Treat the Person and not the Injury.
We specialise in three primary areas, namely:
– Runners Leg Assessments
– Myofascial release/massage
– Bike setups.
There are two primary reasons for people making appointments for the above: some want to get more efficient in their sport, and others come in due to an injury. Both require to have their needs analyzed in the context of their lives.
Injuries never exist in a vacuum. They exist due to a whole multitude of factors. Human beings are complex things.
Some key areas are as follows:
– What do you do?
The answer to this provides a number of clues. As an example, accountants sit more than teachers : This has an impact on which parts of the body get more stressed during the day.
– What are your goals?
Comrades runners need to put in huge mileage in preparation for their race, and so face very different issues to people involved in boot camp programs.
– Do you have a type A personality? 
Type A people are more driven than B types. They can be really unforgiving on their bodies, and hence push themselves despite having an injury. This makes rehab more difficult and also reduces their chance of compliance when it comes to reducing mileage.
– Have you taken any medication for your problem?
Some people love pain killers, while some do everything they can to avoid popping pills. This can become a hugely complex area with some purposely causing themselves pain, in order to justify increased levels of pain meds. There is also the danger of athletes damaging kidneys, stomach lining etc. It is best to chat with your pharmacist or GP for guidance in this area.
– One of the most important questions to ask, is what the athlete believes caused the injury. Sudden changes in training loads, bike setup alterations, new or old running shoes can all play a part.
– Another important distinction to be made is whether the condition is chronic or acute. Acute problems need to be dealt with more gently as one can re-stimulate the inflammation process. Long term pain can be dealt with more aggressively.
Injury keys for Athletes. 
– Respond sooner rather than later to your pain.
– Work out exactly where you hurt and what brings on the pain. You will be surprised at how easy it is to forget where things hurt.
– Don’t mask the pain with pain killers. You have not taken the cause of the injury away. All you are doing is enabling yourself to train into an injury that could be really difficult to get rid of.
– Come in on a monthly basis for a bit of myofascial release. A good therapist will get to know where all the typical sore spots are, and will often be able to release a stuck area before it becomes a major problem.
Regards,
Mike Roscoe.
Kinesiologist.
