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The Body Personified.

Well hello … to that time of the year.

Grumble as you may about the early start to Christmas everything: shop windows in October, Father Christmas at Bonfire, the time is fast approaching … bopping to the carols, dressing the tree and planning to eat everything you wouldn’t ‘just because’. (Sneaky we know!)

And we have survived November. Autumn turns to mush and leaves to slippery hazards on our morning run. So, before we indulge in the Merry Season, we asked Rob, one of our Physiotherapists to chat to us on our blog today.

The Body of the Blog

ACHILLES TENDONOPATHY

Achelles Tendonopathy is a common injury that can affect all ages of men and women but found mostly in middle age men. This is caused by the over loading of the Achilles tendon from calf to heel, leading to micro damage of the fibres. Repetitive loading prevents full healing.

It is commonly seen in an active population who participate in running sports. Tight calf muscles, joint stiffness, poor footware, repetitive training, excessive loading e.g. running to far to soon or at high levels of intensity, without gradual build up can lead to this injury.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS:

• Pain over the Achilles tendon on pressing
• Pain and stiffness first thing in the morning that eases after walking a few minutes
• Pain that is not always consistent during exercise and may ease when running

EXERCISES:

Essentric calf work:

Pain may increase when starting these exercises. Speak to your therapist about whether these pain levels are normal.

Aim to complete 3 sets of 15 twice every day (Sets may be combined as pain deceases i.e 45 in one go).

When raising onto tip toes, ensure it is the uninjured side doing most of the work.

Each drop should take around 20 seconds do not rush any part of the movement.

Calf stretches:

30-60 seconds each 2-3 x per day

Manual Treatment
This may include soft tissue work to reduce calf tightness and encourage tendon healing.

Advice

Reduce repetivtive activity significantly to see how this affects the injury. If the monring pain and stiffness does not subside or worsens, complete rest from sport is advised.

Timeline

Full recovery can take up to 6 months but ordinarily 3 months should be expected.

The Stretching Corner

Trunk stretch: A great exercise for loosening up the lower back and muscles of the upper chest sides. Aim to hold all stretches for 30 seconds or more start off gently.

**Do not attempt with acute back pain or injury until you have consulted a professional**

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Five things to ….

5 things about … Exercise:

1. Aim for 30 -45 mins brisk walking per day, it’s ok if you split the time up.
2. If you start a new exercise class, start slow. Let your body adapt to the new regime. Many injuries are caused in the first few session.
3. If you’re doing heavy lifting, always get close to the object as possible, keep straight back and set your core.
4. Start exercising with just one exercise a day, something is better than nothing.
5. Try setting a regular time to exercise, set a reminder or a visual que. Although you may feel you don’t have the energy or time, -exercise often makes you feel more awake and productive.

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Thought Fullness

Back to basics nutritionally speaking!

Physios are very fond of backs posture, strength, and generally fixing them if they go wrong. But what about the backbone of our diets? What should the balance be between different nutrients? Do we care? Should we care? Often vying for our attention in the newspaper headlines there is a lot of controversy surrounding the big three carbohydrates, fat and protein.

For a no nonsense guide to the basics and how it applies to you read more here (http://www.lecnutrition.co.uk/do-you-know-your-macros/)

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And then … we shall be in December! Till then, keep warm, keep exercizing and keep positive.

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