Personal Training Series: “Don’t care, get over the finish line”, can lead to injury

Some athletes are bloody minded and will do anything to win. Some clients only see the goal at the end but don’t think about the process of getting there. In physiotherapy I see many people who have trained incorrectly because they focus only on the event they are racing and not on how to train to get there.

Having a personal trainer and a physiotherapist work with you can vastly improve your chances of reaching your goal, with minimal to no injuries. The training process can be designed specifically for the goal and the exercises required to achieve the goal can be taught correctly.

When designing a training programme there are many variables to consider such as: exercise technique, timing of training, intensity of training, the environment of training, progressions of training, and even what is happening in an individual’s life. Having a team to work with you takes away the need to think. The professionals also have the experience and the knowledge to give you the best training advice.

When working with a physiotherapist and trainer you can contact them at any time. They can talk to you when you get injured, when you have questions about your training, and when you want to know what to do if you get injured. Having this team is like being a professional athlete, and provides the greatest chance of success.

I have seen amateur athletes start training, and progress doing extremely well without any help; then they reach a certain mileage in training and their body starts to break down.  At this point it is too late to change technique and training regime because the race is within a few weeks. Treatment is then about first aid care – doing everything possible to keep that person training despite the risk of increased injury, and the fact that the race is now in jeopardy. There are many emotions which accompany being in a position of unknown at race time. A person with injuries does not know how the body will react during the race; the target or goals in that race no longer apply; and all those weeks / months of training have been put at risk. To cross the finish line is often the goal after an injury has occurred. A plan then needs to be made to race the following year with correct training principles, guided by the personal trainer and physiotherapist.

It helps to get the right advice to train. Speak to your physiotherapist – who works closely with a personal trainer – to create a winning team.

Personal Training Series: Ignoring pain

The human body has a pain sensing system. This system is designed to preserve the body and prevent long term damage. In training the body responds to stimuli and training pain needs to be overcome. However, there is a limit, and it is important to understand for your own body what that limit is.

I saw a documentary on television where a young boy had no pain sensing system. He would go to school and ask his friends to punch him in the stomach; he pretended he was superman because he felt no pain. One day his parents noticed bruising and swelling around his legs and abdomen, and took him to hospital. The doctors discovered he had severe internal haemorrhaging from being punched too much. This young boy’s lack of a pain sensing system could have led to his death.

Another documentary showed scientists trying to reproduce the pain sensing system in the body because it is so important for preserving life. With all the technology and advances in science today they were unable to replicate the system. It is highly complex and adapts to its changing environment. We need it to learn what not to do, what we can do, and what is dangerous.

In training, if we ignore pain completely then injuries often occur. It is important to put in perspective what you are doing, the experience you’ve had in training, and what you think your body can do – you must have realistic limitations as to how much pain you will withstand.

Be sensible and listen to your body. Focus on gradual increase in loading in training, and be happy with steady progress in your training goals. Aim long term rather than short term. Keep in touch with your physiotherapist and trainer to guide you through this process and avoid injury.

It is not much fun being injured and in the long run ignoring pain from an injury will make your training time longer. Get your body assessed by a physiotherapist and work with a personal trainer to prevent injury and to enjoy your training.

Personal Training series: The Shoulder injury in training

Shoulder pain is a common complaint when training in the gym. I have often seen shoulder pain occur when someone is doing a deep bench press or a very low shoulder press. This pain could be associated with a clicking noise or a sharp pain at the point of deepest position. Often the person tries to train harder to resolve the problem, because they believe that strengthening the shoulder will be the solution to the problem.

The other time shoulder problems can occur is when someone is given a new exercise which is very functional in many degrees of motion, using small weights quickly or pushing very heavy weights. Today exercises are often more functional which means that they do not function in single planes of motion. These movements can be very complex and require coordination and skill. When a person does this for the first time, and then they try to do this too fast with a heavy weight, they lose control of their shoulder joint and the shoulder joint is put under unnecessary stress. This stresses the shoulder over time and breaks down the tissues leading to injury.

When the total movement of an exercise is videoed it can be seen that the shoulder can also be put under stress because other parts of the body are not moving as well. When someone rotates their body and pulls weight up and out above their head, if their hips, pelvis or knee are not moving in a coordinated fashion the shoulder gets unnecessary stress and this can also lead to tissue breakdown and injury. An injury can occur from one explosive movement or from repetitive movements done badly over time. Sudden movements are often associated with a one off severe pain; however the repetitive movements done badly over time tend to creep up on a person. Pain develops insidiously and starts at a low level, gradually building to a point at which they must seek physiotherapy.

Rehabilitation protocol for shoulder pain can be very complex as the shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body. The shoulder can be prone to increased movement in some areas but stiffness in others. The spine, hips and knees – even the big toe – joints can all be causes leading to shoulder pain. The assessment protocol for assessing the shoulder will be a global one and treatment may involve working on areas other than the shoulder.

To prevent shoulder problems it is very important for a physiotherapist to work closely with a personal trainer. The trainer communicates clearly with the physiotherapist what they intend to do with their client, and then the physiotherapist can guide the trainer as to what potential risks there are. If this close relationship functions correctly between the physiotherapist and trainer than injuries can be prevented, goals can be achieved and long term damage to the body can be avoided.

Personal Training series: Physical Edge Physiotherapy team working specifically with Personal Trainers for superior results

I believe being healthy is important, as it affects every area of life – if you are healthy you can do more and feel better doing it. Often people find it difficult to motivate themselves to go to the gym or to do sport; they need someone to direct them in their training, give them focussed goals, and keep them motivated along the way. Personal trainers play a significant role in this regard – helping people achieve their physical goals. Today personal trainers often work in one-on-one training facilities, to offer functional gym training in a smaller more intimate environment;the gym generally has better equipment, is cleaner and the trainers can offer state of the art functional training.

Having spoken with several high profile trainers in London, we have identified the need for physiotherapists to work with trainers.People find it frustrating when they get injuries and the trainer sends them to a physiotherapist they do not know; the physiotherapist may not clearly communicate back to the trainer what the client’s injury is, and how to help heal that injury during training. Sometimes training is stopped for no reason and the client is taken away from his / her training goals.

The way to improve the training process is to have a physiotherapist work with the trainer from the very start. By getting assessed by a physiotherapist before training starts, a person can discuss their injuries and how their body operates with a medical professional. The physiotherapist will identify the injuries, past and present, which may present during training sessions; even if there are no current injuries, the physiotherapist can identify potential pitfalls a person may encounter as they go through their training regime towards their goals. Once the person is assessed by the physiotherapist the physio can feed back to the personal trainer what to look out for during the training process, what limitations there are for that person in training, and whether the training goal is appropriate. The trainer can then confidently train a client knowing that he/she is supported by a medical professional who understands injuries and how the body functions in response to them.

The personal trainer will continue to communicate closely with the physiotherapist during the training process; the physiotherapist will continue in their assessment of a client throughout their training regime in order to maintain correct movement of the body and further direct the trainer towards more advanced training goals. By working well together in this way the physiotherapist and trainer help to provide a better service to their clients. If an injury does occur during training the physiotherapist will already know the client, and the trainer will be able to communicate immediately with the physio on how to proceed. The synergy of this relationship far exceeds any personal training system by itself.

The benefits to the client are:

• Prevention of injuries during training
• Faster goal attainment
• Faster return to training if an injury does occur.

If you are interested in working with a physiotherapist and personal trainer contact us at http://www.physical –edge.com

The ‘Integrated Approach to Functional Change’ Physiotherapy Course

I completed my final weekend of the “Integrated Approach for Facilitating Change” course. This was run over 15 days over a 9 month period and brought together the previous training on treating and assessing the low back, neck and shoulder.  The final 4 days of training focussed on an entire approach of assessing injuries and included the  lower limb.

This approach identified the cause of the problem and got rapid results with fast effective techniques. I was able to see clearly how the foot should function in gait and how  ideal movement and alignment of joints can relieve pain. Functional rehabilitation was a key component in relieving pain and preventing pain from returning.

After the weekend I treated a man with hamstring pain. I assessed his rib cage and identified a problem. With correction of this problem he could touch his toes, sit and flex forward and straighten his knee and replicate kicking a rugby ball with no hamstring pain. He has had a second treatment and he is about to start cycling again.

I treated a triathlete with pain in his shoulder from catching his daughter in a swimming pool. He could not ride in profile position because pain extended down his arm and became too intense. I treated his rib cage and taught him how to suspend his body and he could ride with no pain after 1 session.

These are two of the changes I have made with effective long term results. I plan to specialise in treating Ironman athletes. These athletes need fast relief of pain and also to continue training.  My skills enable me to treat all other areas of body. To be truly effective the patient must comply with instructions and complete the treatment.

If you are interested in what I do contact me on mail@physical-edge.com