Category Archives: injury prevention

Myth 1 – I shouldn’t lift weights

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I saw a patient with back pain the other day. Formerly a strong guy, rugby player, used to go to the gym etc. He still does gardening, but because of a previous injury many years ago, he had been warned off any type of heavy lifting, running or significant activity. He came to see me after carrying a 2 year old grandchild around a museum for half a day. So here’s a thing. A formerly strong and fit person who got back pain from carrying a kid around a museum- and in his day to day life, he doesn’t really … Continue reading →

Marathon time

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Ah – February. Marathon training schedules rule the roost. People counting miles, gradually building up the distance. Niggles appear, cold and flu rear their ugly heads, they get ignored, sometimes they disappear, but sometimes they grow more and more insistent. Occasional days get missed, sometimes a week but still the schedule grinds on. Some people, having not got on the bandwagon a month ago are now looking to start an “accelerated” marathon programme- get fit for 26 miles in less than 3 months. Yes. It’s February. Soon enough it will be March, the mornings are slowly getting brighter, runs will … Continue reading →

Calf Stretches

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A common question asked in the running world is “do you stretch?” More often than you think, the answer is “yes”. Quickly followed by, “but only my calves”. Great – stretching is rarely a bad thing. But the way the lower leg muscle group tends to be stretched can be woefully inefficient. A lot of people are really good at stretching ONE of the main lower leg muscles. The other one, (in some peoples opinion, the more important one) doesn’t even get a look in, despite the fact it is used for the majority of force when running. Yikes! Running … Continue reading →

Race vs Recovery: Being intelligent about injury and racing

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If you’ve read any of the recent blogs about hip injuries and races you’ll know that I’ve been building up to a bit of a race for the past year – The TDS, but have also picked up a considerable hip injury. Despite my best efforts, and telling everyone that if they’re going to get injured, do it in a race, not in practice, that is exactly what I did. The process of getting back to proper running has taken a while, and although I have run a couple of times in the last week, it has been nothing really … Continue reading →

Hip Pain – a Physiotherapists Personal Perspective

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Two weeks ago, on Sunday, I woke up and couldn’t bear weight through my right hip. The pain in my Sacroiliac joint was excruciating, and I had to use my hands on the bed, the drawers, the banister, tables, chairs, kitchen worktops, you name it, I used it, in order to get around. What the heck?! Had I done anything in the past 24 or 48 hours that was out of character? Apart from going to a CPD conference and a short 6 mile run, no, not really. However, I was due to be going to Chamonix on Thursday to … Continue reading →

Tape. Does it stop me from falling apart?!

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I read an interesting note on a blog recently. It was about a runner who had been injured and still went ahead with a run they had been training for. I don’t have a problem with that, everyone has important things to do, and if finishing that 10k at all costs is what it is, then so be it. The quote that caught my eye was that after the race, the runner said the therapists tape had “held her together through the run”. Now, I’m going to take a little bit of issue with that one. As humans we have … Continue reading →