Being outdoors is just the bees knees.

I know these currently cold days might want to keep you indoors, but don’t forgo the outdoors altogether! Whether you run, cycle or just go out for a walk the benefits of being outdoors are numerous and ones that you won’t want to miss.

If you’re looking to boost your creativity get yourself outside. I often use my outdoor run to think about business decisions, blog posts and even what craft project I’m going to work on next. A fair few years ago Stanford University noted the increase in creativity of 60% while walking outside. Some of this clarity may come from the alone time your brain gets when outdoors. Even when you’re out with other people there will be moments of peace away from conversation. When we’re inside there are many distractions such as the TV, internet and chores! This time alone gives us the ability to increase our concentration on tasks when we return from the outdoors.

A huge benefit of the outdoors in the decrease in stress when we’re out there. It has been noted by scientists that we, as a species, do not go outside enough. This could be contributing to our high stress lifestyles. By not taking time away from our household and work responsibilities we are impacting our mental health.  What better way of being in the present moment than walking, cycling or running outside? We don’t have to worry about the what if’s, what next or what has happened in our lives.

Self esteem can also be improved from just 5 minutes of outdoor exercise, being near a green space or near water can enhance this effect. The best activities for this is walking, running, cycling, horse back riding, fishing and gardening.

Going outdoors is also relatively low cost. For short in-town excursions to a local park all you need is a pair of walking shoes and proper outer wear for the weather. Many cities also have rental bike schemes if you want to try cycling without the commitment of purchasing a bike.

So, if you want to have improved mood, better self-esteem, less stress and better creativity get yourself outside and enjoy what nature has to offer us!

Mo' mobility, less problems

We’ve all been told that mobility training is good for us, but do we know why?

To start off mobility itself is the ability to control a joint in full range of motion. It is a consistent effort to increase the amount of range of motion in a joint through specialised strength training.

The first reason it is important is if you use the full range of motion from a joint you can execute more power and efficiency in your exercise. This is good news if you’re trying to increase reps or weight during training. It is also good if you’re a rugby player, football player or any other sport that requires explosive powerful movements.

The second reason is injury prevention. If you’re not using a joint in full range, there is the likelihood that you’re compensating both other muscles and joints for the lack of mobility. For instance, lack of mobility in the ankle can lead to stress to the knee, hips and lumbar. Similarly, if you don’t have full range of motion in the shoulder and your humerus is not in the optimal position in the glenoid labrum you can put your rotator cuff muscle at risk of injury.

Finally, mobility is a good way to warm up the joint prior to exercise or events. Warming up the joint is created by movement and the shifting and warming of synovial fluid in the joint. This also works out any restrictions from tight muscles from affecting your event.

The great news is that you don’t need that much time for mobility, 10-15 minutes a day is enough to start reaping its benefits. When you start doing it you may also notice where your weaknesses are in each joint and can make specific changes to your strength training routine to remedy it.

A good way to get started is to choose some full mobility exercises such as: overhead squats (with a lightweight pole or bar), a prayer stretch on a bench and knee-to-elbow bird dogs. There are examples of these on you tube from a variety of practitioners.

If you have any questions about strength, mobility and sports injuries please email me at sara@prestigesportinjry.co.uk

Is whole body cryotherapy worth the hype?

Short answer, Not really. I’ll explain further.

Cryotherapy is a method of recovery which is done by lowering the skin temperature of the body. Some of the most common modalities are ice packs, ice massages, gels and cooling creams. Recently whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) chambers have been introduced to high level foot ball and rugby teams. But is this new, and costly, method really the best way to enhance recovery through cryotherapy?

I hit the research hard. One of the first studies I found from Hausswirth, el al (2011) claims the benefits of WBC on highly trained runners. One large flaw in this study is that the other modalities involved were far-infrared (not a highly reliable modality) and basically sitting in a chair for ten minutes. These two “sham” modalities would, of course, show that WBC is a reliable way to recover after running.  It’s studies like this that make me angry. They manipulate the data by introducing two modalities they know won’t work to “prove” that WBC is reliable.

Other research I won’t even mention here were studies paid for and sponsored by companies that make WBC chambers. I don’t give research like this the time of day. Many involve manipulated data to sell a product to teams that can afford it.

A more recent study by Viera, et al (2015) studied the effect of WBC on a vertical jump after high intensity training by placing participants in a chamber at the suggested -110 degrees for 3 minutes and a control temperature of 21 degrees for the same time. In this study there was no significant difference between the WBC and control group. Thus, suggesting that some of the “benefits” of WBC are possibly due to the placebo effect. 

One of the better studies from Holmes & Willoughby (2016) looked at previous studies and compared WBC to cold water immersion on recovery and skin temperature. One of the claims of WBC is that the extremely cold temperature is more effective at lowering the skin temperature than other modalities. In this study participants used a WBC chamber at -110 to -120 degrees for 2-4 minutes and cold-water immersion at 8-14 degrees for 5-10 minutes. The results showed that using cold water immersion lowers the skin, muscle and core temperature more effectively than WBC. The study suggests that further high-level studies on WBC be performed to confirm their claims.

My personal opinion is that WBC is very expensive and some of the membership rates are well over £100 a month. Most people would not use the WBC more than once or twice a week, making it a very expensive means of recovery. Plus, it means coming home from your run or workout, getting in the car, driving to a centre, going in a chamber for 3 whole minutes then driving back home. A lot of effort when you can simply fill your tub with cool water once you get home and sit and chill in it. Studies are not conclusive of its claims, and with that kind of cost, you may be better off buying a gym membership or hiring a personal trainer.

However,  saying that, its definitely worth trying. I will admit though getting a snapshot of yourself in the mittens, slippers and headband in a chamber is pretty cool, but unless it works for you, it’s just a lot of money for cold air.

If you have any questions about sports therapy, sports injuries and cryotherapy please feel free to email me sara@prestigesportinjury.co.uk

Don't let Resolutions get you down

I’m not the biggest fan of New Year’s Resolutions. Most people make themselves ridiculous goals that they have no chance of keeping like never eating chocolate or to stop drinking alcohol entirely. It’s all too easy to get caught up in the Resolution Mayhem and not actually sit and think about what goals you would like to achieve in the next year.

I like to break my goals down into sections: professional, personal and running. Obviously, my professional goals include things I want to learn in the upcoming year, clinic ideas and marketing of the clinic. Personal goals include things I want to learn independently, books I want to read and travel goals. The running goals I keep separate as I see them as different challenges. It may be a desired distance, race or number of races I want to complete in the next year.

Breaking your goals down into sections is a good way to start without overwhelming yourself. Also, write them down or put them in a spread sheet, this is a good way to chart what you need to do to meet your goals. For instance, I try to read a specific number of journal articles in a year for my professional goals. So, I keep a list in my spreadsheet of which one I read and what knowledge I obtained from it. I also like to list my book list for personal goals and check them off once read, truthfully, I do the same with my race list for running.

Once you’ve sectioned off your goals, you can break them down further. For instance, if your goal is to lose weight first, decide how much you may need to lose (you should see your GP for an idea of your ideal weight, don’t just guess it as it may be too low). Once you know what you need to lose break it down by week or month. Then make your exercise plan, a personal trainer will be able to help you with this part as it is often difficult to decide what exercises to do when. Plus, we often choose not to put the things we really don’t like on the list. Once you have your exercise plan, think about your diet. What can you eat less of? What should you eat more of? If you’re a chocoholic like myself, it is hard to give it up, however, you can decide to eat less of it or eat dark chocolate in small doses. If you’re not sure of what you need to eat find a good nutritionist either in person or online and they can help you plan and determine what you need to eat based on your activity level and goals.

By putting your small goals into a checklist of the bigger goal you can see your results much easier. This may be in the form of a spreadsheet or an app on your phone. Either way it is important to track your progress and don’t be disheartened if you have a bad week occasionally, just get yourself back on track as soon as you can. This is especially important for anyone who has had a sports injury, nothing is worse than the setback, however if you get appropriate rehab and advice you can be back in a healthier state.

So, if you have already set your goals or if you’re not sure just remember to break them down and track them. If you have any questions about sports injuries or rehabilitation, please email me: sara@prestigesportinjury.co.uk

Who do I see, a graduate Sports Therapist or a Sports Massage Therapist?

Often as a graduate sports therapist I get mistaken for being a Sports Massage Therapist. It’s a tad frustrating as having completed a three-year BSc it’s safe to say I’ve had a significant more amount of educational and in-clinic training than a Sports Massage Therapist/Soft Tissue Therapist.

So, what’s the difference?

Sports Massage Therapist/Soft Tissue Therapist:

A Sports Massage/Soft Tissue Therapists will have the scientific knowledge of and manual therapy skills to address specific of soft tissue injuries, their function, and the result of manual therapy on injured and uninjured tissues. They will have experience in anatomy, principles of health & fitness, principles of soft tissue dysfunction, sports massage treatment

Sports Massage is a Level 3 course focusing on injury prevention and performance enhancement through manipulation of the muscles, ligaments and fascia (debatable – will blog about next year).

Most high-quality Sports massage courses will be ITEC/BTEC/VTEC Level. Many Sport Massage/Soft Tissue Therapists are registered with the Sports Massage Association of as part of the Complimentary and Natural Healthcare Council. However, there are other bodies they can be members of, and there is no statutory requirement.

It is also important for the therapist to have attended a course approved by a professional body above, as there are many "fast track" courses out there which are not always providing quality courses.

Here is a brief summary of ITEC/BTEC/VTEC Levels:

3: Sports Massage Therapist - qualified to work on non-injured tissue.
4: Sports Massage Therapist - qualified to work on injured tissue
5: Sports Therapist/Massage Therapist - qualified to work on injured tissue, recognise sports injuries and prescribe rehabilitation exercises
6: Sports Therapist (can be diploma or graduate) - qualified to do all the above and diagnose soft tissue injuries using clinical reasoning.

Graduate Sports Therapist:

First, the title of sports therapist is not a protected title, so you’ll find most of us who are graduates us the term “graduate sports therapist” or put our degree qualifications on all our paperwork.

I’m not going to get into the nitty gritty of who is better a  diploma or a graduate sports therapist as it depends on the practitioner not the qualification.

Diploma level 5 sports therapists often do courses on the weekend with coursework and exams during the course process and graduates spend 3 years developing the required skills while being assessed throughout.

A graduate Sports Therapist will have an undergraduate diploma and would have completed a course verified by one of the sports therapist professional bodies: Sports Therapy Association, Society of Sports Therapists or the Sports Therapist Organisation. There is no statutory requirement for regulation, but it’s best to find someone who is registered with one of these professional bodies to ensure they are practising at the correct level and attending CPD courses.

Graduate Sport Therapists focus on the assessment, diagnosis and rehabilitation of soft tissue injuries. While courses may vary, a graduate Sport Therapist will have courses in anatomy, ethics, biomechanics & gait assessment, fitness testing, injury prevention, sports massage, clinical assessment and decision making, advanced manual therapy, sports nutrition and first aid/sports trauma skills.

Both professions are helpful for people who participate in sport and need to have appropriate insurance for their profession. Both can provide sports massage for recovery, but only Level 6/Graduate Sport Therapists can assess and diagnose injuries using clinical reasoning, and Level 5's can recognise sports injuries and prescribe appropriate rehabilitation exercises. This becomes very important if you have an injury as Level 3 Sports Massage/Soft Tissue Therapists should not be working with injured tissue, diagnosing injuries or prescribing exercises.

Sadly, many CPD providers are teaching techniques which are beyond the remit of lower level qualifications. This can cause problems for the therapist as they will likely not be insured for those techniques, and therefore, should not be using them in their practice or advertising them on their website.

It is important to know the qualifications of your therapist, if you're not sure just ask them. They are not always noted on their website and some therapists may be advertising abilities beyond their qualification level. If you're looking for a non-injury related sports massage a Level 3 will be suitable, however if you are having pain or are injured you should book in with a Graduate/Level 6 Sports Therapist for an assessment and rehab program. 

If you have any questions about sports massage and sports therapy, please do not hesitate to email me: sara@prestigesportinjury.co.uk

Exercise is the cure for what ails you!

We all want to live forever, right? Well, sadly while that’s not possible, we can live longer, happier and more productive lives through the magic of exercise.

Yes, I said exercise. There have been many news articles recently telling of all the advantages of a healthy, active lifestyle. Many of us sit at work, and then sit at home living almost sedentary lives. This lack of exercise is giving rise to obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease, as well as increases in dementia and mental health problems.

So, why is it that exercise is so good for us?

Over 30% of children in the UK are overweight or obese, so it’s important to make time for exercise in your child’s day. Exercise in children stimulates bone, muscle, joint, heart and lung development. Exercise also helps children maintain their weight, allows them to develop friendships with other children and reduce the chances of anxiety and depression.

For adult’s exercise improves cardiovascular health and lowers bad cholesterol which in turn reduces the likelihood of stroke and heart disease. This is best achieved with at least 15 minutes per day of walking at a brisk pace or any other activity that can be done at a brisk rate like cycling, rowing or running.

Muscle and bone health is also improved with exercise. By using resistance (strength) training you improve the function of muscles and allow the bones to remain strong and healthy. This will lead to fewer fractures, injuries and falls later in life. If specific exercises are used strength training can also reduce low back pain.

If you already suffer from osteoarthritis, it is important to continue to exercise to keep the joints moving and strong. This can be done through walking, swimming or cycling to reduce pain.

The C word, cancer. If you exercise regularly you are less likely to develop cancer. This is due to the advantages that exercise has on weight management. Maintaining a healthy body weight reduces the likelihood of bowel and breast cancer as obesity is a major risk of developing cancer.

Diabetes effects 3.2 million people in the UK, by reduce weight through exercise you can reduce the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes. Regular exercise can also keep blood glucose levels within ideal range and lower blood pressure.

Improvements in mental health. Regular activity can reduce your chances of developing depression and help reduce its symptoms in those already diagnoses. This is due to the chemicals in the brain, dopamine and serotonin, which are affected positively by exercise. This improves your mood and thinking. A good place to start is with an outdoor running group, parkrun or just taking brisk walks with friends. People diagnosed with mental health conditions are also at a greater risk for respiratory and heart disease, so exercise will help reduce the likelihood of both.

The greatest benefit of exercise is weight management. Being overweight predisposes you to a variety of diseases. IT’s important to also eat a well-balanced diet and allow yourself to recover after exercise.

How do we know how much exercise to do?

According to the NHS and Public Health England the aim is to be active every day for at least 150 minutes per week of activity. This means moderate activity of at least 10 minutes or more such as brisk walking, cycling, running or swimming. Public Health England also advised of at least 2 or more days of strength training of the legs, hips, abs, chest, shoulders and arms. The addition of balance training can also help reduce the likelihood of falls in older age.

So now you know the whys and the how’s there is no excuse to get off your laptop or smartphone and go out in the outdoors and exercise.

If you would like to know more about how exercise can help you and what you can specifically do for your sport please contact me sara@prestigesportinjury.co.uk

Before you up that mileage, you need to get stronger!

Everyone knows that resistance training is good for running, right? Then why is it that so many runners choose not to incorporate strength (resistance) training into their program? Part of the answer may lie in the fact that many runners do not know the benefits of strength training can add to their running. Running itself is not enough, using weights can help reduce the effects of muscle loss as we age (8% every decade after 40 years of age).

So, what can strength training do for runners? First off it reduces overuse injuries by strengthening the tendons, ligaments, muscles and fascia. Next it can help stabilise the joints through increase muscle strength. Finally, it can help tissue capacity which leads to a higher tolerance to load, speed, range and endurance changes. But it is not just the muscular system that benefits, strength training also improves bone health, inflammation and anxiety. All these changes lead to a better performance and running economy – good right!

So, what is resistance training, well in the short it is exercise that requires the muscles to hold against and applied force or weight. It can be done is many ways such as dumbbells, resistance bands, kettlebells, power bags, medicine balls or even body weight. As a sports therapist, I often incorporate resistance training into my rehabilitation programs for those with overuse musculoskeletal conditions.

But general resistance training is not what runners need. Runners benefit from single-leg loading, posterior chain strength, hip stabilisation and core strengthening exercises.

Single-leg loading exercises such as Bulgarian splits, step ups and lunges help reproduce the conditions of running. It is basically a sport-specific exercise that will help the body adapt to the requirements of running.

Posterior chain (lats, erector spinae, glutes, hamstrings and calves) strengthening helps with shock absorption, propulsion and power. Weakness in the posterior chain can affect running mechanics and lower limb kinematics. Ineffective body form may cause excessive body movement leading to hip and knee injuries.

Hip strengthening, including quadricep strengthening, has been known to reduce patellofemoral pain and prevent overuse knee injuries. Hip stabilisation is beneficial for low back, sacroiliac, hip, knee and ankle pain as well as improve performance.

Core strength (not just your abs!!!) helps improve performance through better movement. NO single muscle helps with spine stabilisation it is the combination of all muscles during specific movements.

There have been many myths about resistance training and running and it is important to realise that you will not get bigger, injures, slower or tighter through strengthening. You will only get healthier and perform better.

If you are interested in starting a strength program it is important to seek the advice of a graduate sports therapist, sports physio or knowledgeable personal trainer to assess your function first and determine which exercises will be best for you. They will also ensure you start at the appropriate level and progress appropriately and safely.

TO summarise, resistance (strength) training is a good thing for runners that should not be avoided, especially as you move into longer distance running (half marathon and above).

If you have any questions about resistance training, please feel free to contact me sara@prestigesportinjury.co.uk