A Marathon Challenge

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

Our osteopath Lorraine offers 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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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/

 

Happy New Year – Keep that Pain Away

Cheers to a fab 2015

 

 

Getting in Shape for Sport

Director & senior osteopath Sara Lovett gives useful advice on how to prevent & treat injury in sports.

 

Have you got what it takes?

Will you be joining our winning team of athletes?

Cedar Hall Clinic is delighted to offer another full treatments sponsorship to a local athlete. We already sponsor 6 elite young people and would welcome applications from athletes aged 16 or over. Send all your details together with why you should be the next recipient of our award-winning & prestigious sponsorship to our Thurrock clinic:-

Cedar Hall Clinic, 13 King’s Parade, King St, Stanford le Hope, Essex SS17 0HR.

Entries by 1st March please.

If you are lucky enough to be in the final mix you will be asked to come to the clinic for an informal chat – you must bring either a parent or your coach.  The sponsorship is not restricted to track & field athletes – swimmers, cyclists, gymnasts etc etc will be given consideration.

Good luck!!!!

 

Treatments Pictorial!