Quick Tip To Ease Shin Pain

In a recent study, runners with a slower step rate (i.e. lower cadence) were found to be more likely to experience shin injuries than runners with a higher cadence.

The researchers studied 68 high school cross-country runners through the season, monitoring their cadence as well as their injury rates.

They found the runners with the lowest step rate (≤164 steps per minute) were more likely to experience a shin injury compared with runners with the highest step rate (≥174 steps per minute).

Running with a higher cadence may help reduce the peak load of force going through the leg.

Combined with a sensible training plan and good recovery strategies, making this small shift in your running style may well pay dividends and help keep shin pain away.

If you’ve been getting shin pain, next time you run, try increasing your cadence to 175-180 steps per minute and see how you respond during your run and the 24 hours following.

Most GPS watches track your cadence, but you may need to fiddle around with your settings so you can view it in real time.

Another option is to download a free metronome app on your phone and try and match your step to the beat.

Other quick tips for shin pain would be: buying a new and supportive pair of shoes, work on your glutes/core strength and having dry needling done to your calf and tibialis posterior muscles that re-set the tension.

If you would like some more personalised support for your shin pain and you wish to get relief right away, use our simple online booking system to make an appointment.  If you would prefer to speak to us directly,  call us 1300 657 813

Reference:

Influence of Step Rate on Shin Injury and Anterior Knee Pain in High School Runners.

Luedke LE, Heiderscheit BC, Williams DS, Rauh MJ.

5 Tips To Fast Track Your Heel Pain Recovery

Heel pain can be highly debilitating, not to mention extremely frustrating.

One of the main issues is that heel pain has many contributing factors.

Sometimes people only address one or two at a time and start to feel better, but the problem never really goes away completely.

To get your heel pain better you need to follow as many of the recovery guidelines (shown below) as possible for at least a month.

This may mean some changes to your lifestyle and you may need to make some room in your life to allow proper healing to take place.

5 Tips To Fast Track Your Heel Pain Recovery:

1. Update your footwear, including your running/exercise shoes and your work shoes immediately. Find the most comfortable and supportive shoe that suits your feet.

100% AVOID thongs, high heels and bare feet for a minimum of 3 months.

2. Stretch your calf muscles daily. Hold a gentle stretch for 1 min x 3 per day (dropping your heel over a step is a good option).

3. Reduce inflammation by using ice on your heel for 15 mins x 2 per day.

Either an ice pack with a velcro compression sleeve or you could also roll a frozen water bottle under your foot.

4. Tape your foot.

Use a simple rigid tape to pull from the outside of your foot, under the arch and up to the inside of the foot. Try a few pieces so at least half your foot is supported.

5. Gradually increase the walking you are doing each day.

Start with 10 mins and gradually build up to 30 mins everyday.

Monitor your time, distance and pain levels (during and the day after) by keeping a journal.

Maintaining a healthy weight is a key to getting better.

Bonus Tip:

Keep in mind the only evidenced based treatment to get both plantar fascia and achilles tendonitis issues better is a graded strengthening program. Start with these two:

- Strengthen the foot by doing daily foot 'scrunches'. Imagine you are picking up a towel with your foot - hold the position for 30 secs and repeat x 5. Aim to do this x 3 per day. A small amount of pain < 3/10 is OK.

- Strengthen your calves. After your daily walk, do 3 x 15 heel raises, lifting your body up onto your toes.

If you would like some more personalised advice on how to overcome your heel pain, we'd love to help you. It is a condition we see in the clinic everyday...and you don't have to put up with it!

After a thorough assessment, if you are a viable candidate for our program, we will map out a personalised plan to get you feeling (and staying!) better as soon as possible.

If you have any other questions…please contact us.

10 Tips For the NYC Marathon

10 tips for the NYC Marathon

I’ve been fortunate to run the NYC marathon on a couple of occasions.

Marathon weekend has such a special energy in the city, it’s hard to believe how amazing the support and atmosphere is.

I thought I’d share my top tips for running the NYC marathon below.

Have a great run and please let me know if you have any questions in the comments.

1. Ride the ferry to Staten Island and enjoy the views of downtown Manhattan. But get there half an hour earlier than your scheduled time. It is REALLY busy and you're better off getting over a little earlier than stressing over missing your start time. Once you get to Staten Island, be prepared for a bit of a wait for the bus. 

2. Run with a pacing group if possible. If you know your average pace and a time you're going for, it makes sense to run with a pacing group. These are led by experienced runners and leave you mentally more free to enjoy the experience. 

3. If you're traveling from overseas, ideally arrive into New York on Thursday evening. That gives you Friday to explore the expo and Saturday to freshen your legs in preparation for Sunday's run. Arriving any earlier will mean standing and walking around more in NYC, which subtlety drains the energy out of your legs, leaving you ill-prepared for race day.

4. If you've trained with music and headphones, take them with you on race day. 42.2km is a long way. The crowd and atmosphere will definitely inspire you like nothing else. But there are some quieter sections (e.g. Queensborough bride) where a shot of your favorite cheesy motivational music helps you stay focused and get the job done. 

5. Do lots of hill training. While the course is mostly flat, the bridges can sap your energy and strength. Ideally, get in one session per week of hills to build the strength and capacity in your legs.  If you can manage this, race day will be a breeze.

6. Don't worry about which level of the bridge you start on. Still the same views. And no you don't need to worry about waterfalls of  urine if you're in the lower level. 

7. Prepare a mantra for when the going gets tough.

   My favourites are: “1000% positive”, “Pain is temporary, glory is forever” and “Wounded But Not Conquered”

8. Do some training runs that mimic the later start time. Try and get your body used to running late morning through to mid afternoon. And do some runs where it is crowded and you have to learn to dodge around people. With 50,000 runners from all around the world, this is a skill you need to practice! 

9. Write your name on your shirt. When you need an extra shot of energy, move over close to the crowd and the New Yorkers will inspire you with their energy and enthusiasm.

10. The day after the marathon, stumble to Tavern On The Green to collect your copy of the New York Times. Find your name and get your medal engraved with your time. 

An Exercise For Tight Hip Flexors That Works Better Than Stretching

It's 'Global Running Day'... One of my fav exercises for runners, especially those with issues with their hips.

This drill will build capacity in the hip flexors (TFL, rectus femoris and iliopsoas), an important group of muscles for running. 

Like the hamstrings, the hip flexors often end up in constant 'protective mode' due to weakness and lack of strength.  Sitting all day tends to make them tight as hell.

This exercise will help get to the root cause of your tight hip flexors and also help to switch on your glutes.

Stand with theraloop around the middle part of your feet.
Drive one knee up so your thigh is parallel to the ground while also activating your core.

Important ➡️The weight bearing leg drives down⬇️ to the ground, strongly activating the gluteals. ✅This will help improve your running efficiency and gluteal activation on push off.

Happy Running!

#globalrunningday #runnersbody #runnersworld #runnersofinstagram #running #runningcommunity #resilientrunner #runforlife #runningtherapy #runninginspiration

Is Cycling Good For A Runner?

A new patient from last week prompted this post. He is a 43 year old presenting with persistent calf pain during running. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

He's been a competitive cyclist most of his life. Now, as a father of three young ones he is attempting to make the transition from cycling to running. As his time is limited, he wanted a sport that maximizes his 'bang for buck'. ⠀⠀
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He was frustrated because he generally felt very fit and never had any trouble with injuries as a cyclist.
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On assessment, his calves and hamstrings were weak, hip flexors very tight, and gluteal muscle function poor. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Long story short, his strong lung capacity from cycling allowed him to push his body well past what it was prepared for and into the danger zone of overload and injury. ⠀
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Tim Gabbett - "It's not the load that breaks the individual down. It's the load they are not prepared for."
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A really common scenario & and probably explains why triathletes find themselves injured so often. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

A research study (Rendos et al 2013) confirmed that cyclists develop muscle imbalances (particularly tight hip flexors) that can increase the risk of lower extremity injuries. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Key Points:
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1. Cycling, while beneficial for cardio health can contribute to muscle balances that can set you up for an injury.
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2. The human body is adaptable to change, but needs plenty of TIME to adapt. The fascia, muscles and tendons can take months/years to build capacity, while the cardio system responds much quicker. ⠀
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3. Running is a high load activity & has the potential to cause long-term problems if you take on too much too soon. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

4. An individualized Movement Assessment and corrective program will help maintain your body and keep it moving optimally. ⠀
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The Resilient Runner Workshop takes the latest evidence-based research and practical strategies to optimize your movement foundation so that you not only avoid injury, but enhance your running performance. 

Saturday June 2nd. 12pm - 3pm.
2 spots left. More details via this link