A big focus in our clinic is injury prevention, in particular ACL injury prevention. With the run of ACL injuries we’re treating we’re highlighting the importance of ACL injury prevention.
Many of our clients are active sports people and we’re keen
to see our clients succeed in their sport and most importantly injury free.
There’s been an abundance of research into the success of injury prevention
programs and fortunately many physios, coaches and athletes are adopting these
programs. In particular there’s been a lot of research around ACL injury
prevention and the significant reduction of injury in athletes who regularly
complete a prevention program.
When it comes to ACL injury prevention it is important to
include strength, agility, proprioception (balance) and plyometrics. In
addition these programs need to be completed regularly, for at least 10 minutes
prior to playing sport and continue for 6 weeks or the duration of the sports
calendar (whichever is longer).
There are many sport specific programs that have been
developed with the knee and ACL in particular in mind.
With this in mind if you’re joining a team this season, have a previous ACL tear that needs rehab or a weekend warrior come see one of our fantastic physios to get your program started. To book an appointment click here.
As humans we are the most adapted and have potential to be the best movers on the planet. Yes, we cannot jump up a fence like a cat or sprint like a cheetah but we can throw a Frisbee, tie a shoelace and loco mote on 1,2,3 or 4 limbs. As a species we evolved for long distance migration (walking and running) yet, foot, knee and Achilles ‘over use’ injuries have never been so prevalent. So why is this? Sadly, the majority of us have lost the ability to do everything that our body has evolved to do and, as a society, we take our movement for granted.
The body is a highly adaptable machine. It allows us to move, even with joint restrictions in place, but it is only a matter of time until it begins to break down and you go to see your physiotherapist. When walking (and running) form follows function. If we lack movement in the lower limb – especially in the hips we begin to compensate. This leads to increased transmission of force in the joints and ligaments and our doctor or other health care provider diagnoses us with ‘jumpers knee”, Achilles tendonitis or some kind of plantar fasciopathy we are unable to pronouce.
Lower limb and lower back injuries almost always have a hip component. Because we do not regularly use our body for the purpose it has evolved for and the 90° lifestyle that has become the norm, think sitting, prevents us from accessing the full function of our hips. The many hours we spend sitting causes us to loose hip mobility and in turn hip stability. Our hip flexors and lower back begin to tighten and our pelvis starts to tip forward. This in turn leads to an inability to extend our hip and thus propel us forward in and efficient manner when walking or running. If our hip cannot extend we cannot access the full power of our gluts and then other, less suited muscles take over leading us down the path of over use injuries and metal joints. It’s not all bad news! To adapt means to “make (something) suitable for a new use or purpose” or “become adjusted to new conditions”. With this in mind it tells us that we merely have to change the conditions to change our destination. Listed below are a few ideas of how to reclaim your hip movement and prevent yourself from injury. While this list is not exhaustive it is a great start and seeking the advice of a health or movement professional should not be avoided altogether.
Reduced the amount of time spent sitting at 90°. Sitting can be divided into optional and non-optional.
Optional:
E-mails
Netflix
Park
Non-optional:
Car
Meeting (where everyone sits)
Work
For those times where sitting is optional think about a different position you could adopt: standing, sitting on the floor, walking etc
2. Offset the amount of time spent sitting with hip extension stretches. Spend 1 minute in the modified hip flexor stretch for every 1-hour you spend sitting on any given day.
Kneel on the Left knee.
Right knee at 90.
Drive the hips forward and keep
The core engaged.
Squeeze the left glut and feel the
Stretch in the left hip flexor.
Hold 1 minute – change leg
3. Obtain hip dominance and glut activation in standing – Complete 2 x 5s hold on each leg.
Stand on the left leg.
Pull the right knee to the chest using the hands.
Squeeze the left glut and keep the left knee straight.
Release the Right knee and hold for 5 seconds.
These are a few ideas for you to reclaim you hip mobility and once
you have done the hard work of obtaining it, all you have to do to keep it is
to use it.
So you are at a
fork in the road – do you want to run yourself to injury or do you want to move
yourself to health. Like with all things
health, prevention is better than cure and remember…. Embrace progress, no
perfection.
Now that restrictions are easing and gyms are open many of
you are keen to return to your pre-Covid exercise regime. However it’s
important to know how to return safely to the gym post Covid 19 to avoid
injury. Here are our tips on how you to get back to the gym:
Hygiene
Number 1 tip throughout Covid 19 has been hygiene and this
is not the time to stop. Remember to always wash your hands (or sanitise) and
avoid touching your face. Wiping gym equipment before you use it can help
minimise the risk of contracting Covid 19.
Warm up and Cool down
With many of us working from home and changing our exercise program (such as taking up running) we may have stiff areas and weak muscles requiring some extra focus and care. Ensuring a 10 minute warm up of gentle cardio and dynamic stretching and foam rolling, stretching and icing can aid in recovery and injury prevention.
Reducing your weight lifting
Given gyms have closed for 3 months it’s important not to
lift too heavy a weight to ensure you return safely to the gym post Covid 19.
It’s recommended you drop 20-30% of pre-iso weight to reduce your risk of
injury.
Limiting your intensity
The excitement of returning to the gym must be tempered with
the risk of injury. Remember it has been a while since you’ve attended the gym
so having a rest day between sessions and reducing your reps and sets can all
help for recovery and injury prevention.
Address any niggles
During isolation you may have been working from home and not
had an ideal desk setup or you may have taken up a different type of exercise
as the gyms were closed. Make sure as you return to the gym that if you feel
any niggles get them checked out by your physio. Injury prevention is key and
you don’t want your niggle to become a full blown injury.
We hope you enjoy returning to the gym post Covid 19 and
these tips will help to ensure a safe return.
Over the last few weeks one positive that has
surprised us in the clinic is the number of people seeking our expertise for
exercise related injuries. It seems that half of North Sydney has managed to
dust of their running shoes and hit the pleasantly empty streets.
With gyms closed, CEO’s working from home and a
temporary hold on the school run, time has been created for the most important
thing – the self. New work out routines and self-imposed running schedules are
abundant.
With all of this in mind I thought it would be
a good idea to provide some encouragement and education on how to prepare for
your run, progress as a runner and how to keep version 2.0 of yourself running,
exercising and meditating when the virus is nothing but a distant memory.
Preparation:
Our clients are so keen to lace up the runners
and race at the door that many of them are missing the most important part of
the run. The old phrase ‘fail to prepare and prepare to fail’ rings true.
School PE lessons would have us take a few laps
around the oval and then some good old-fashioned hamstring stretch and this is
exactly that – old fashioned.
Instead ask your self – how’s my butt? The glut
muscles are the powerhouses of the body. Not only do they keep our pelvis
aligned, contribute to single leg balance and knee alignment when running they
also serve to drive us forwards and thereby taking the stress of those sore
calves you are plagued with!
The series of exercises below should be
completed prior to starting your run. They can also work, as a set of exercises
to be used when taking a mini-break from your desk as those hours spent sitting
will have your backside snoozing.
1. Single leg bridge
2. Lying hip abduction (With or without
resistance band)
3. Single leg dead lift.
Bonus point:
Before you put on your running shoes spend 2
minutes rolling the base of your foot with a lacrosse/spiky ball. This simple
movement will re-awaken your constricted feet and begin to mobilise the 26
bones, 33 joints and 100 tendons, muscles and ligaments.
If you’re already pounding
through 5km and, the proverbial carrot is not getting any closer, then keep
reading. Every time we increase our running routine whether its distance, time
or speed we also increase our likely hood of picking up an injury. But good
news, there is ways to prevent this.
1. Increase running distance
by no more than 10% each week. So if you’re running 10km this week – next week
you can do 11km.
2. Ensure you are wearing
well-fitted running shoes that are suitable for your running style. Head over
to Pace Athletic (https://paceathletic.com/) for a running gait analysis
and a pair of runners made for you.
3. Cool down – this is more
important than most people realise. Aim
to complete a cool down that is 10% of you’re workout – add an additional 1km
to your workout at a slower pace gradually reducing to a walk.
4. Implement a preventative
programme including, stretching, Pilates, good nutrition, hydration and
adequate sleep.
Upgrading version 2.0
Now you’re running at version
2.0 its time to keep upgrading. It is
commonly thought it takes 66days to form a new habit. The length of time public
health restrictions have been going on for means we are almost there! When events are up and running (excuse the
pun) and we can start to be more human by gathering outside there is a few ways
you can push your exercise to new heights.
2. Park run – The world’s
biggest running event. A free, weekly 5km in open spaces and parks around the
world. Park run offers a positive, welcoming experience. Feel free to walk, jog,
run, volunteer or spectate. (https://www.parkrun.com.au/)
3. Sign up to an event – This
single most effective way to give yourself a purpose. 5km, half marathon,
mud-run or sponsored walk. Put it on the calendar and keep working!
Now you have managed to find
time for all your new healthy habits – exercising, connecting with food in your
kitchen, listening to and engaging as a family – I hope that life doesn’t
return to the way it was.
Like many of our clients we are aware of the impact the Coronavirus is having on our community and have implemented further precautions to limit the risk of infection to our clients and in our clinic.
We are following recommendations from NSW Health and our Physiotherapy Association to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading.
These include: Regular cleaning of the clinic, Pilates studios, equipment, furniture etc Continued good hand washing hygiene before and after each client Hand sanitiser is available in the clinic and Pilates studios
We request any clients to reconsider or delay treatment if they have flu like symptoms or have travelled to internationally known hot spots in recent weeks.
We are providing telehealth appointments for clients who are unable to attend the clinic due to the risk of infecting others.
We have unfortunately had to close our Pilates studio as we feel we must to be doing our duty in the fight against COVID-19. We are running classes online (through Zoom), please email us for more information or book through Mindbody.
