Back in the Race

Top tips to help you back to running in record breaking time.

Our practitioners offer some no nonsense, easy to follow top tips to get you back to performing at your best!

Are you training for or just completed a marathon? At this time of year our practitioner’s report seeing lots of patients complaining of running type injuries.

A little known fact is that if you raise your legs to 90 degrees following a run, the lactic acid will be felt less the following day in your legs. You should ideally rest them up a wall for a good 10 minutes.

Rehydration is very important. Ideally rehydration salts mixed with water but a good quality sports drink should be sufficient.

You don’t need vast amounts. But you do need to recover sodium levels that have been lost through perspiration.

Painful muscle cramp can be caused by dehydration. The best way to deal with it is to rest, sip a sports drink and gently try to stretch the affected muscle.

Relax for the rest of the day. It is going to take 3 days for the inflammation to reduce so maybe take turmeric supplements or even ibuprofen (if appropriate for you) to help.

Heat is not your friend. If you have a sore lower back, knee, shin or Achilles tendon there is more likely inflammation present. If you apply heat to an inflamed area it attracts more blood locally, which in turn increases inflammation.

As heat is applied pain reduces as the inflammatory markers in the blood are reduced/ diluted by the additional blood. Unfortunately this in turn brings more inflammatory markers. You take off the heat and the additional blood reduces but, the extra inflammatory markers remain.

You need ice or something cold on the sore areas. Ideally for 3-5 mins per hour and gentle movement to stop the inflammation from building up. I am not talking about a brisk walk, just a standing up every half hour or so just to mobilise around the back and hips for a couple of minutes.

Injury

There is very little an osteopath can do for the first 72 hours following an injury.

With muscle strains and ligamentous sprains our advice is RICE. That is unless it’s a significant injury. Then you should visit A&E immediately.

If you feel an injury is more than a sprain or strain you should see your GP. If you suspect fracture, dislocation or ligamentous rupture that’s a trip to the hospital.

Rest the injured part

Ice the area regularly. It’s recommended to ice an injury for 20 mins every 2 hours.

Compress the injured area. A compression bandage is ideal.

Elevate the injured area

 

If after 72 hours there is still pain, that’s the time to visit us at Cedar Hall Clinics in Thurrock or Benfleet in Essex. We are highly trained to give you a diagnosis, treatment (if appropriate), advice on management and a prognosis.

With regards to running again, injured or not, I’d recommend taking a little time off. At least to begin with.

Avoid any running at all for a week, maybe two, depending on how you feel. Walking is OK and is a good way to reduce the metabolic waste products from the muscles.

You can contact us on 01375 678877 or 01268 774249 we offer free assessments

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Time for an MOT?

As the weather improves (well we can always hope), we perhaps turn our thoughts to a more active lifestyle. The more committed athletic folk in our coummunities have already been pounding the streets & parks as they prepare for the marathon season and to those we send our best wishes & admiration.

We see quite a few dedicated runners & athletes at our clinics throughout the season. Some turn up when injury threatens an upcoming event but most come for regular MOTs throughout the year.  It gives them confidence that they’re still at peak fitness and ready to face the next challenge. But not all patients who return every 3 months or so for an MOT are athletes, far from it. Many are busy office workers, teachers, healthcare staff and manual workers who know when their body is giving them a little hint that help is needed. The odd twinge or low grade ache reminds them that some treatment is needed.

Regular MOT body checks may well nip a bigger pain problem in the bud and save time, effort and hard earned cash!

 

 

Celebrating Our Sponsored Athletes

Cedar Hall Clinics Thurrock & Benfleet are now into the 5th year of sponsoring local young athletes – helping them to achieve their goals. Starting back in 2011 with just 1 athlete the figure has now soared to 12 – all receiving free treatments, advice and encouragement. To date directors Sara Lovett & Jacki Milne have given over £50,000 in treatment sponsorship. We are proud of our work within the community and are happy to celebrate our rising athletic stars. Here’s our current Sponsorship Team:

http://www.cedarhallclinics.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

 

Importance of Ice

Don’t forget the importance of ice. It’s a cheap & effective form of pain relief & reduces inflammation until you can get to your osteopath or physio!!

http://www.cedarhallclinics.co.uk

 

 

 

Time to Optimise your Vitamin D Levels?

Thousands of studies have been done on the health effects of vitamin D, and research shows that it is involved in the biochemical function of all cells and tissues in your body, including your immune system and function.

The Importance of Vitamin D

When you’re deficient in vitamin D, your health can deteriorate in any number of ways, because your cells actually need the active form of vitamin D to gain access to the genetic blueprints stored inside the cell.

It’s been estimated that if vitamin D levels were raised among the general population, it could prevent chronic diseases that claim nearly one million lives throughout the world each year!

So please, take advantage of this fabulous opportunity to get this vital education free of charge, and share it with everyone you know so they can be empowered too.

Besides addressing your diet, optimising your vitamin D level is perhaps one of the most potent ways you can improve your health.

With thanks to Allergy Specialist Clare Gale.

http://www.cedarhallclinics.co.uk/

 

Injury Woes – but Sophie ready to get back on Track

For the majority of the 2014 outdoor season, I spent most of my time as a spectator on a spin bike. Achilles tendinopathy in my right foot caused me to finish my season at the end of May. As I wasn’t able to train or compete all summer, I was determined to make the most out of the 2015 season. However, my injury had other plans.

Getting back on track

With plenty of completed bike sessions, rehab exercises, treatment and recovery, my injury started to improve. I was soon able to jog, which over time turned into steady running. After a while, I was able to complete sessions again and things were looking brighter. At university, I continued with my rehab exercises to ensure I wouldn’t have any problems and for some time, it seemed to work. For many months, I was able to train without any pain and it appeared that my injury had finally healed.

During the Easter break, I was lucky enough to go on an altitude training camp with my university to Font Romeu, France. It was a great experience running in the mountains and it benefitted my fitness greatly. I would love to go there again next year.

However, once I returned home, the problems started again. About a week before the BUCS outdoor championships, I completed a speed session. The session went well and I was happy with the way I was running, especially with a competition coming up. Unfortunately, that evening, my Achilles was sore and inflamed. I spoke to my coaches and made a joint decision to pull out of the race. I was devastated. I felt like all my progress had stepped back a whole year. I went straight back to cross-training, rehab and treatment. Along with the sore Achilles also came a tight back. Due to my constant limping, I was straining my posture. However, thanks to Sara’s hard work at Cedar Hall, she has managed to get my posture back into the correct position.

At the moment, things are looking positive! I am not back to training fully yet but I am slowly getting there which is exciting! My aim for this year is to get fit and strong, and hopefully be ready to race for the indoor season.

Blog by sponsored athlete Sophie Riches

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The Hard Battle Back to the Top – an Athlete’s Tale

I believe athletics is much more about the mental game than it is the physical. You could be the fastest runner in the world but if you don’t believe in yourself you will not get anywhere. If you haven’t got the mental stability to be the best, it will never happen.

This is a problem which I have come across the past year or so. I lost all belief in my talent and was on the verge of giving up athletics. After long hard thoughts and talks with my parents, coach and mentors at Cedar Hall my mind set has changed again and I’m back! I haven’t competed this year due to the lack of training and self-belief but I am now back training to get in the best possible shape for next season and to make sure I am back racing with the best hurdlers in the country and hopefully the World one day.

Since starting my athletics career in 2009 I have had much success on the track. Starting in 2012 where I managed to get myself an England kit and an International medal. After this achievement the hard work started, it wasn’t just for fun anymore it was for real. Every athlete who was near the top of the rankings, including me, were all training 110% to be the best.  2013 was the season I become part of Team Cedar Hall, This season went just as planned, I medalled at the English schools and had high hopes for the oncoming season.

At the end of the 2013 season I decided to change coach, which was the best thing I could have done at this stage of my career, still young and still lots more to learn. My pre-season training went really well and I was in great shape for the 2014 season, however race after race it just wasn’t happening. My hurdling would go perfect in training and then terrible in my races. This is what affected me mentally.

Robbie at Cedar Hall Clinic

The indoor season was best forgotten and I tried to concentrate on the outdoor season, After the few months out thinking about what I really wanted I decided I really want to become one of the best, so I got back into training. With a good mentality back going into training for the indoor season I picked up an injury which knocked me down again. Having recovered fully from my injury and now getting back into training with the right frame of mind,  I look forward to turning my athletics career back into a successful career and push on to be the athlete I aspire be. 

Without the help of Cedar Hall I would not be the person or athlete I am today and hopefully from now on there will be many successful years to come.

Blog by 110m hurdler Robbie Clarricoats – Sponsored athlete at Cedar Hall Clinics

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Poppy Lake – Jumping Back to Health & Fitness.

Last Christmas, having had a long winter training period, I went on holiday with my family expecting to return relaxed & refreshed and ready to continue my training schedule. However instead I felt completely fatigued & desperately tired. My symptoms became progressively worse – dizziness, rapidly changing body temperatures, fainting episodes at the university gym & even an uncontrollable fit. By this time I knew there was something very wrong and so I took myself off to the doctors’s surgery where after several false starts & misdiagnosis I eventually got to see a doctor who actually listened to me. I had glandular fever!

Apparently my blood tests came back as some of the worst results the doctor had ever seen. My liver enzyme level was similar to that of a heavy drinking alcoholic & she was surprised I was still walking and not flat on my back in a hospital bed. I was ordered complete rest & sent home from university, causing me to miss weeks of lectures.

Five and a half months later, after many blood tests, care and rest, I was finally given the all clear but had missed the entire indoor season and the start of the outdoor. I had already returned to Uni but not allowed to train. It was agony watching all the other high jumpers and athletes hitting PBs and smashing records whilst I had been forced to rest, rest and yet more rest.

Getting Back in Action

It was after my return to Uni that I made a very poor decision. I was starting to feel normal again but depressed at my enforced inactivity. So stupidly I started to train and do circuits in my room. But this just hindered my progress and made me feel ill again. I had to stop. Eventually the day came when I was allowed to train 3 times a week, 1 hour at a time which was a miniscule amount in comparison to my usual week’s training schedule. But with this training plan I saw improvements to my general mood and get a slight “spring” in my step again which really made me take a more positive look at the situation.

My training sessions were increased to 4 times a week, however I was not allowed to let myself get out of breath or push my heart rate too high as this would trigger the illness to kick in again. Following more blood tests I was allowed to increase my training sessions to 90 minutes, however the illness was very much a presence and I found the sessions tough going. My squat weight fell down to 50kg to from 120kg and dead lifts falling to 60kg from 100kg. But by now I knew I just needed to be patient, my strength would return.

I am now back to full training and am working through this season in preparation for next season; make a full recovery and strong comeback. It was incredibly upsetting to have to withdraw from BUCS indoors & outdoors, European Junior Championships and both the U20 and Senior British Championships this season. But I am now looking forward to next year and to what level I can push myself to achieve after missing out massively this year.

Working with Cedar Hall helps to keep my body working at its beat and throughout my illness the team have been hugely supportive of me and my progress. Now that I am able to train fully again I will be having treatments to ensure my body is well looked after and functioning properly.

by Poppy Lake – High Jump

http://www.cedarhallclinics.co.uk/

 

The Sweet Taste of Success – Khai Style

Success

Is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. So whether that is winning a Gold medal at the Olympics or even getting up early for school, you have succeeded. Now even though these points are not similar there is a common word used to accomplish this and that is WORK.

Yes, you even have to work to get out of bed because we all love to lay in especially if we have been up all night and have to get up early but in order to succeed we MUST work for it. Everyone who is successful has had to work for it, in my case, Athletics, hurdles to be exact.

Racing to Success

I started off as a thrower but transitioned into a runner and that didn’t happen overnight. I had to work to transition my power from my arms to my legs. As we all know Speed+Strength=Power and you have to work hard to accomplish even one of these elements in order to achieve your main goal. This requires a lot of work.

Now when I talk work I’m not talking the bare-minimum, I’m talking 100%, Blood Sweat and Tears, put everything into it, “Train hard, Win easy”. That concept goes for anything in life, even getting out of bed or working your hardest to finish the race first.

Even though it may be a struggle or you feel like giving up, just remember why you started, was it worth investing all that time just to give up? No one can take your success away from you.

Khai Riley Laborde 110m hurdles  Cedar Hall Clinic sponsored athlete.

http://www.cedarhallclinics.co.uk

 

Sports Injuries

Sports Injuries are often the result of overuse and over training, such as runner’s knee or tennis elbow where the athlete pushes his/her body to the limit. Sports injuries can also occur due to under training or poor training practices. Not stretching or having a good warm up regime can also lead to injury as the body is not prepared for the exercise.

So whether you are a weekend warrior or an elite athlete, osteopathy can help with prevention of injury as well as treatment of many common sporting or recreational injuries. Ankle and shoulder injuries are very common in amateur and professional sport. These injuries are often neglected or poorly treated which can lead to recurrence and early degenerative conditions.

Some common sporting injuries are neck & back strain, shoulder, elbow & wrist injuries e.g. tennis/golf elbow, hip, knee, leg & ankle injuries, groin strain, achilles tendonitis, cartilage/ligament strain and more.

http://www.cedarhallclinics.co.uk/treatments_sports.html