** Below is a copy of an email I sent to a few runners I’m currently coaching**
I was reading through the latest issue of the Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise yesterday and found a special communications from the organization (American College of Sports Medicine) to team physicians. In that communication they gave suggestions to physicians about “selected issues in injury and illness prevention”.
The one injury area that I thought was relevant to us runners was their thoughts around Patellofemoral Pain and Tendinopathy.
Risk Factors they associated with this are:
1. muscle weakness and imbalance and inflexibility including quadriceps shortening
2. trauma, overuse, training errors or previous injury
3. patellar hypermobility
4. hip muscle weakness
Prevention Interventions Include:
1. implement sport / activity conditioning program with periodization emphasizing the proven interventions of quadriceps strengthening and increasing hamstring flexibility
2. other interventions may include core / lower extremity strengthening, hip abductor and external rotator strengthening, improving motor control.
My thoughts:
I come across a lot of issues in runners and general population with weak hip stabilizors and pelvic mobility/control. Incorporating some adductor exercises / abductor exercises have seem beneficial (I’ve especially seen this in a cyclist that I’ve worked 2 years with). The other thing that they talk about is “motor control” … I’ve recently seen a need to incorporate some balance training (single leg balance exercises) to help develop the hips / lower leg stability so that it can properly move through the gait cycle.
Some beginning exercises that can help in these two areas can be found at this link: http://familydoctor.org/online /famdocen/home/healthy/physical /injuries/479.html
One thing to remember is that when running your body can’t rely on a machine for stability or movement patterns, so when incorporating a strength, stability and balance program… don’t use machines.
Last thought:
Everytime you run, your body has to work to strengthen itself and adapt to the workout. If the first law of training is “specificity” (which it is one of the first four by the way) then we should appreciate that regular running is likely the best way to strengthen our body to run. In other words…
… if you are not running regularly, it doesn’t matter how many single leg squats you do on a balance pad, your long run is going to likely cause injury…..
…. But if you have been running regularly, these exercises are a great addition to help boost your body’s ability to handle your runs…
…. In other words - these exercises are In Addition To, not In Place Of your running …
…. unless you are already dealing with an injury, which changes the entire ball game …
**** End of Email ****
Those are some thoughts that I felt were worth sharing with everyone. Since that email, I’ve come across a couple situations that have driven home the importance of these injury prevention interventions even more.
When motivation is high, which often is the case in an individual taking on a marathon for the first time, there can often be a disconnect between what is “optimal” and what is “practical”.
I put “optimal” in quotes because there are a lot of people out there willing to give advice about the proper way to train for a marathon. But the question we always have to ask ourselves is this: Is it the proper way to train for me? The truth is that there are many ways to get to the finish line of a marathon (or triathlon), choosing the best path for you is the key.
Someone who has run 10 (or 50) marathons may have a program that works well for them, but may not necessarily be proper for you. Do they have the same biomechanics as you? What was their history with running before they began?
There are so many variables. The interventions listed above are a good starting place if you are starting to see some patellofemoral pain during or post running workouts. They are also a good hedge against injury development if you have poor biomechanics or running form.
If you feel like you need more individual guidance, look me up and I’ll try to help if I can. My email is garyditsch at gmail dot com.
Risk Factors and Injury Prevention Interventions for Patellofemoral Pain and Tendinopathy.
Strength Training , running , Flexibility , injury prevention No Comments »** Below is a copy of an email I sent to a few runners I’m currently coaching**
I was reading through the latest issue of the Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise yesterday and found a special communications from the organization (American College of Sports Medicine) to team physicians. In that communication they gave suggestions to physicians about “selected issues in injury and illness prevention”.
The one injury area that I thought was relevant to us runners was their thoughts around Patellofemoral Pain and Tendinopathy.
Risk Factors they associated with this are:
1. muscle weakness and imbalance and inflexibility including quadriceps shortening
2. trauma, overuse, training errors or previous injury
3. patellar hypermobility
4. hip muscle weakness
Prevention Interventions Include:
1. implement sport / activity conditioning program with periodization emphasizing the proven interventions of quadriceps strengthening and increasing hamstring flexibility
2. other interventions may include core / lower extremity strengthening, hip abductor and external rotator strengthening, improving motor control.
My thoughts:
I come across a lot of issues in runners and general population with weak hip stabilizors and pelvic mobility/control. Incorporating some adductor exercises / abductor exercises have seem beneficial (I’ve especially seen this in a cyclist that I’ve worked 2 years with). The other thing that they talk about is “motor control” … I’ve recently seen a need to incorporate some balance training (single leg balance exercises) to help develop the hips / lower leg stability so that it can properly move through the gait cycle.
Some beginning exercises that can help in these two areas can be found at this link: http://familydoctor.org/online
One thing to remember is that when running your body can’t rely on a machine for stability or movement patterns, so when incorporating a strength, stability and balance program… don’t use machines.
Last thought:
Everytime you run, your body has to work to strengthen itself and adapt to the workout. If the first law of training is “specificity” (which it is one of the first four by the way) then we should appreciate that regular running is likely the best way to strengthen our body to run. In other words…
… if you are not running regularly, it doesn’t matter how many single leg squats you do on a balance pad, your long run is going to likely cause injury…..
…. But if you have been running regularly, these exercises are a great addition to help boost your body’s ability to handle your runs…
…. In other words - these exercises are In Addition To, not In Place Of your running …
…. unless you are already dealing with an injury, which changes the entire ball game …
**** End of Email ****
Those are some thoughts that I felt were worth sharing with everyone. Since that email, I’ve come across a couple situations that have driven home the importance of these injury prevention interventions even more.
When motivation is high, which often is the case in an individual taking on a marathon for the first time, there can often be a disconnect between what is “optimal” and what is “practical”.
I put “optimal” in quotes because there are a lot of people out there willing to give advice about the proper way to train for a marathon. But the question we always have to ask ourselves is this: Is it the proper way to train for me? The truth is that there are many ways to get to the finish line of a marathon (or triathlon), choosing the best path for you is the key.
Someone who has run 10 (or 50) marathons may have a program that works well for them, but may not necessarily be proper for you. Do they have the same biomechanics as you? What was their history with running before they began?
There are so many variables. The interventions listed above are a good starting place if you are starting to see some patellofemoral pain during or post running workouts. They are also a good hedge against injury development if you have poor biomechanics or running form.
If you feel like you need more individual guidance, look me up and I’ll try to help if I can. My email is garyditsch at gmail dot com.