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NEWSLETTER The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body
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OUR 5 KEY ELEMENTS FOR SUCCESSFUL MARATHON TRAINING
The physical therapist’s perspective on running might differ slightly from typically advice you see online. While others might be experts in building running programs, we’re the movement experts with training to know what basic abilities your body should have to make you the most efficient runner you can be. Not only does an efficient running technique prevent injury, but it lowers your energy consumption, meaning you can run faster for longer. 1. Warm-Up the Right Way Yes, there is definitely a wrong way to warm-up before a run. Two wrong ways, in fact. These are static stretching (holding your muscles at end-range for 30 seconds) and ballistic stretching (leg swings and fast shoulder/torso twisting). The reason we warm-up is that we don’t typically use our muscles through their full range of motion during our usual daily activities. The warm-up is supposed to give your body a chance to ACTIVATE the muscles through ranges they haven’t had to use yet that day without overloading them too soon. Neither static stretching nor ballistic stretching provides that active component that your body is craving. Instead, adopt a solid dynamic warm-up that requires the muscles to actively shorten and lengthen through their full available range of motion. Ask your physical therapist to develop a custom warm- up for you based on your trouble areas or email social@bodygears.com to request our standard runner’s warm-up. 2. Check the Cadence on Your Base Mileage You should be running 3-5 days a week and a great goal is aiming to run 50 miles a week by race day. Even if you follow the recommended advice and increase your mileage by no more than 10% each week, you’re still at risk of running with aches and pains if your running technique is inefficient. An easy way to check your risk level is to calculate your cadence: While you’re running, set a timer for 30 seconds and count the number of times your left foot hits the ground. Double that number to include the right foot and then double that number again to get to 60 seconds to give you your spm (steps per minute). If your number is below 160, make an appointment with us ASAP. If you’re below 170, try increasing your cadence by 4spm each week until you get there. Advanced runners can even try going beyond 170 to 180 by increasing 2spm each week. The main goal with adjusting cadence is to prevent overstriding which can easily lead to injury. 3. Maintain Full Hip Range of Motion We commonly see runners for knee pain but the problem is almost never at the knee joint. Stiff hips that don’t
move through their full range of motion can cause more torque through the knee leading to pain and potential injury.The motions that are typically limited are hip extension (moving the leg behind you) and either internal or external rotation. Test your hip extension by lying face down with a pillow under your stomach and your knees bent. You should
be able to lift your knee about 6 inches towards the ceiling, it should feel the same on both sides, and you shouldn’t have to extend your back. Test your hip rotation in sitting by moving each foot all the way to the left and right. Again, it should feel the same on both sides and you’re looking for around 45 degrees in both directions. If you find you’ve got tight hips, stretching isn’t always the answer. Request a free screen with a Body Gears physical therapist to determine whether the issue is a joint restriction, short muscle, or weak muscle. 4. Train Your Foot Muscles If the issue isn’t at the hip, then it’s almost certainly at the foot and ankle. As the part of your body that strikes the ground, your feet are an incredibly important area to train individually. In particular, the intrinsic muscles of the foot help to prevent over-pronation and plantar fasciitis by supporting the arch. Check out the Exercise of the Month in this newsletter for a great exercise to work those overlooked muscles. 5. Keep the Ice in Your Water Bottle First of all, if you have to ice something after most or every run, that’s not normal. Come see us ASAP. If you’re icing “prophylactically” after your long runs to prevent muscle soreness or it’s a habit from an old injury, then cut that out. Ice restricts blood flow and you need blood to bring nutrients that make your muscles stronger and to flush away cellular waste. If you’re feeling a little swollen or inflamed after a long run, try compression and elevation instead. Inflammation can be a good thing and the misconception is that we need to get rid of it immediately. Inflammation is only a problem if it sticks around longer than 24 hours. If you’re noticing swelling with or without pain after a run, it’s typically a sign of increased joint stress and a warning that an injury could be around the corner. It’s best to come in for a free screen to find out what’s going on and how you can optimize your performance.
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