feedback from a runner struggling with thigh pain

Hi Gary and Alofa, 

.....

Thank you so much for the last few months.  It has been such a huge turn around for me, going from really struggling with constent pain in my thigh and not running at all to now running around 70-80km a week and thinking about racing over the summer.  You guys are definitely very good at what you do, and I really appreciate the service you provide.

Hope you both also have a wonderful Christmas and a nice break.

...

Again thank you both so much.

(name supplied but withheld)

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Gary:
Its feedback like this that keeps our enthusiasm high for what we do.

This talented runner was reduced to a walk for 18 months due to disabling thigh pain.  He was like a lost sole in the desert, doing the rounds of just about every medical expert - He was poked, prodded, needled and zapped.  All at enormous cost to him, in time and money - and to the New Zealand tax payer.  And all for no result other than the enriching of the bank accounts of others.

As per the usual, the solution was really quite simple.  The solution for intractable injuries, like these, requires the removal of the the blinkers of medical specialisation and the reductionism that comes with this specialisation.  The solution is in taking a holistic, "one stop shop", approach to health along with a generous understanding of the unique stresses and strains of high performance running training and racing.

In the case of this crippled runner, he was instructed to commence running the day following his first session with us and he has not looked back!

To his credit - He did the work; he took instruction and did not veer; he put his money up front, and he took the pain as we enthusiastically dealt to him!  And the results were delivered.  He has not looked back and is running freely.  I can see the fire in his eyes:  He is itching to race once again!

About this website 

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.

Candida and Fungal Infections? Gary Moller recommends you explore this programme: Click Here!

Have a Back Up Plan for Running!

I am often asked how my sister, Lorraine, managed to last so long at, or near the top internationally as a runner?  That’s a fair question because Lorraine’s career lasted an astonishing 28 years, representing New Zealand in events as diverse as the 800m, cross-country and the marathon.  She is the only female runner to have run four consecutive Olympic Marathons.  She is still arguably the fastest ever female ultra-distance runner with her best over 50 km just a tad over 3 hours and 23 minutes.

Whether we are marathon runners or walkers, there are some lessons we can all learn from the experiences of durable extreme athletes such as Lorraine.  So, what do I think is the most valuable take home message from studying Lorraine’s durability?

There are, of course, many, including nutrition, rest and following the Lydiard Training Method; but the one that is most valuable is this:

Have a back-up plan!

If ever there was a fatal flaw in a person’s fitness programme it is not having an alternative activity should one ever get ill or injured.

Lorraine was a competitive swimmer before she took up running.  Once she switched to running she continued to swim at least once or twice a week.  Swimming was her back-up plan.  If the joints or tendons began to ache, being conditioned for swimming, she was able to seamlessly switch the emphasis of her training to swimming, thus giving her legs a well earned rest for several days.  Meanwhile, her fitness barely suffered.

A runner or walker who has no alternative activity that they have had ticking quietly away in the background is at great risk of suffering season-ending injuries and potentially career-ending ones.

Unless there is a large bus involved, most walking and running injuries are of the slow motion kind: They creep up on you over several days, starting with a niggle that eventually causes a painful halt.  By switching immediately to your back up activity at the first hint of a niggle, the odds are it will never come to anything.

Your back-up plan can be a gym programme a couple of times a week, swimming, paddling, yoga, riding a bike.  If you are a walker or runner, it would be preferable that your alternative is low impact, non weight-bearing and not entirely reliant on the legs - just in case your injury is something like a stress fracture.   Swimming is perfect when you think about it.

So, if, for example,  you are out on your long Sunday walk and you slip and twist your ankle, or maybe you just start to get a niggle of tendonitis in a knee.  Your action is to take the next four days off all walking and switch to swimming daily.  This “actively” rests the injured part while the gentle exercise will expedite recovery.  On the fourth day, cautiously resume walking, keeping close to home so you can cut the walk short if needed.  

This is simple, effective injury management!

About this website 

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness. 
 

Candida and Fungal Infections? Gary Moller recommends you explore this programme: Click Here!

Run for your Life Workshop for injury-free running

I was riding up a very steep Brooklyn Hill today taking my son, Alama (12), on his 2nd ever outing on a real mountain bike complete with cleats when I heard a load slapping sound coming from somebody running down the hill.  He was running in a pair of barefoot runners, landing heels first with a bone-crunching slap and thud!  It was a sickening sight and sound: All I could see were multiple injuries in the making.

While I have no problems at all with barefoot runners (I am the proud owner of a pair), I do worry that far too many people are getting on the barefoot bandwagon with hardly any idea of how to run efficiently.  Rupert Watson to the rescue (If you live in Wellington).  Please read the flyer below:

Run for your Life

For runners of any age who want to go the whole distance.

Running may be natural, but it is intense, with some 60% of runners injured in some way each year.

Advice sought about shin splints caused by running

Hi Gary,
I am 17 and was wondering if you could help me. I am an athlete, i run 400m and 800m and have competed internationally twice. Over the past year i have been experiencing pain on and off on the inner side of my left shin. I have been told it is shinsplints and that it is not too serious yet i cant get rid of it permanently. I get it treated whenever it hurts which allows me to resume training for a while(few weeks or so), but it always returns eventually. I would really appreciate it if you could offer some of your expertise on treating/preventing this injury.
Thanks
Finbar

Photo: Drills like stepping and bounding up a grassy slope strengthen the legs and hone the reflexes for efficient running
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Gary Moller comments:

Finbar

what you might have is a weak tibialis posterior muscle. Please go to my website and read this.

You should also look at purchasing a pair of Formthotics Active which will give your foot the support it needs during training and competition.

I also recommend that you get a weekly deep tissue massage on all of your leg muscles.

Most sporting injuries are coaching issues: Not medical problems

Finbar, remember that you are only 17 and you must give your body time to grow and mature. You do not hit your running peak until you are 28 or so years. Excessive training and injuries suffered now will shorten and limit your athletic career. Few junior champions ever succeed as seniors for reasons of chronic injury, ill health and mental burnout.

So, cruise your way through the junior years, concentrate on skills rather than effort. Eat well and get plenty of rest. Concentrate on good grades at school with your sport second and be careful not to be pressured into short-sighted training and competition by others like over-ambitious coaches and sports officials. Once you are in your 20's you can then decide how far you want to go knowing that you have the strength, vitality, the skills and the emotional maturity to handle the punishment and the pressures.

A good running resource is the Lydiard Foundation

No injuries and concentrate on skill development. School grades come first.

Running can be a real pain in the butt!

Long distance runners don't retire - they just slowly grind to a halt. One of the most common causes of this painfully slow grind to a halt is buttock pain and sciatic pain that radiates down the back of the leg.

The cause of this pain may be the piriformis muscle which is located deep in the buttock. When this muscle locks up, so does the whole hip and the underlying sciatic nerve can be impinged, thus causing pain that radiates down the leg. An inflamed piriformis is often associated with a previous or current back injury. An experienced therapist is able to palpate this muscle and determine if it is in spam.

Once a muscle is in spasm, it will tend to stay that way. In fact, it will begin to adapt to that condition so that spasm becomes its norm. The environment of a muscle in spasm is toxic due to the very poor blood flow through it. Over time, the muscle becomes hard, gristle-like, crunchy, swollen and very tender to press. It is weak and prone to cramping.

The usual treatment is trigger point therapy in the form of acupuncture, acupressure and maybe deep tissue massage. Stretching the gluteals and piriformis are mainstays for prevention and treatment.

In my experience, the most effective remedy is deep tissue massage of the affected muscle and all of the associated muscle groups. It works; but it must be given time: An hour per session and repeated at least 6-8 times every 4-5 days until pain free. This must be supported by nutritional strategies to ensure that there is maximum healing between sessions. In most cases, there must be measures to reduce body acidity because the body may be overwhelmed by the sudden influx of metabolic toxins that are being squeegied out of swollen muscles. It is not unusual for a person, such affected, to feel ill for a few days following this kind of massage.

Once full function and health is restored to the affected muscles it is a good preventive measure to have weekly massages to keep the body in good health. This is of increasing importance as we get older.