Volunteer Physiotherapy at the Mother’s Day Classic Running Event
Sport & Spinal Physiotherapy were thrilled to be a part of the Mother’s Day Classic running event this year. It was our first time at the event and at one stage we had 5 physios working on injured runners and volunteers, with a line out the front of our tent. It was also great to see the Queanbeyan deadly running group, who we have been working closely with this year. Thank you to all who waited patiently in the rain. The day was a great success and we look forward to being a part of it next year.
If there was a common theme amongst all the runners, it would have to be tight calf muscles. At one stage, we had all 5 physios massaging tight calf muscles at the same time. Calf stretching should be a regular part of your running program.
Also it is a good idea to make sure your shoes match your foot type. We noticed quite a few runners excessively pronating (collapsed arches) in their running shoes and the shoe was not supportive enough.
Having the correct shoes is so important and I would encourage all runners to have a FREE pre-assessment with our podiatrist to make sure your shoes are right. We always tell runners that if you don’t have the right shoes or they are too old, in the end you will probably get injured and it will cost you more in medical bills. So be pro-active and prevent any running injuries by seeing our podiatrist for FREE with the attached pre-assessment voucher to check out your shoes.
We also saw quite a few tight necks and mid-backs (thoracic area). When we asked these runners about their occupation, predominantly it was office based work with a large amount of time sitting at the computer. For all those office workers out there, check out the great article written by Michael about having the correct workstation set-up.
For the upper thoracic region near your shoulder blades, it is an area that is quite difficult to mobile and loosen up. We recommend the thoracic wedge for this area as a great tool to keep your thoracic area mobile. Jamie wrote a great article about the use of the wedge recently.
Jeff Galloway (past Olympian and author of Galloway’s book of Running) once wrote: “You cannot improve if you cannot run. The single greatest cause of improvement is remaining injury free”. If you do have an injury, it is best to be pro-active and tackle the injury early before it sets in and becomes chronic. Often the longer an injury has been present, the longer it will take us physios to fix it.
Running is a great sport. In my opinion, there is nothing like the wind in your hair feeling when you are running fast. However, running is a demanding sport and injuries are quite common. Refer to some great tips to avoid running injuries mentioned by our physiotherapist Jim Fuller.
As a special offer for all the Mothers Day Classic runners or volunteers, we can demonstrate the use of any posture product for FREE at our City West practice. Please call 6262 4464 to arrange a suitable time. If you have not been to our Gungahlin or City practices before and are looking for help for any type of injury or condition, we can help. We offer high quality services in physiotherapy, podiatry, massage and pilates. Visit our home page at www.sportandspinalphysio.com.
Thanks once again for participating in the Mothers Day Classic. We hope you had a great day and we look forward to helping you run injury-free for years to come.
Yours in Running
