MIHP Think Tank Brainstorms… Movement Training Specialists

Enjoying The Finish

Training for a marathon or a 1/2 marathon requires a great amount of time and dedication.  It requires many sacrifices, from elimination of certain foods to reducing time with family and friends (non-running friends) . Once our training is complete and race day comes, we cross the finish line, rehydrate and seem to immediately bombard ourselves with a list of questions.  Could I run it faster? What is my next PR goal?   Will I do the full marathon next time?  Could I qualify for Boston?    Which race should I do next?  I know that you are recognizing this list. Don't get me wrong,  I am all about setting goals and developing the plan to get you to your goal but, I want to encourage you to take a little time to truly "enjoy your finish."  You set a goal, you reached it and now you need to reward yourself before starting over.  Don't stop moving but take a little time to attack another list.  

• Enjoy a chocolate bar (its the season "Happy Halloween").
• Have dinner with a non-running friend, who hasn't enjoyed your company the past few months. 
• Spend a Sunday morning in your pajamas eating pancakes with your family. 
• Stay up late on Saturday night enjoying a glass of wine or two with family and friends. 
• Go do a sport or activity you haven't done due to your training,  (bike ride, yoga, golf, dancing, etc.....)
• Take the time to return a favor to those who have supported you through your training. 
• Rent movies. 

"Enjoy  Your Finish" You deserve it. 

Shiatsu

I have just experienced my very first Shiatsu massage; interesting! I went in a little skeptical and thinking that I will at the very least have some time to relax and get some knots worked out.  I am now feeling that the past hour was way more than a knot rub out.

Being a PTA I find myself on the side of giving manual therapy; unless I do something crazy to injure myself. And, even when someone is working on me, usually my mind is involved in trying to solve the problem. So to lay down and have someone move me around and apply pressure and movement to areas of my body where all I have to do is focus on breathing was peaceful, but at times very difficult to catch my breath!

I do find it interesting that in many manual therapy practices, body movements to correct a structural abnormality are very similar. I have noticed that since learning Muscle Energy Technique I see the movement and position patterns in Shiatsu and Chiropractic; it is what happens after the initial position that makes it unique to each manual practice.

Stay tuned for more comparisons later!

New Galloway Book

This weekend I had a chance to read a newly released book written by Jeff Galloway and David Hannaford DPM titled "RUNNING INJURIES Treatment and Prevention".  I feel this book is a nice tool for the runner to have as a reference tool.  It breaks down the most common running injuries by joint into six categories.  It then breaks down each injury into the location of pain, description of pain, basic anatomy, causes, treatment, when to stop training and consequences of running through the pain.  The introduction and conclusion of the book supply simple answers to many common questions, in regards to how to immediately treat, when to return, and how to return.  It will offer assistance in identifying the injury you may be facing, BUT  remember that identifying the injury is only the first step ..........  identifying the cause is the cure! 

On a scale of 1-5, I give this book 4 stars!

visit www.m-m-sports.com to find this book.   THANK YOU AGAIN Mr. Galloway

High Hamstring

I first want to congratulate all of our patients, clients and friends who reached their goal in the numerous marathons last weekend.  Whether it was the full, 1/2, or a relay leg.  You set a goal and you reached it! We are proud!

Now that the muscle soreness is wearing off, I have been receiving numerous emails regarding this "pain in the butt". It is described as a "dull ache" in the low butt, or high hamstring region.  It is often felt through out the day but feels worse with running, jumping or bending forward.  

This pain is a tendonitis of the hamstring (the proximal insertion).  It is felt at the insertion on the ischial tuberosity (the sitt bones). The hamstring muscle is prone to injury because it crosses two large joints, the hip and knee.  When running, this muscle is required to decelerate hip flexion and knee extension simultaneously during stride.  It is also required to do this task at a very rapid speed,  yet I still watch runners prior to a race stretching their hamstring in a slow passive fashion. Remember... we need to train the body the way we are going to use it.  So how does this injury occur?

Possible Causes:

•  A functional leg length discrepancy, causing a rotation of the pelvis.
• Lack of dorsiflexion or hip extension on the non-injured side.
•  Reduced rotation at the hip or thoracic spine on the injured side.
• Frontal plane tightness (IT band or quadratus lumborum) on the injured side. 
• A tight subtalar joint on the injured side.
• Over pronation of the uninjured side.

The Fix: 

This is not a pain that I recommend running through.  Reducing inflammation at the tendon is the immediate goal but chasing down the cause of this problem will assist in both the healing and prevention of it happening again.  If you are going to run, shortening your stride  and avoiding any speed training during this recovery process is recommended.  Focus on the push off phase the back leg, and keep your runs short or add walk breaks into you run until the pain is gone. During this healing process consider the following: 

• Increase hip extension and dorsiflexion on the uninjured side to assist in push off phase.  
• Do not stretch the hamstring (you are pulling on an already inflamed tendon insertion)
• Improve mobility of the hip joint in the rotational plane and frontal plane.  Avoid exercises or stretches in the sagital plane (straight forward/backward motion). Check the MIHP website for a daily dozen that will assist you in choosing these exercises.
• Roll the IT band on the injured side.
• Increase subtalar joint mobility on the injured side.

By chasing down the true cause of your injury and not just treating a tight hamstring, you will prevent future injury and find yourself back to running pain-free in no time.  

-Tracy Ryckaert