Weak muscles

Many injuries are caused by weak muscles, which simply are not ready to handle the specific demands of your sport. This is why people who start a running programme for the first time often do well for a few weeks but then, as they add the mileage on, suddenly develop foot or ankle problems, hamstring soreness or perhaps lower back pain. Their bodies simply are not strong enough to cope with the demands of the increased training load. For this reason, it is always wise to couple resistance training with regular training.

Muscle imbalances

Screening for muscle imbalances is the current cutting edge of injury prevention. Detecting muscle strength and length is important as imbalance is always fundamental to the development of injury. Detection of these abnormalities and correction before injury has occurred should be part of any injury prevention strategy. Assessment of muscle strength and balance and regular sports massage can be beneficial in this strategy.

Muscle Stiffness

Muscle stiffness can cause injury it is important to warm-up properly with dynamic stretching and cool down with static stretching. Sports massage can help to prepare and recover from exercise and helps reduce stiffness.

Specificity

Make all of your training specific to your sport. Why train muscles which you do not use. Train the muscles in the way you use them fast twitch/slow twitch. Time should be spent training the muscles which are under demand in your sport. Remember the muscle which oppose the muscles contracting (mobilisers) are just as important as these stabilise the joint.

Training errors

The most common errors in training are increasing training volume to quickly. You maybe doing the right type of training but are doing too much off it without rest days. A hard session should be followed with an easy session the next day or at least every third day. Increasing mileage to soon can also cause injury. A general rule is to increase intensity/distance/weight by 10 % each week.

Change in surface

Runners who change from cross-country to track can develop problems such as shin pain. This is because running on hard surfaces and soft surafces require different muscle forces. A new surface must be introduced slowly. Changes in footwear to suit the ground can also help.

Change of season

Many runner will do long easy session in the winter and change to sprints for track season in the summer (also a change in footwear). It is advised that you combine speed with endurance throughout the full year. Variety is good but rapid changes in training can lead to injury.

The relationship between the tone or strength and length of the muscles around a joint is known as muscle balance. When examining an athlete we need to assess stationary and dynamic strength and length. Muscles can be divided into two types, mobilisers and stabilisers. These two groups of muscles have quite different characteristics. The mobilisers are found close to the body’s surface and tend to cross two joints. They are typically made up of fast-twitch fibres that produce power but lack endurance. With time and use they tend to tighten and shorten. Stabilisers, by contrast, are situated deeper, invariably only cross one joint and are made up of slow-twitch fibres for endurance. They tend to become weak and long with time. Functionally the stabilisers assist postural holding and work against gravity. The mobilisers assist rapid or ballistic movement and produce high force. While initially both groups of muscles work in a complementary fashion to stabilise and move, over time the mobilisers can inhibit the action of the stabilisers and begin to move and attempt to stabilise on their own. This inhibition of the stabilisers and preferential recruitment of the mobilisers is central to the development of ‘imbalance’ and is the essence of what we want to detect and if possible reverse.

Injury prevention tips

training

strengthening

becoming a big problem

immediately

Cryotherapy to the rescue

Cryotherapy is the use of cooling as a means of treating injuries, and may be used in different ways on both acute and chronic injuries. Much research has been carried out on the effects of cooling on damaged soft tissues, and although the benefits are now widely accepted there are varying opinions on how long the application should be to gain maximum benefit. Meanwhile there are still many athletes who believe a long soak in a hot bath after an injury is the best remedy to ease the pain.

The body’s reaction to an injury

In many instances, no matter how small the injury, tissues will either have been stretched or have received an impact causing blood vessels to be torn or damaged. The extent of bleeding will depend on the vascularity of the tissues involved, and may also be increased if the injury occurs during exercise.

Within the first 5-10 mins the vessels will constrict blood flow (to stem bleeding) but this is rapidly replaced by dilation. The first 24-36 hours you will see the area swelling. This is when the body has dilated its blood vessels to allow a clean up of the debris. Chemicals (histamine) are released and collectively work to increase capillary width and decrease capillary density (allows substances to travel through). However this increase in blood flow can act as an irritant and produces pain and loss of function.

This release of chemicals attracts natural defence cells (chemotaxis). This leads to migration of certain white blood cells (leukocytes) the two most predominant are neutrophils (1st to injury site neutralize harmful bacteria) and macrophages (engulf bacteria and dead cells). These clear the area for new cells to grow and arrive within 72hours and remain for a weeks.

Once cleansing has been achieved the damaged area can begin to sprout new capillaries to bring blood to the region. Re-growth can begin.