Spring has spRUNg

 

Well, almost anyway. If you’re crazy brave enough to run out-of-doors you’ll notice the number of people joining you has increased. Maybe it's just 5 others running along the canal instead of 1, but there’s no doubt the slight rise in temperature means running season is just around the corner. 

Most people take to spring running to help shed the pounds gained from a winter of hibernating, but there are a multitude of other benefits. Increased cardiovascular health, decreased stress, increased energy, prevention of bone/muscle loss and the increased ability to survive during a zombie apocalypse are just a few. Oh, and stomping your time from last year’s Ottawa Race Weekend is a good reason to lace up the trainers sooner rather than later. So let’s get to it, shall we? 

No matter if your past running experience is 20 marathons or 20 minutes, the best thing you can do for yourself now is to START SLOW. After 4 months of sitting around (conveniently the span of the worst parts of an Ottawa winter), you’ve lost enough endurance to merit starting out at a beginner level. Don’t think all that snowboarding counts either – running is a different ball game, using different muscles in different ways. Your lungs and heart might be in good shape, but we want to keep your joints and tendons like that too. 

So how do you start running slowly? Try 20 to 30 minutes at low intensity, two or three times a week. Low intensity is different for everyone, so listen to your body. Once you’ve got 30 minutes down no problem, start increasing the time in 5 minute intervals, or increasing the intensity by about 5%. It might seem slow, but d’you know what else is slow? An injured runner. 

Will starting slowly guarantee you won’t be injured? Unfortunately not, but it’s a great place to start. Another great way to detour around injury town is to partake in a running evaluation. Performed at any of our three clinics, it’s spread over two sessions. The first is a clinical evaluation, which delves into your previous running/injury history, takes a good look at your current level/goals, and identifies any physical factors that may impact your running biomechanics. 

The second session is a running evaluation, where your technique is assessed on an outdoor track. Based on your movement patterns, recommendations are made to make you the best runner you can be, while minimizing injury. If this is the year you want to have your fastest time, the detailed training plan we’ll provide will certainly get you there. This isn’t a generic week-to-week program! Running is a highly technical sport and a personalized plan will definitely help bring out your best. 

Now go get running! Race Weekend is only 12 weeks away!

I’m sorry, a what of health professionals?

A smattering folks. OPTSC houses a smattering of health professionals. With a name like Ottawa Physiotherapy and Sport Clinic you might think:

a. We’ve got physiotherapists
b. We probably have people who know something about sports
c. Physiotherapists know something about sports

You my friend, are correct, but we’ve got so much more!  While physiotherapists can perform a multitude of services, we’ve also got some specialized professionals on deck to help those of you who are injured get back to your lifestyle pain free, and keep those of you who are healthy right there.

DIETICIAN SERVICES:
Getting your body to a happy, healthy point is about more than just doing your physio exercises. You are what you eat isn’t just a saying. You might not think of OPTSC when pondering how to lower your cholesterol or lose weight but you should! Registered Dietitian Meghan Barnes works out of our Westboro clinic, and she can help you with both of those things. She can also help with your food allergies, get your diet tuned up for optimal sports performance, or just get you on the healthy eating train in general.

It’s $90.00 for the initial one-on-one consultation, where you’ll go through a nutritional assessment, discuss goals and develop an eating plan. 30 minute follow-up visits to keep you on track are $45, or you can opt for a package at $260 (initial consultation + 5 follow-ups)

MASSAGE THERAPY:
Nope, spas aren’t the only place to get a relaxing massage. Registered Massage Therapist Jason Walsh will take you from stressed to blissed in a matter of minutes. Stress is bad news, and has been linked to negative moods, heart disease, gastrointestinal disorders, memory loss, and decreased immune function. Not things you’d find in a healthy body.

If you’ve suffered an injury you’ll know massage makes a big difference not only with pain management, but also the healing process. If you’re injured and haven’t tried massage, ask your physiotherapist if it might be appropriate for your situation.

Massage is also beneficial for the un-stressed, un-injured yet active person. The first ski³bike³kayak of the season often leaves you with aching muscles, and massage is great to help loosen you right up. By keeping muscles mobile and healthy you not only feel less like a rusty joint, but are way less prone to injury. It improves circulation, helps with flexibility, and reduces après workout recovery time. Go massage!

Massage sessions start at 30 minutes for $51, and go up in 15 minute increments. 45 minutes is $68, 60 minutes costs $85, and if you’re lucky enough to have the time a 90 minute massage is $125.


 So those are a couple of non-physiotherapy services we offer, but as you can see there are many, many more. Curious about anything in particular? Ask us next time you’re in, or feel free to send an e-mail if you’d like to see it on the blog: info@optsc.com

Welcome back to the OPTSC blog!

Hello!

Welcome to the OPTSC blog! We took a bit of a hiatus, but now we're back and ready for action.

You might wonder why a physiotherapy clinic would need a blog. If you've been into one of our clinics for treatment you'll know what we do is a very personalized thing. That said, we've all got bodies that are made of essentially the same bits. Now add the fact that we all use computers, drive our cars, and slip on the ice in the same fashion. See why our blog might make some sense?

We'll be using the blog to answer some of the most common questions our physiotherapists get. For the weekend warrior to the over-worked, we'll have info and advice to help anyone move through their life a little easier.

With three busy clinics and a smattering of health professionals there's a lot going on with OPTSC. We'll also use the blog to keep you updated on our services and clinic news, so you'll know all about the latest and greatest options for treatment available to you.

Something you'd like us to write about? General comments you'd like to make? Let us know! E-mail info@optsc.com and your query might be the subject of our next post.

Better Running Guide

 Here is an article that gives a brief intro in running styles if you have any questions feel free to contact us at the Orleans physiotherapy, Barrhaven Physiotherapy and Westboro Physiotherapy clinic locations as we are the Ottawa Physiotherapy and Sport Clinics. 


Head Tilt How you hold your head is key to overall posture, which determines how efficiently you run. Let your gaze guide you. Look ahead naturally, not down at your feet, and scan the horizon. This will straighten your neck and back, and bring them into alignment. Don't allow your chin to jut out.

Shoulders Shoulders play an important role in keeping your upper body relaxed while you run, which is critical to maintaining efficient running posture. For optimum performance, your shoulders should be low and loose, not high and tight. As you tire on a run, don't let them creep up toward your ears. If they do, shake them out to release the tension. Your shoulders also need to remain level and shouldn't dip from side to side with each stride.

Arms Even though running is primarily a lower-body activity, your arms aren't just along for the ride. Your hands control the tension in your upper body, while your arm swing works in conjunction with your leg stride to drive you forward. Keep your hands in an unclenched fist, with your fingers lightly touching your palms. Imagine yourself trying to carry a potato chip in each hand without crushing it. Your arms should swing mostly forward and back, not across your body,between waist and lower-chest level. Your elbows should be bent at about a 90-degree angle. When you feel your fists clenching or your forearms tensing, drop your arms to your sides and shake them out for a few seconds to release the tension.

Torso The position of your torso while running is affected by the position of your head and shoulders. With your head up and looking ahead and your shoulders low and loose, your torso and back naturally straighten to allow you to run in an efficient, upright position that promotes optimal lung capacity and stride length. Many track coaches describe this ideal torso position as "running tall" and it means you need to stretch yourself up to your full height with your back comfortably straight. If you start to slouch during a run take a deep breath and feel yourself naturally straighten. As you exhale simply maintain that upright position.

Hips Your hips are your center of gravity, so they're key to good running posture. The proper position of your torso while running helps to ensure your hips will also be in the ideal position. With your torso and back comfortably upright and straight, your hips naturally fall into proper alignment--pointing you straight ahead. If you allow your torso to hunch over or lean too far forward during a run, your pelvis will tilt forward as well, which can put pressure on your lower back and throw the rest of your lower body out of alignment. When trying to gauge the position of your hips, think of your pelvis as a bowl filled with marbles, then try not to spill the marbles by tilting the bowl.

Legs/Stride While sprinters need to lift their knees high to achieve maximum leg power, distance runners don't need such an exaggerated knee lift--it's simply too hard to sustain for any length of time. Instead, efficient endurance running requires just a slight knee lift, a quick leg turnover, and a short stride. Together, these will facilitate fluid forward movement instead of diverting (and wasting) energy. When running with the proper stride length, your feet should land directly underneath your body. As your foot strikes the ground, your knee should be slightly flexed so that it can bend naturally on impact. If your lower leg (below the knee) extends out in front of your body, your stride is too long.

Ankles/Feet To run well, you need to push off the ground with maximum force. With each step, your foot should hit the ground lightly--landing between your heel and midfoot--then quickly roll forward. Keep your ankle flexed as your foot rolls forward to create more force for push-off. As you roll onto your toes, try to spring off the ground. You should feel your calf muscles propelling you forward on each step. Your feet should not slap loudly as they hit the ground. Good running is springy and quiet.

Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

Well Spring is here and so is running season and thus I will be posting information regarding running.  Here is the first article I found that I treat every day at our Ottawa Physiotherapy clinics.  

Forty-two percent of all overuse injuries affect the knee joint, and patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS), or simply "runner's knee," is the most common overuse injury among runners. It occurs when a mistracking kneecap (patella) irritates the femoral groove in which it rests on the thighbone (femur). Pinpointing a single cause is difficult, says Stephen Pribut, DPM, a sports podiatrist who specializes in running injuries. It could be a biomechanical problem—the patella may be larger on the outside than it is on the inside, it may sit too high in the femoral groove, or it may dislocate easily. Also, worn cartilage in the knee joint reduces shock absorption, high-arched feet provide less cushioning, and flat feet or knees that turn in or out excessively can pull the patella sideways. There are also muscular causes. Tight hamstring and calf muscles put pressure on the knee, and weak quadriceps muscles can cause the patella to track out of alignment. Just the repetitive force of a normal running stride alone can be enough to provoke an attack.

PFPS can affect one or both knees. It strikes mostly younger, recreational runners and twice as many women as men, according to the British Journal of Sports Medicine. (Women tend to have wider hips, resulting in a greater angling of the thighbone to the knee, which puts the kneecap under more stress.)

Symptoms include tenderness behind or around the patella, usually toward its center. You may feel pain toward the back of the knee, a sense of cracking or that the knee's giving out. Steps, hills, and uneven terrain can aggravate PFPS.

To prevent PFPS, run on softer surfaces, keep mileage increases less than 10 percent per week, and gradually increase hill work in your program. Visit a specialty running shop to make sure you're wearing the proper shoes for your foot type and gait. Also, strengthening your quadriceps will improve patellar tracking, and stretching your hamstrings and calves will prevent overpronation. (Try the exercises below from Pribut.)

At the first sign of pain, cut back your mileage. The sooner you lessen the knee's workload, the faster healing begins, says Pribut. Avoid knee-bending activities, canted surfaces, and downward stairs and slopes until the pain subsides. As you rebuild mileage, use a smaller stride on hills. Consider orthotics if new shoes don't fix the problem. "If your feet have good form, your knees will follow," says Pribut. See a doctor if the pain persists, to rule out another condition.

If you have any questions or would like additional information on this matter please speak with your physiotherapist at any of our three locations which can be found at our Orleans physiotherapy, Westboro Physiotherapy and Barrhaven Physiotherapy locations.

PREVENTING ALPINE SKI INJURIES

The commonest injuries seen amongst alpine skiers are knee sprains, thumb sprains and shoulder injuries.

(a) The commonest single injury to an alpine skier is a grade I-II sprain of the medial collateral ligament on the inside of the knee. Usually these result from a twisting fall when the lower leg bends outwards relative to the thigh. An additional factor may be a failure of the ski binding to release. These injuries also result from a 'snowplough gone wrong', especially when the skier has a wide,  unstable stance (as in the picture on the right). Although no releasable ski binding currently available could ever claim to protect the skier against all such injuries, correct functioning of the boot-binding interface maximises the chances of correct binding release occurring and consequently reduces the risk of this injury. To keep your boot-binding interface in top condition, I recommend the following:

Have your bindings serviced at least once a season - bindings are mechanical devices that require cleaning, lubrication, and re-setting. Think of all that salt, dirt, rust etc playing havoc with the internal springs..... Studies have shown that un-serviced bindings are less likely to release because (for example) although they may be set at say 6, in fact the springs have become a bit stiffer through lack of care and as a result they actually act as if they were set at 8. Ideally, if you ski alot you should have your bindings serviced every 15 ski days.

Avoid walking about too much whilst wearing your ski boots. The sole of the boot is designed to fit snugly into the binding plate so that it "transmits" accurate information between the ski, the binding and your lower leg. If the ski boot sole becomes worn down, the efficiency of the boot-binding interface may be compromised

If you are hiring your gear, always go to a reputable rental facility and, if the staff or equipment don't inspire confidence, go elsewhere. Carving skis should be the norm now and it's worth paying a bit more money for good quality kit. A lack of carving skis in a rental facility may be an indication to go elsewhere.

Never borrow someone else's skis unless either you or they know what you're doing and can properly readjust bindings to the correct settings! As already mentioned, our research indicates that those who borrow gear are 8 x (yes, eight times!) more likely to be injured than

Finally - and most importantly, get into the habit of performing a test on your ski bindings everyday. This simple procedure ensures that your bindings are set correctly for your needs, has been demonstrated to reduce the risk of injury and is endorsed by experts from the International Society for Skiing Safety. The link above will take you to a page with more detailed information about this procedure.

(b) Certain situations increase the risk of a serious knee sprain (anterior cruciate ligament tear). The commonest mechanism of ACL injury is the so-called 'Phantom Foot' which classically occurs in three situations....

              1. Attempting to get up whilst still moving after a fall
              2. Leaning right back on your skis or attempting to sit down after losing control
              3. Attempting to recover from an inevitable fall

      To avoid such injuries –

              ► In a fall, keep your arms forward and your hands over your skis if possible
              ► Don’t fully straighten your legs when you fall - try and keep them bent
              ► After a fall, don’t try to get up until you have stopped

Recent ACL friendly developments included Lange's rear release boot system. This seemed to be a positive step towards reducing the incidence of ACL injuries - but sadly did not prove to be a commercial success and is no longer available.  Recent binding developments may offer a new ray of hope in the fight to reduce ACL injuries from alpine skiing.



(c) Skiing with your hands inside the ski pole straps incorrectly can lock your hand to the pole in a fall, the pole then acts as a lever on the thumb and this greatly increases the risk of injury to the thumb joint.  Whilst no one device or piece of advice has any direct evidence to support its use, using the pole straps correctly should help. Some researchers advocate that you should ski with your hands outside the pole straps (i.e. don't use the pole straps). Two exceptions to this rule would be when skiing in deep powder snow on piste though where the loss of a pole could be a major problem, or if skiing off-piste when poles may help you to "swim" in the event of an avalanche.

(d) Contrary to popular belief, it has been proven in several studies that skiers are more likely to collide with and injure fellow skiers than are snowboarders. Keep a close eye on everyone else on the piste! It is the responsibility of the uphill skier or snowboarder to avoid collisions with those below them (just as in a car accident, the rear car is usually held responsible in a front/back

(e) If you have already sustained an ACL injury and/or undergone reconstructive surgery, consider wearing a hinged knee brace.

If you have any questions or would like additional information on this matter please speak with your physiotherapist at any of our three locations which can be found at our Orleans physiotherapy, Westboro Physiotherapy and Barrhaven Physiotherapy locations.

PREVENTING SNOWBOARDING INJURIES

The commonest injuries are to the wrist, shoulder and head. The risk of sustaining a fracture is at least twice that of skiers.  If you have any questions or would like additional information on this matter please speak with your physiotherapist at any of our three locations which can be found at our Orleans physiotherapy, Westboro Physiotherapy and Barrhaven Physiotherapy locations.

(a) The main concern for snowboarders (especially beginners) is the risk of a wrist fracture. It is estimated that 95,000 wrist fractures occur world-wide every season amongst snowboarders, although (again) the absolute risk of an injury is still very low with one wrist fracture for every 1200 days snowboarding. The problem is that the natural reaction to falling having lost balance on a snowboard is to land on an outstretched hand. The forces of the fall are absorbed by the wrist joint and injury results. Beginners, being more likely to lose balance (and fall) are at the highest risk of injury of all.

Wrist guards have now been conclusively shown to reduce the risk of a wrist injury and ideally should be worn by all snowboarders - but beginners especially. For the reasons why and much more information on wrist injuries and wrist guards click on the relevant links on the left . On the wrist guard page, you will also find specific information on some recommended wrist guards.

(b) Soft boots are recommended for beginners - they allow more maneuverability.

(c) Consider attaching the board to your lead foot with a security leash. Secure this before getting into your bindings to prevent a “runaway” board which could cause injury to others as well as being an expensive loss to you!

(d) Stop on one side of the piste and kneel or stand facing up-hill in order to see oncoming traffic rather than sitting down in the middle of the piste.

(e) The rear foot should be detached from the bindings when ascending on lifts. Be careful when one foot is out of the binding though - in effect you have a "fat ski" on one leg and are prone to knee injuries from unexpected twists (e.g. when using a surface lift like a T-bar or when dismounting from a chairlift)

(f) Be aware of the so called "snowboarder's ankle" - this is a fracture of the lateral process of the talus bone in the foot and is very important as it can lead to long term arthritis if undiagnosed and not treated correctly. It resembles a bad ankle sprain and one major problem is that most doctors outside of ski areas will never have heard of it!! If you have persisting pain in your ankle 7 days or more after an injury from boarding this is a possible reason! Get on to your doctor - it can need a CT scan to diagnose as plain x-rays don't show this area of the foot up very well. Be persistent or your pain will be!!!! 

(g) If jumping, always get someone else to act as a "spotter" for you near the landing area - this should ensure that neither you nor someone else get a nasty shock when you come in to land. We know have some detailed information on the risks and patterns of injury associated with terrain parks.

(h) As I've already mentioned, watch out for tree wells - basically holes under big trees which have a deceptive covering of snow. Often these lie just to the side of marked pistes and are like the pits of trapdoor spiders! Fall in without someone seeing you (and this is usually what happens) and you're in BIG trouble! Ongoing research indicates that snowboarders are at higher risk of tree wells than skiers.