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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
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 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.
 Proud to be supporting the Tavistock Athletic Club Members V5. A fab virtual 5k challenge just for TAC members, they'll be running 5k their way, at their pace, and in their own space. It's great to see so many athletes staying active and sticking together throughout this difficult time. Looking for a friendly club to join in 2021? Well then look no further than Tavistock Athletic Club. Formed in 1985, the club has been at the centre of the Tavistock community for over 35 years! A friendly club with an amazing junior section and amazing resources including the 400m athletics track - Check them out HERE
With so much conflicting information out there and outdated advice, I’ve put together these resources to help you make more informed decisions when buying new running shoes. It should make buying running shoes so much easier, more fun and less expensive. I’ve also written a full and detailed guide along with lots of other running resources. It’s important to question where the advice is coming from sometimes and who is selling you something. Enjoy everyone and happy running 🙌 CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE #runningshoes #running #runners #run#jamesarmstrongphysio #physio#runningcommunity #runnerslife
Such an honour to have been asked to contribute to the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Frontline magazine. Hopefully my enthusiasm and passion for the profession comes across 😀. I have been supporting Physiotherapy students during my role in the NHS. I am incredibly passionate not just about Physiotherapy as a whole but also the new generation of physios coming through. Was not expecting a 4 page spread!
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AuthorJames Armstrong Archives
September 2021
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