HAVE AN AMAZING RACE
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Well what an incredible experience. To work as a Physiotherapist at the highest level of sport is simply extrordinary. My role across the whole games was on the field of play teams. This mean being first on the pitch/playing area when serious injury occurs. It meant working with some unbelievably talented medical staff and boy did I learn a lot! From consultant emergency doctors, advanced critical care paramedics to other fellow Physiotherapist who work in elite sport, I worked with the lot.
At the rugby 7's I was pitchside and got to work with the elite level of rugby and the medical protocols that go alongside that. From precise extrication of players off the pitch, to fast and thorough assessment of seriously injured players and head injury assessment. We trained for 2 hours before ever game to ensure the team were spot on with all procedures. I then moved across to the Judo where I was again right on the edge of the action ready to attend to the most serious injuries. After that was my debut at the Alexander Stadium for the athletics where we I was involved in treating the athletes across all disciplines from elite runners, long jumpers, pole vaulters, and shot putters from Team GB and across the commonwealth. It was an honour to work with the best of the best. Not just the most elite athletes but also the most elite medical professionals. I learnt a tremendous amount that I have subsequently brought back into my clinic and aim to give all my patients the same elite treatment. Fantastic day in Birmingham getting ready for the Commonwealth Games. Yesterday we had the medical team training, where all of the professions got together for the first time! It was such an impressive mix of skills! On my table alone we had a Consultant Anaesthetist, 2 Physiotherapists, Anaesthetist Registrar, ICU Nurse, Staff nurse and 2 Junior Drs. I can not wait to work with these people at the games! The infrastructure behind the games is just so impressive! I'll be bringing you as much of my journey as I can. Commonwealth Games Physio here we come! #CommonWealthGames2022 #Physio  I’m really proud to once again be the sponsor for the Tavistock Athletic Club Tavistock Town Relays. Supporting local athletics is something I feel strongly about and it’s a privilege to be in a position to be able to directly support and promote athletics to all abilities with this amazing event.
Hope to see lots of you at the event. Full details here: www.tavistockathletics.co.uk/events/tavy-relays I’m really excited to announce my new Running Channel - The Runner’s Guide The channel will cover everything running related including, dealing with running injuries, performance tips, training advice, event and product reviews, special guests and much much more. Please head over and subscribe as it will really help get the word out Thanks www.youtube.com/c/TheRunnersGuide  I’m going to be working as a Physio at the Commonwealth Games 2022. After a full selection process and interview, it has been confirmed that I have been successful in being selected as a Physiotherapist at this year's Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. I am absolutely over the moon. I can't wait for this and I am pinching myself as I can't quite believe it!  How to avoid injury.
Overuse injuries account for approx 80% running related injuries so here’s my top tips for avoiding these pesky barriers to that all important consistent training and racing fun! - Avoid sudden spikes in training. Try not to increase any if the following too much too quickly. Frequency - How many times a week you run Intensity - How hard you run Time - How long you run for Type - Type of training (speed, hills, fell) One of the best way to do this is to have a good quality coach or to at least plan your training. - Be flexible with your training/ be open and honest with your coach. So if you’re feeling fatigued or flat then switch to an easy run, but when your feeling good have confidence to push hard. - Prioritise Recovery and Sleep Make sure you’re recovering from the training you’re put in the bank. I say this a lot but it’s a true! “Sleep is where the magic happens”. In fact those who sleep less than 7 hrs per night are at a greater risk of injury! The key thing to note is, training forces the physiological adaptations that take place when you recover, so recovery it is vital. - Strength Training Implement a simple strength plan in to your diary. It does not need to be complicated! Squats (they don’t need to be deep), calf raises, deadlifts, lunges and resisted hip abductions (crab walks) are all great and simple. The important thing is to try and lift heavy! You want a weight that means you can only do a max of 12 repetitions. Some heavy books in a bag will do. I’ve even prescribed squats holding a toddler before! If you don’t have any weights then repeat until you fatigue. See the page on my website on specific strength training for runners and endurance athletes. - Nutrition The simple fact is you need to fuel for the task in hand. If you’re under fuelled then your body doesn’t just not perform it also can’t repair and adapt from the training. Eating enough is key and where I see many patients go wrong. If in doubt seek advice from a qualified professional. For more in-depth advice on how to reduce injuries, head to the dedicated page on the site HERE  I see many runners who suffer with reoccurring injuries and just can't seem to get to the bottom of why the same injury keeps returning. So, I thought I'd share one of the common reasons this happens and how I help break the cycle for runners and endurance athletes that I see in clinic.
Firstly, it's important to understand that during the running gait your soft tissues and bones experience large amounts of load and need to produce/ resist large forces. For example, your gluteus medius muscle (a relatively small muscle in the side of your hips), takes approximately 6.5 times your body weight at peak forces, every step of the run! That's huge! If you weigh 77kg that means even if only for a millisecond, that muscle is experiencing a force of 500kg repeatedly during your run! So how does this relate to reoccurring injury? Often when people pick up an injury, they do one or mix of a few things. They either completely rest and it gets better and then they return to running. Or they rest and do some exercises that help it get better. They may also get a massage and other hands-on passive treatments. But none of these approaches actually get to the root cause of the injury. If you think about it, your body needs to have a pretty big capacity to take the loads involved in running so if you don't get that capacity back up in the tissues, then as you return to running it's very likely that they will not be able to keep up and hey presto your injury returns. Okay now what can you do to change this? When you pick up an injury it's vital to get it assessed properly so you can find out if there's any way you can maintain some running. Rest is rarely best. At the same time a properly pitched, progressive loading and strengthening programme is crucial. One that is programmed to build you back stronger than you were before the injury and one that is right for your injury. After all the majority of injuries are caused by a lack of capacity in the first place. Hence my tag lines of #STRONGER and #RUNSTRONG. When coming back from injury you need to be stronger and more robust than the time leading up to that injury. So, don't put up with a reoccurring injury. There really is absolutely no need to COME BACK STRONGER  What an amazing event! It has been unbelievable to watch everyone get out and complete their virtual 5k as part of the Tavistock Virtual 5k! The club has come together as one and the feeling of comradely is overwhelming. It's been an honour to not just be part of the club but to be in a position to sponsor the event and offer some prizes to such great running. I'd like to personally congratulate everyone who took part in the V5 event. You are all superstars and I can't wait to be part of another event real soon and hopefully some full events where we can all get together properly. We all have lots of celebrating to do when we get together. check out the running resources while your here
it’s important to embrace this uncertainty at the moment and see it as a chance to give your body a break from the hard training, mix things up and enjoy exercising" Strength training isn’t easy at the moment if you don’t have the equipment at home but improvisation is great, use something around the house, try some squats carrying your child! For conditioning and mobility, I now do an Ultra Mat Pilates session twice a week with Zero Gravity Pilates. It’s not the same as Pilates you see elsewhere. It’s much more performance focused and great for runners it’s so addictive and very affordable. You could also try PE with Joe, now is the time to take the pressure off of yourself, look after your physical and mental wellbeing and do things for enjoyment. I think you’ll be surprised at how fit and strong you are when training recommences.
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AuthorJames Armstrong Archives
October 2022
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