So it has been over a month since starting at my new location at Body Mechanics on Waterloo street in the YMCA. Things here are going great, loving the new location, the access to the gym and working with great co-workers and mentors! My case load is building up nicely and I am loving seeing and treating lots of runners! I am doing Functional Movement Screens as well as gait assessments and regular treatments including cupping, acupuncture and manual therapy.
Running had been a bit of a challenge for me over the past 2 months however. I have taken a step back in terms of training to help with the issues I have been having with my heel since national cross country championships in November and my marathon build up in October. I was running higher mileage and did an extra month of training and suffered from plantar fasciitis, which settled down quickly with some treatment on one side, and then flared up on the other side, without the same response to treatment. I have backed off a few times in training since then for both short and extended periods of time without really being able to get it pain free. Now the plantar fasciitis has settled but I am super stiff in the ankle and heel joint and have to do frequent treatment on it to loosen it up. Things have been better over the last few weeks and I am building back up in mileage and hoping to focus on the fall and winter for some quality racing.
I have been so inspired by all the racing over the last few months, including some great racing in London and Moncton by fellow London Runners Leslie Sexton, Aaron Hendrikx, and Ben Proctor, and Road racing by Lanni Marchant, Krista DuChene, and Natasha Fraser (on the track and the road), and Rob Watson. It is so great to see runners pushing the barriers and continuing to improve post collegiately as well as while in University.
With all the summer training programs winding into full swing I am looking forward to getting out and doing some injury prevention talks for some of the running groups around london, and would urge anyone interested to contact me either on facebook, or by email.
I am hoping to see most of you out on the trails as I ramp back up my mileage and get back into racing shape!
Until then, Happy Running!
-Karen
Monday, June 24, 2013
Monday, May 6, 2013
New beginnings
So i am finally done my exam and back to days without studying all night! And I have some exciting news to share! I have been offered a position working at Body Mechanics Physiotherapy and will be starting may 13th. I will be at the location on Waterloo street 3 days per week, and will be doing some hours on tuesday, thursday at the Bob Hayward and Sunningdale YMCA locations!
I am very excited to be returning to this fantastic company after a few years, made of very talented therapists and incredible mentors.
To book an appointment call 519-858-2931 or come on in to check it out at 382 Waterloo street.
I am very excited to be returning to this fantastic company after a few years, made of very talented therapists and incredible mentors.
To book an appointment call 519-858-2931 or come on in to check it out at 382 Waterloo street.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Exercises every runner should do
It has been a few weeks since my last blog post as I have busy studying for my intermediate exam (an advanced certification in physiotherapy that leads you more than half way to becoming a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Physiotherapists of Ontario). I have been continuing to increase my running mileage after a set back I had in November after my build up to running the Scotiabank marathon in October and then the Canadian Cross Country Championships in late November. I had my first week back up to more than 80km which felt great and I am excited to be back racing tomorrow at the Downtown 5km London Honda Race series. I will be running for London Runner Distance Club a distance club I joined after completing the Boston Marathon last April.
Okay well enough about me back to the exercises!
In my physiotherapy practice I treat a large number of runners who typically suffer from conditions including 1. Runners knee 2. Iliotibial pain syndrome 3. Plantar fasciitis 4. Shin splints and 5. Achilles Tendinopathy. Typically injuries are caused by either excessive load (like speed work), or repetition (caused by excessive mileage) or a range of motion injury (like pulling a muscle).
Despite the specific diagnosis the majority of runners I assess share common weaknesses including
Weak glute (bum) muscles, weak core muscles, and tight over- active hamstrings. So to head off these common weaknesses before they can lead to some of the common injuries suffered by runners i recommend several exercises be performed daily.
1. Clam shells: this exercise strengthens the glutes and is performed by laying on your side, hips and feet stacked one on top of the other. Without letting your top hip roll back slowly lift the knee in the top leg toward the celing while still keeping your feet together , only lifting the knee as high as you can before your hip starts to move, then slowly lower it can down keeping the mivement slow and controlled. You should feel this work the back and side part of your bum. I would suggest performing 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions.
2. Bridges: this exercise helps strengthen the bum musle that helps with push off during your run or "gait" cycle. It is performed by laying on your back, tilting your pelvis back as if to flatten your back and then slowly lifting your hips towards the ceiling by using the muscles in your bum (glute max) and the backs of the legs (hamstrings). Try to keep your hips level as you push up and slowly lower down. Reps should be 3x 10-15. Arms can be kept at your side or crossed over your chest.
3. 4-point leg and opposite arm extension. This works on your core, and the posterior "slings". In a table top position with your arms under your shoulders and your knees under your hips, contract your inner core unit, keeping your hips level, slowly slide your knee straight behind you and lift your opposite arm in front (while keeping it in line with your ear). Slowly and in a controlled manner lower your arm and leg back down and switch arm and legs. Ensure your are not letting your hips drop or hike or your back arch. Perform 10-12 reps per side 2-3 sets.
I will try to post some pictures to help get you started. Performing these daily will help ward off injury and keep you running fast and efficient!
- Karen
Okay well enough about me back to the exercises!
In my physiotherapy practice I treat a large number of runners who typically suffer from conditions including 1. Runners knee 2. Iliotibial pain syndrome 3. Plantar fasciitis 4. Shin splints and 5. Achilles Tendinopathy. Typically injuries are caused by either excessive load (like speed work), or repetition (caused by excessive mileage) or a range of motion injury (like pulling a muscle).
Despite the specific diagnosis the majority of runners I assess share common weaknesses including
Weak glute (bum) muscles, weak core muscles, and tight over- active hamstrings. So to head off these common weaknesses before they can lead to some of the common injuries suffered by runners i recommend several exercises be performed daily.
1. Clam shells: this exercise strengthens the glutes and is performed by laying on your side, hips and feet stacked one on top of the other. Without letting your top hip roll back slowly lift the knee in the top leg toward the celing while still keeping your feet together , only lifting the knee as high as you can before your hip starts to move, then slowly lower it can down keeping the mivement slow and controlled. You should feel this work the back and side part of your bum. I would suggest performing 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions.
2. Bridges: this exercise helps strengthen the bum musle that helps with push off during your run or "gait" cycle. It is performed by laying on your back, tilting your pelvis back as if to flatten your back and then slowly lifting your hips towards the ceiling by using the muscles in your bum (glute max) and the backs of the legs (hamstrings). Try to keep your hips level as you push up and slowly lower down. Reps should be 3x 10-15. Arms can be kept at your side or crossed over your chest.
3. 4-point leg and opposite arm extension. This works on your core, and the posterior "slings". In a table top position with your arms under your shoulders and your knees under your hips, contract your inner core unit, keeping your hips level, slowly slide your knee straight behind you and lift your opposite arm in front (while keeping it in line with your ear). Slowly and in a controlled manner lower your arm and leg back down and switch arm and legs. Ensure your are not letting your hips drop or hike or your back arch. Perform 10-12 reps per side 2-3 sets.
I will try to post some pictures to help get you started. Performing these daily will help ward off injury and keep you running fast and efficient!
- Karen
Monday, March 4, 2013
Post-Run Recovery Modalities
If you are trying to find ways to stay injury- free during the training season here are a few great ways to do just that!
1. Foam roller work- rolling out tight muscles pre and/or post run is an excellent way to perform self massage between boughts of training. Foam rolling muscles such as the quads, hamstrings, calves, IT bands and shin muscles for a total of 5-10 minutes a day helps decrease muscle tone and break down scar tissue within or between layers of muscle tissue.
2. Active isolated stretching (AI)- this should be performed 1 to 4 times daily for a total of 15-20 minutes. AI can be used in conjunction with foam rollering to reduce tone and tension in tight lower limb muscle and muscle around the hips. The key for AI is to actively contract the opposing muscle group to one you are looking to lengthen while you move the muscle tissue actively through its available range of motion. AI should be performed x 10 repetitions with a 2 secound hold for each muscle and done on both right and left sides.
3. The Stick: The stick (which is similar to a rolling pin) can be used to roll over tight and sore muscles and can be performed for 5 minutes or more daily.
3. Ice Bath: According to an article in Sweat Science and the British Journal of Sports Medicine, standing or kneeling in a bath or bucket of 14 degrees celcius cold water for 5-15 minutes has been found to reduce inflammation and soreness between training bouts. It is recommended ice baths be performed during the racing season only, and avoided during the training phase to optimize on the benefits of training during the build up to racing season.
4. Ice. An ice pack can be used to reduce pain, swelling and muscle soreness. Icing should be performed for 10 minutes on and 10 minutes off. Ice should never be placed directly on the skin. Try soaking a wash cloth and place it between the ice and the skin to improve conductivity of cold to the tissue.
5. Heat. Heat can be used to reduce tension and muscle spasm and is recommended 48 hours or more post injury for 10-15 minutes.
6. Pool Running- running in a deep pool with or without a foam running belt to maintain fitness and reduce load on the legs between training sessions is a great way to get to the end of a season injury free! Try to keep your body upright and maintain your form to best simulate the demands placed on the body during running.
1. Foam roller work- rolling out tight muscles pre and/or post run is an excellent way to perform self massage between boughts of training. Foam rolling muscles such as the quads, hamstrings, calves, IT bands and shin muscles for a total of 5-10 minutes a day helps decrease muscle tone and break down scar tissue within or between layers of muscle tissue.
2. Active isolated stretching (AI)- this should be performed 1 to 4 times daily for a total of 15-20 minutes. AI can be used in conjunction with foam rollering to reduce tone and tension in tight lower limb muscle and muscle around the hips. The key for AI is to actively contract the opposing muscle group to one you are looking to lengthen while you move the muscle tissue actively through its available range of motion. AI should be performed x 10 repetitions with a 2 secound hold for each muscle and done on both right and left sides.
3. The Stick: The stick (which is similar to a rolling pin) can be used to roll over tight and sore muscles and can be performed for 5 minutes or more daily.
3. Ice Bath: According to an article in Sweat Science and the British Journal of Sports Medicine, standing or kneeling in a bath or bucket of 14 degrees celcius cold water for 5-15 minutes has been found to reduce inflammation and soreness between training bouts. It is recommended ice baths be performed during the racing season only, and avoided during the training phase to optimize on the benefits of training during the build up to racing season.
4. Ice. An ice pack can be used to reduce pain, swelling and muscle soreness. Icing should be performed for 10 minutes on and 10 minutes off. Ice should never be placed directly on the skin. Try soaking a wash cloth and place it between the ice and the skin to improve conductivity of cold to the tissue.
5. Heat. Heat can be used to reduce tension and muscle spasm and is recommended 48 hours or more post injury for 10-15 minutes.
6. Pool Running- running in a deep pool with or without a foam running belt to maintain fitness and reduce load on the legs between training sessions is a great way to get to the end of a season injury free! Try to keep your body upright and maintain your form to best simulate the demands placed on the body during running.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Active Isolated Stretching
Jim and Phil Wharton are a father and son duo who pioneered and finely tuned "kinesiotherapy" into what is now known as "Active-Isolated Stretching". Active-Isolated Stretching (or AI) was initially created out of necessity- when the potentially career ending diagnosis of scoliosis was given to Phil, a competitive long-distance runner. As Phil transitioned from high school to the collegiate level he increased his weekly mileage to over 90 miles per week, ultimately leading to numerous injuries and the recommendation for surgical intervention to reverse his scoliosis. Jim (an exercise physiologist) and his son Phil stumbled upon "Kinesiotherapy" and over time, adapted it to create AI, a form of dynamic stretching that uses muscles natural reflex loops to create maximal relaxation of the tight tissue. This works by using what is called "reciprocal inhibition" of the muscle. Because your body can't straighten and bend your knee at the same time, when you tell your body to straighten your knee and contract your front thigh muscle (or Quadricep), your brain sends a message back down to the muscle on the back of the thigh (your Hamstring) to turn off , or "inhibit" so the movement can occur. By taping into this feedback loop, active isolated stretching can create length in the goal tissue without any resistance from the muscle that is originally tight. The AI system helped Phil get back to the sport he loves and now Jim and Phil teach the AI system to elites and novices around the world.
AI states that 10 repetitions with 2 secound holds performed one to four times daily is recommended to significantly increased mobility in restricted muscle tissue, thereby increasing mobility, flexibility, and performance.
I have recently begun using the AI system daily as well as teaching it to my patients and fellow runners with great success. I have attached a link to the Wharton health website and would highly recommend you take a look and give it a try!
http://www.whartonhealth.com/portfolio/nike-boulder-running-camp
AI states that 10 repetitions with 2 secound holds performed one to four times daily is recommended to significantly increased mobility in restricted muscle tissue, thereby increasing mobility, flexibility, and performance.
I have recently begun using the AI system daily as well as teaching it to my patients and fellow runners with great success. I have attached a link to the Wharton health website and would highly recommend you take a look and give it a try!
http://www.whartonhealth.com/portfolio/nike-boulder-running-camp
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Foam Roller for Injury Prevention
If you haven't heard of a foam roller you are definitely missing out! A foam roller is a runners best friend and can help get you to the end of a training season, speedy, loose and injury free! A foam roller can be used pre or post run (or anytime between runs) to roll out tight muscles. The process is simple, choose the area of the body you are looking to lengthen or massage, lay that body segment perpendicular to the foam roller and by lifting the rest of your body up off the ground and pushing yourself over the foam roller while maintaining contact with the body part you are looing to work on the foam roller, you can roll back and forth slowly while covering a small portion of that muscle or structure you are trying to work. Sound confusing? It's really not. Let's try an example... your right "IT" or iliotibial band (outside or your thigh) is tight 1. Place the foam roller on the floor 2. Lay the right side of your thigh on top of the foam roller so you and the foam roller are at 90 degree angles from one another. 3. While keeping your thigh in conact with the foam roller use your hands to walk your body forward and back along the foam roller but only roll down to above your knee joint (without crossing the knee) and up to just below your outside hip bone. Suggested "roll time" would be 1 minute per side...then switch to the left and give it a try!
Foam rollering can often be painful, especially along the IT band, so feel free to de-weight part of the pressure on the foam roller by planting your other foot on the ground and taking a portion of your body weight off of the foam roller.
Here is a list of possible areas to try on the foam roller:
IT band (side of upper thigh)
Quadriceps (anterior thigh)
Hamstrings (back thigh)
Calves (back of lower leg)
Hip flexors (front hip)
Lower back
Mid back
Glutes and piriformis (bum muscles)
***now of course foam rollering is no substitute for accurate diagnosis and medical treatment by a health care profession like a physiotherapist or a doctor, so if you are unsure of what the problem truly is and you think it may be more serious then a sore or tight muscle please make sure to seek help from a professional! I am always open to an email or message with questions!
www.youtube.com is a great place to check out videos of foam rolling techniques and tips. Cost wise a foam roller usually runs $30-$80 depending on the density, durability and length. The denser (and typically darker) in colour the foam roller the more pressure it applies so choose wisely!
Happy foam rolling!
- Karen
Foam rollering can often be painful, especially along the IT band, so feel free to de-weight part of the pressure on the foam roller by planting your other foot on the ground and taking a portion of your body weight off of the foam roller.
Here is a list of possible areas to try on the foam roller:
IT band (side of upper thigh)
Quadriceps (anterior thigh)
Hamstrings (back thigh)
Calves (back of lower leg)
Hip flexors (front hip)
Lower back
Mid back
Glutes and piriformis (bum muscles)
***now of course foam rollering is no substitute for accurate diagnosis and medical treatment by a health care profession like a physiotherapist or a doctor, so if you are unsure of what the problem truly is and you think it may be more serious then a sore or tight muscle please make sure to seek help from a professional! I am always open to an email or message with questions!
www.youtube.com is a great place to check out videos of foam rolling techniques and tips. Cost wise a foam roller usually runs $30-$80 depending on the density, durability and length. The denser (and typically darker) in colour the foam roller the more pressure it applies so choose wisely!
Happy foam rolling!
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Dynamic Warm Up "A's, B's and C's"
Hey Everyone, I am super excited to be speaking to the 5 km & 10km Running Group @ the New Balance Store in London Ontario tomorrow! The talk will be on how to do a dynamic warm up before your race or run and how to use a foam roller for injury prevention and self massage! Since most of you won't be at the talk I will include some information on why a dynamic warm up is best for injury prevention over static stretching. Okay so first of all what's "static"?
...static stretching just means a stretch in which you take the muscle to it's maximum length until you feel a pull and then hold it there for anywhere between 10-30 secounds or longer.
Static stretching used to be the recommended method to prevent against injury in any sport, but now science tells us that "static" stretching before an event may actually increase your risk of injury because it changes your bodies ability to detect when it is being stretched beyond it's normal and safe range, and therefore decreases the way your body protects itself from muscle damage.
A "dynamic" warm up is one in which you move your body through safe and normal ranges of movements that typically simulate movements you do during your sport, increasing blood flow and warmth of the muscle, which prepares it for exercise. In running this normally starts with a 10-15 minute easy run or jog and then involves doing a number of drills called A's, B's and C's (which are different parts of a running stride), followed by strides (shorter 60-100m faster "sprints" which focus on running form, gradually increasing to race or goal workout pace).
For examples of A's B's and C's check the web for how to do these effectively.
...static stretching just means a stretch in which you take the muscle to it's maximum length until you feel a pull and then hold it there for anywhere between 10-30 secounds or longer.
Static stretching used to be the recommended method to prevent against injury in any sport, but now science tells us that "static" stretching before an event may actually increase your risk of injury because it changes your bodies ability to detect when it is being stretched beyond it's normal and safe range, and therefore decreases the way your body protects itself from muscle damage.
A "dynamic" warm up is one in which you move your body through safe and normal ranges of movements that typically simulate movements you do during your sport, increasing blood flow and warmth of the muscle, which prepares it for exercise. In running this normally starts with a 10-15 minute easy run or jog and then involves doing a number of drills called A's, B's and C's (which are different parts of a running stride), followed by strides (shorter 60-100m faster "sprints" which focus on running form, gradually increasing to race or goal workout pace).
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