Your Osteopath will complete a thorough case history; they’ll ask you questions about your injury, medical history, occupation, hobbies, activity levels and anything else they feel is relevant. This helps them build a picture and understand your injury.
They’ll then make a decision as to whether you require any further investigations such as MRI’s, X-rays or blood tests. If necessary they can refer you onto the appropriate professional.
Once they have got the information they need they’ll move onto the physical examination. It’s really helpful if you can wear nice stretchy clothes such as gym clothing, so that your movement isn’t restricted and they can easily see how your joints are moving.
They will ask you to go through a few different movements so they can observe your range and quality of movement. They may also perform certain neurological and musculoskeletal tests to help ascertain a diagnosis.
Once a diagnosis has been formed, they will explain this to you and go through their treatment plan. Treatment will vary for each individual case, but generally speaking it will involve a combination of hands on treatment and exercise advice.
This is a statement I hear all the time, one that has developed with no
real evidence. If you are of healthy weight, have healthy knees and are not
subject to osteoarthritis then there is nothing to back up that running will
cause osteoarthritis in your knees. Sure, there are risks of injury through
running, but this is also true of swimming, cycling, weight lifting and of
course… being inactive. The knees are the most prone area to injury in runners
but there are ways we can reduce this risk. Build the points below into your
regime to help minimise the risk of injury during your running journey.
Strength Training
Running is a whole body exercise, strengthening your legs, hips, back
and abdominals can improve your running stride and delay fatigue. Variations of
squats, deadlifts and lunges are fundamental exercises to factor into your
strength training and with good technique will strengthen your legs, core and
back. Many knee injuries can be linked to weak or imbalanced muscles, often
coming from the hips. Isolating the glutes with exercises such as glute bridges
and clams help stablise the hips and knees and therefore reduce the risk of
injury.
Periodisation
Your running schedule should not be the same all year round, periodising
your training will improve your speed, strength, power, aerobic capacity etc,
reduce the risk of injury and will keep it interesting. Structure your training
into 4-8weeks blocks each with a different focus to improve your training.
Starting with a base foundation fitness and muscular endurance is a good place
to start before moving onto strength and power stages. There is an inverse
relationship between volume and intensity, meaning that when one increases, the
other decreases. During strength and power phases the intensity of your
training will be very high but the volume will need to drop to allow your body
to recover and get the most from your sessions. As you are starting to build
your distance up and endurance becoming the key focus, the intensity will drop.
Below is the most basic chart you will find on the relationship between
intensity vs volume.
Treatment
Self Treatment – Stretching, self
massage, mobility training
These are all things you can do yourself at home. Stretching can be done
in front of the TV in the evening to improve any extra tight muscles you have,
more importantly you need to be doing dynamic stretches before you train
to warm the muscles up, and stretches after training to help return muscles
back to their original length before your session. (Check out our free 5km
running plan on our homepage for
some pre and post running stretches).
If you have any knots or tight muscles, applying some pressure to the
area can help alleviate these. If you aren’t sure what you are doing, ask a
professional for some advice.
If you are not moving correctly the risk of injury is greatly increased…
performing some moves in the gym or at home to help mobilise joints and muscles
can greatly reduce the risk of injury.
Professional Care – Sports Massage,
Osetopathy, Physiotherapy, Coaching
Living with pain should not be normality (sore muscles after a workout
is allowed) if you are suffering with muscle or joint pain, get checked out by
an osteopath or physiotherapist and get the problem sorted. Life and training
will be much more fun if you aren’t in pain!
I recommend our friends at Herts
Pain & Injury Clinic who I see regularly to keep me in check and injury
free!
Regular sports massage will help muscles recover and work out any knotted or
tense muscles that have tightened up. Pre and post race massages are also great
to ensure you go into your race as prepared as possible and recover faster!
Having a professional coach to structure your training can prevent you
from over training, make you stronger, faster, fitter and ultimately help you
enjoy your target race! Want to have a chat about how a coach could help you
with your running? Contact Us
now and we can see if our coaching style is suited to you!
Find yourself a proper training programme that increases the distance gradually over time. This should include a variety of running sessions and rest days. Rest days are just as important as the run days. We work closely with a highly experienced running coach at Finishing Line and would highly recommend them!
Stretching and mobility work
It’s important to work on your mobility and flexibility, some people prefer to just do their own stretching others prefer going to regular yoga sessions! Whichever works best for you.
Strength training
Try and incorporate some strength training into your programme. The stronger you are the more resilient to injuries you will be.
Stop if you get a niggle – don’t train through an injury
You’re better off missing a few sessions and getting an injury looked at rather than working through the pain and causing yourself more damage. A niggle can very quickly turn into a full blown injury.
Regular sports massage
Sports massage can improve your recovery rate, mobility and general performance! A good therapist can also pick up any underlying issues that might not necessarily be causing any pain before it becomes an issue!
Suitable footwear!
Its important you buy shoes
that are suitable for your feet and running style. Find yourself a specialist
running shop that accesses your gait and advises on which shoes are best suited
to you.
There is a common misconception that osteopaths just treat backs! This is not the case at all! Yes, we do treat backs and it is probably one of our most common presentations. But we also treat a wide variety of other injuries and symptoms.
Sports Injuries!
Tendonitis
Tennis Elbow / Golfers Elbow
Plantarfasciitis
Shin Splints
Muscles strains
Ankle and wrist sprains
Shoulder impingements
Rotator cuff injuries
Knee pain
Hip impingements
Post operative rehab e.g. ligament repairs
Pregnancy Related issues
Pubis symphysis pain
Sacroiliac joint dysfunction
Low back pain
Postural Related Issues
Neck pain
Headaches
Low back pain
Shoulder pain
Age Related Issues
Osteoarthritis
‘Wear and tear’
Spondylosis
Disc degeneration
Post operative rehab (e.g. joint replacements)
Back Related Issues
Low back pain
Nerve impingement
Neck pain
Rib pain
Sacroiliac joint dysfunction
Whiplash
Our osteopaths will perform an in-depth examination, work out exactly what it is that’s causing the symptoms and then develop a specific treatment plan. They will advise you on any rehabilitation exercises that may be of use and answer any questions you may have!
