Wednesday 5 August 2009

London Marathon


The London marathon was a great event and raised a huge amount of money for charity. I was assigned to "Sparks"

A children's medical research charity. http://www.sparks.org.uk/


The "sparks" athletes returned tired and grateful of a sports massage after the event. Some minor injuries were reported, twisted ankles, runners knee ( IT band syndrome ) and the normal wear & tear, fatigue after such an event.


All of the athletes were elated just to have completed the marathon but most reported understandably the feeling of fatigue and that perhaps their training / stretching had not been enough to prepare them for the event.


Injury prevention.

It is important to stretch correctly & train well for such events however over training can also be damaging. Injury prevention is key, over training is counter productive and can lead to micro tears in the belly of the muscle, if over training continues this can become a more serious problem leading to muscle weakness and loss of power.

When the muscle is fatigued its shock absorbing qualities ( quads etc) are greatly reduced and so the impact is taken directly through the joints and bones. Bone is not a great shock absorbing material and so this can lead to stress fractures or even cartilage damage. Similarly when the muscle is fatigued it will not serve well to support the joints and so ligament sprains are common due to over training.


Posture

As part of a good training preparation posture should not be overlooked, I see may runners who have very over tight hamstrings so they stretch them well in the belief that the stretch will relieve the strain. More often it's the quads that have become shortened and tight and are stretching the hamstrings to breaking point! As the hip rotates forwards due to shortened quads it causes a postural deformation of the lumber spine and that deep curve in the lower back causing the classic lower pain.


Sports massage and full postural assessment is key and can identify these small micro tears and posture issues before they becomes a major problem. A good sports & remedial therapist will also help identify weak area and treat with muscle balancing as a method injury prevention.


Hydration

We are always told to drink plenty of water, true even if you don't exercise but vital post event to get back in the water and nutrient & mineral levels- a good sports drink will help to re balance the body to aid good recovery.