As a Physiotherapist in Ballito with the lead up to the Comrades Marathon and as it cools down which makes it a perfect time to run, I have been seeing my fair share of runners.
Although I see runners both young and old, new runners and runners who have been running for decades. Seeking a Physiotherapist is most likely in those runners who are doing Comrades, for example, for the first time or have recently increased their mileage from 5km here and there to running 40-50km a week.
Another common scenario I see frequently are those runners with genu valgum (knock knees) which causes a lot of load on the knee joint and goes hand in hand with weakness of the inside quad muscle and overuse and strain on the outer quads and ITB (Iliotibial band). This can present with problems when a person increases their mileage or after decades because of the gradual wear and knee on the knee joint.
The need for Physiotherapy comes in, as I have explained in previous blogs, with the strong link I have observed at Amy Stranack Physiotherapy between a sudden increase in intensity or frequency in an activity and an increased likelihood of overuse injuries.
Therefore, in order to avoid these overuse injuries, and the need to see a Physiotherapist for multiple sessions, a runner should follow a tried and tested schedule or plan of GRADUALLY increasing the kilometers, days per week you run and the speed at which you run.
Another extremely important factor in both runners and non runners that I have picked up frequently recently, as a Physiotherapist in Ballito, is shoes. If you are not running you can often get away with not wearing the best shoes for your feet. But in my experience as a Physiotherapist for 15 years I can tell you the shoes that you wear are of the utmost importance especially when you are doing a fair amount of mileage.
The best would be to visit a Physiotherapist BEFORE you start to increase the intensity of your running so that your pelvic alignment and knee and foot mechanics can be properly assessed to pick up any anomalies. At Amy Stranack Physiotherapy I have seen over the years that some patients have both feet that pronate, or both feet supinate and still others have one neutral foot and one that supinates or pronates. And then there are varying degrees of each as well.
These anomalies will lead to overuse of different muscle sets depending if the foot is pronating or supinating and will ultimately lead to increased load on other joints such as the knees, hips and even lumbar spine. This will result in the need to see a Physiotherapist for treatment for an overuse injury which will take time to heal instead of finding a Physiotherapist in Ballito for just one session right in the beginning.
At Amy Stranack Physiotherapy I can advise on what shoe would be the best for you and if it is necessary to see a podiatrist or orthotist for custom made inserts for your shoes and show you what exercises need to be done to strengthen the muscles that counteract the abnormal mechanics of your feet.
Another important factor that is often overlooked but as a Physiotherapist I see causing problems, in runners and non runners alike, is breathing. Stress and exertion causes us to breathe from just the top of the lungs which leads to the shoulders hiking up towards the ears to increase the capacity/space in the lungs.
Physiotherapy can help to educate patients on a better way of breathing to utilize the base of your lungs so that there isn’t the need to lift your shoulders. This will go a long way to prevent the need to see a Physiotherapist for treatment for neck and shoulder pain.
Another way to prevent neck and shoulder pain is to not run hunched over or with your head poking forward and to rather lead with your pelvis when you run. At Amy Stranack Physiotherapy I can assist with exercises that will help to strengthen the muscles that are weak which is what is making it difficult to maintain this correct posture when running so that the correct posture can become more natural and something you don’t have to constantly think about.
Lastly, I know there is a lot of information/controversy out there regarding stretching but from personal experience and my many years of experience as a Physiotherapist in Ballito I can tell you that taking just a few minutes to stretch your calves, glutes, hamstrings and quads after running goes a long way to prevent injury!
Well there we go, those tips, if followed, will really help to prevent unnecessary pain and injuries. But if you already find yourself with a problem that is getting in the way of your training you are welcome to contact us at Amy Stranack Physiotherapy to help get you back in the right running shoes asap!
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