Runner’s Knee - Runners Knee is the common and broad term to describe any one of the several conditions which affects the muscles around your patella (knee). It it called Runner’s Knee as in the majority of cases it does affect runners - it can affect anyone from beginners to advanced runners.
There is no doubt that the human body can be very resilient. Short of regenerating new limbs, our bodies are capable of recovering from large amounts of damage, including broken bones. With this in mind, many people are happy to let nature take it’s course following an injury, thinking that seeing a physiotherapist will only act to speed up already healing tissues.
Shin splints is the name given to pain in the shin or front of the lower leg, which is usually caused by exercising. Shin splints are caused from the overuse and stress on your lower legs – Anything that involves running can trigger them. People who participate in high impact sports or anything that involves intense running are more prone to the injury due to the added pressure on their legs.
Tennis elbow is the term given to the pain around the outside of the elbow. Its medical term is lateral epicondylitis. Although this injury is very common within tennis players, it isn’t always caused by playing tennis.
Tom has recently delivered a series of three work shops to the staff at Sussex Uni in association with Sussex Uni Sport titled 'Commit To Get Fit'. The objective of this series was to encouraging participation in exercise, avoiding injury and building strength and flexibility.
It was a pleasure to team up with Terry Cooper and Mark Beresford and we look forward to working with them in the future.
Sussex Uni Talks 2
Sussex Uni Talks 1
Big congrats to our senior physiotherapist Tom Goom who has teamed up with David Bradford and Cycling Weekly to produce a series of cycling articles.
Fad filters - Over a four piece series Tom will look at some of the latest tends in cycling, using guidance from the most recent evidence based research.
Topics that will be explored include strength and conditioning for cycling, should you self diagnose and is stretching necessary?
Check out the magazine for more details.
Cycling Weekly
On Wednesday the 14 May The Physio Rooms were delighted to host a sports performance information evening with The Brighton Multi Sports Club.
Brighton Multisports Talk
With guidance from the most recently published research we explored topics in injury prevention and achieving performance gains for running and cycling. We discussed the biomechanics of running and cycling, sport specific exercise, exercise planing, VIP (volume/intensity/priority) training. The discussions were thought provoking with this very knowledgable group. We also thoroughly enjoyed the tea and cake afterwards!
For more information or to find out more about this great group of sport crazy people please visit their website
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Brighton Multi Sports
Each year over 5 million people in the UK develop chronic pain. It can have significant lasting effects on many aspects of life, making even simple everyday tasks painful and difficult. Unfortunately chronic pain is also complex and challenging to treat. It requires a holistic approach that addresses the many factors that affect your symptoms. What is chronic pain? Definitions of chronic pain vary. Many define it as any pain that continues for more than 3-6 months. Most injuries heal in this time frame so pain that persists after the usual healing period is usually considered chronic. Common sites for chronic pain are the lower back and neck but symptoms are often widespread and changeable.
Faulty theories... For a long time chronic pain was treated based largely on underlying diagnosis. The doctor said, for example, "you have sciatica, take these pills and come back in a week or two". Unfortunately it became clear over time that this approach doesn't really work. Firstly diagnosis is incredibly difficult in chronic pain and secondly people are all very different, with different lifestyles and different needs. Should a young mum of three have the same treatment as a retired elderly gentleman? Should someone who's terrified to move for fear of damaging their back receive the same approach as someone just grits their teeth and pushes through pain?
What really clouds the issue too is that the connection between changes in your body (such as arthritis, 'wear and tear' etc.) and pain isn't a strong one. For example, research suggests that around 60% of people have a 'disc bulge' with no symptoms at all. This is shown throughout the body where tissue changes seen on scans and X-ray are found to be very poorly correlated to patient's symptoms. In short you can have severe pain and no tissue changes and severe tissue changes but no pain!
Unfortunately the medical professions may be responsible for lots of misunderstanding amongst patients with persistent pain, in particular the over-emphasis on the role of tissue changes. Many, for example, believe something is 'out of alignment' or 'out of place' or that their spine is 'crumbling'. This isn't true. You aren't out of place and nothing is crumbling! The spine is surprisingly strong and well supported and protected by bones, muscles, ligaments and a tough tissue called fascia.
Advances in research have raised many questions about chronic pain but it appears the best approach is to move away from a simplistic idea of 'this condition needs this treatment', to an approach that takes in the bigger picture...
The BioPsychoSocial Approach Rather than focussing solely on changes in the body that may not be relevant to symptoms more recent treatments consider a BioPsychoSocial approach. This includes biologicalchanges related to pain, psychological factors and an individual's social circumstances as shown in the picture below:
Using this approach we can create a better understanding of why pain continues and how to overcome it, leading to long term changes in symptoms. We want to give you the tools and knowledge to manage your pain and support you through the process.
For any help or advice or to book an appointment please contact us at our clinic.
We have also been registered to receive patients from The Pain Service using our expertise in their treatment.
You've put in the miles, sacrificed your lie-ins and bought the lycra, now marathon day is on the horizon. Make sure you're in top shape at the start line with our DOs and DON’Ts for final marathon preparation: DO
DON’T
On race day...
Use the morning routine you've used for your long runs (adapt it as needed for your start time). Get an early start to give you at least 2 hours between eating and racing. Stick to whatever breakfast you've tried and tested! Get to the start line with plenty of time. Try to have used the toilet well before start time as queues can be long on race day. Stick to the plan, probably the most common mistake to make on race day is to run the beginning of the race at a much faster pace than planned. This will drain you precious glycogen stores and is a sure fire way to increase your risk of hitting the dreaded wall. Stick to your pre-race plan and keep a close eye on your pace.
Finally and most importantly enjoy the day, you have worked long and hard to get to the start line now soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the experience.
For any pre-race sports massage or advice please feel free to contact us we are more than happy to help loosen and lighten legs and help you plan your race strategy. For post-race recovery why not come for a relaxing massage and make use of the pools and spa facilities at our Brighton Clinic.
Tom running 2
In March 2012 Tom, one of our physios and a running expert, was training for Brighton Marathon. As his training progressed he got to know more athletes, most of these had running injuries but limited access to good quality advice. He created Running-Physio.com to provide free advice on injury management and prevention. On the 11 March 2012 he wrote his first blog article and started on a journey nearly as long and winding as some of his runs!
Two years and over 150 articles on, the site has gained a worldwide audience and a reputation for thorough, research-based information. In 2013 RunningPhysio had 1.2 million page views, in 2014 it's expected to reach nearly 2 million. Tom has covered everything from calf pain to runner's knee, and has had guest blogs from running coaches, nutritionalists and published researchers. Fellow athletes have shared their running stories on recovering from problems with physical or mental health while having a platform to talk about running for charity.
Find out more about Tom on our Team page or book an appointment to see Tom at our Brighton clinic.
Visit our Courses page if you are a local running club and want Tom and the team to come and share their professional advice with you.
Our top tips for marathon and half marathon training: 1. Avoid training error - 80% of all running injuries are caused by training error. At The Physio Rooms we encounter this on a daily basis. Some simple guidelines to follow are: make sure increases in training volume are GRADUAL. A 10% increase in total mileage per week is best. Mix intensities - 80% low intensity running to 20% high intensity hill work or sprints. Your long slow runs must be slow, the plan with these runs is to build endurance, it's about time on your feet not the speed at which you run. Implement a step up step back training program. This involves increasing mileage for three weeks and decreasing on the fourth week. Plan each run, they should have a different objective to ensure variety in your weekly training schedule.
2. Strengthen and conditioning - a recent study has shown that implementing a basic strengthen and condition program decreased injures in runners up to 50%. Strengthening the body's muscles and tendons enables us to cope with the stress and loads of endurance running better. At The Physio Rooms we have also noticed that our athletes who follow our strengthen and condition programs see big improvements in overall performance with many achieving personal bests in their events.
3. Running shoes and equipment - some recent trends have suggested that using a minimal shoe and running on the forefoot works best. As a general population almost 98% of us naturally heal strike. At The Physio Rooms we have seen a big increase in the number of injuries presenting in clinic due to a sudden change in running style. The most important piece of a advice to follow when buying new running shoes is that new shoes should feel comfortable to run in. Try and spend some time running in them before you buy. Most shops have treadmills these days. We recommend Nick Rivett for all your running equipment needs.
4. Nutrition - science suggests that you should fuel your muscles and liver before your train or run the big event. Try fuelling your body with approximately 250/300 calories about 1-1.5 hours before you run. Eating too close to a run can cause cramp and not eating enough could lead to a lack of energy. A basic rule of thumb for longer runs is that we need about 100 calories after the first hour and approximately 100 calories every 45 minutes after that.
5. Hydration - pre run try to drink about 500ml of water 2 hours before and then just before approximately 150ml. During the event try and drink about 200ml every 20 minutes. It's important to remember here that the stomach can only empty 800-1000ml of fluid every hour and running on a very full stomach can be very unpleasant.
It's that time of year again when it gets dark early and the weather is general wet and a little bit miserable. The only up side to all of this is that for some of us this means that it's time to hit the slopes. Preparation for this holiday is key and by preparation I don't just mean dusting off the old ski gear! Preparation for such a physically demanding holiday should involve some physical effort. On average you will be on the slopes a staggering six hours per day. This level of physical exertion has a huge toll on the body. To make the most of your trip and to help avoid fatigue and injury we have put together some top tips for getting ski and snowboard fit:
Wimbledon Logo
Last summer I was proud to be part of the biggest tennis tournament in the world; Wimbledon. I made the main draw of the ladies doubles event with fellow Brit and friend Samantha Murray. I also competed in the qualifying event of the ladies singles, where I was only one of two British players to make it past the first round; beating a top 140 WTA player along the way. None of this would have happened without the outstanding treatment and training I have received from my physio Mike Boyce. I have been receiving regular physiotherapy from Mike for 3 years now, whereby he has aided me in the recovery of several injuries, including a very serious sesamoid problem in my foot. It is highly likely I would have had to undergo surgery, had it not been for his unrivalled knowledge and treatment, so I have an awful lot to thank him for!During the weeks of Wimbledon, from my first singles match in qualifying through to my main draw doubles match, I insisted on attending an increased number of physio and training sessions with Mike, to ensure my body remained fit and healthy for the biggest experience of my career! Mike attended to my physical preparation before practise and matches, with a thorough stretching procedure, plus he aided with my recovery afterwards through deep tissue massage; not the most painfree of experiences but without a doubt the most beneficial! We also carried out many training sessions, including strength and conditioning and injury prevention. Without the strong work ethic, diligence and vast understanding that Mike displays in his work, I feel my body definitely wouldn't hold up under the high pressures of professional sport.
Jade Windley 1
Wimbledon 2013 was my first main draw senior Grand Slam and I loved every minute of it! Sam and I narrowly lost out in three sets to formidable opponents; Andrea Petkovic, a former top 10 WTA singles player currently ranked in the top 50 and Flavia Pennetta, a former world number 1 doubles player and also current top 20 singles player. We put up a great fight for our debut match at Wimbledon, and almost caused an upset in front of an unbelievably loud and supportive British crowd, where Mike, my coach Guy and many others were cheering!
Since Wimbledon my world rankings have improved dramatically and I have the aim of reaching the main draw of Wimbledon for both singles and doubles in 2014, plus a long term goal of breaking the WTA top 100. Mike is an integral part of this journey and I believe with the continued hard work Mike, my coach and I are all putting in, we can fulfil these targets.
On Monday the 27 January Mike and Tom from The Physio Rooms had the pleasure of being invited to present their running injuries workshop to the members at Brighton and Hove Women's Running Club.
www.brightonandhoverunningsisters.org.uk
As many of the attendees were training for the upcoming Brighton Marathon and Half Marathon, we spent much of the evening giving advice on training and common training errors. We discussed different training methods, the importance of gradually increasing mileage as well as strength and conditioning for runners.
We had a very enjoyable evening and look forward to working with the club members again in the future and we wish them all the best for their events in 2014.
On Saturday 25 January The Physio Rooms' Mike and Tom went along to spend some time with the lovely people at Hove Park Run. With our new event tent and banner flags in tow we set up camp to answer any questions that any of the runners or organisers might have regarding injuries and training.
We had a very busy morning fielding questions about calf pain, knee pain and training for performance. On the morning there were nearly 400 runners of all capabilities. We saw 3 athletes finish with very impressive sub 17 minute times. Some members ran with children in buggies some ran with their dogs on leads. Altogether it was a great community event. We would like to thank John and all the volunteers for having us along and making us feel very welcome. It was great to meet such a positive group of people doing a much appreciated service for the local community.
On the 16 January 2014 we were very pleased to be invited to give a talk to Lewes Athletics Club (AC). Out of their 350 members we spoke to around 35 people on the topic of preventing running injuries. We used guidance from recent research and the key concepts of actually managing injuries successfully. Luckily one of their runners agreed to be studied and we were able to use them as a practical case study to demonstrate to the group.
Following this talk we have been requested to research and provide a thorough discussion on women's health and its connection to running as a course topic.
It was great to meet all the team involved and the athletes with a view to establish a regular clinic where our physiotherapists will be available on a drop in basis to discuss any niggles and questions.
Here at The Physio Rooms we see tennis players of all levels and abilities. From the elites to the recreational players everyone wants to avoid injury and missing the sport they love. So how can you keep playing and stay injury free? Here are our top 8 tips:
Acupuncture is one of the many treatment options available at The Physio Rooms. Many think of it in terms of its role in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) where it has been used for thousands of years. As part of TCM it is thought to improve energy flow within meridians in the body, western medicine doesn't subscribe to this view and instead considers acupuncture to have effects on the tissues, the nervous system and the healing process.Research suggests acupuncture promotes the release of naturally occurring pain relief within the body, helps reduce muscle tension and may have an anti-inflammatory effect. The National Institute of Clinic Excellence (NICE) recommends acupuncture in its guideline on the management of low back pain.
While acupuncture has many benefits it's best used as part of an integrated approach including exercises prescription, improved understanding of your condition and changes to lifestyle/work/training schedules as indicated.
Physiotherapy is a profession associated with assessing, diagnosing and treating illness, disability, musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction. Here at The Physio Rooms, we aim to help each patient restore movement and function to maximise physical potential. As physiotherapists we endeavour to help our patients overcome injury or pain through accurate assessment by implementing the most evidence-based treatments available. We use many strategies to help our patients reach their goals. We assist with pain management, and prescribe rehabilitation exercise to restore range of motion and strength. Clinically, physiotherapists use manual therapy, acupuncture and electrotherapy, as well as biomechanical assessment, functional movement screening and gait analysis. We treat each patient individually and ensure a holistic approach to treatment.
We pride ourselves on being part of The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. As members of this society we are encouraged to apply the latest practices that research has to offer. Physiotherapy is a science-based profession with each of its members achieving a degree at university.
In order to maintain the highest professional standards and ensure that the latest evidence based research is used in practice, physiotherapists are required to maintain a record of their continued professional development. This entails studying and critiquing the latest evidence, and attending courses to develop new assessment and treatment skills - making sure that our patients get the best possible advice.
www.parkrun.org.uk/brighton/
