you from exercising!
If you can't get out to run or cycle, or your sports matches or training sessions are being cancelled due to the weather, don't just do nothing, use the time you have wisely!
Maybe you could work a bit harder on your stretching or doing some core stability exercises or even look at alternatives such as swimming or Pilates to keep you going until the bad weather passes. It may pay off later in the year.
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Weather for Milton Keynes
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
