Injury prevention & training advice

In the first of his regular articles for Cambridge Harriers, Physioactive Director Chris Boynes looks at the holy grail of injury prevention.

Injury prevention forms a large part of how we work at PhysioActive, both with people with sports injuries and regular musculoskeletal problems. If you can take action to reduce the risk of injury, it could save you from spending a great deal of time and money on treating and rehabilitating an injury that might have been avoided.

There are of course no guarantees. Injuries will happen regardless. However, with some preparation and thought about what you are about to put your body through, you may well minimise the risks. Some of the things you should consider are:

Warm-Up/Stretching.

Stretching on its own has not been found to decrease injury but should be included as part of your overall warm-up routine.

Athletes should warm up with light aerobic exercise and drills specific to their sport. This should help prepare them for training or competition with less risk of a muscle pull or related injury.

Certain stretching elements will be relevant to every athlete while others will be more sports specific. For example, hamstring exercises in a runner or track athlete may not be the same as for a rugby player.

Don’t train if you are in pain.

Many athletes ignore little niggling injuries and try to train through the pain. This is not a good idea, as the minor niggle could develop into a more serious problem, such as a chronic overuse injury that could take a long time to recover.

Pain is a warning that you have a problem and should stop.

Sometimes the problem can be sorted quite easily. For example, there may be a problem with your equipment, your technique or your body position. You may well find that one visit to a chartered physiotherapist will highlight the problem and how you can avoid it.

Plan your training schedule

A cause of many unnecessary injuries is doing too much too soon! Always be realistic about your current level of fitness and work out a training programme accordingly.

If you are planning for a race or event, take into consideration how long the race is. Include speed sessions and hill sessions as well as basic strength and conditioning.

Include plenty of variety in your training programme. Doing the same routine every time you train can increase your risk of injury and lead to muscle imbalance, weakness and overuse problems.

You can maintain your cardio-vascular fitness by cycling, swimming, rowing or using the cross trainer.

Also consider circuit training, weight training with both fixed and free weights, and exercises on the gym ball and stability/balance work.

Always build in enough recovery sessions to allow your body time to rest and rejuvenate itself.

Don’t train when you are tired.

If you are tired mentally or physically, it is much harder to maintain your proper technique and stay focused and there is a far greater risk of getting injured.

Taping/Bracing.

Further to discussions with your physiotherapist it may be that an injury can be prevented to a weakened area (eg a flattened arch in your foot possibly leading to such problems as Achilles tendonitis) through the use of taping or orthotics.

Equipment.

Always ensure that you are using the correct shoes, clothing and equipment for your sport.

Nutrition and Diet

Eat a balanced diet and drink fluids regularly while you exercise. If you are doing very intense exercise, are you eating enough to compensate?

Have a Musculoskeletal Assessment

Musculoskeletal Assessments and Movement Analysis are carried out in all elite sports as a preventative measure. They give a detailed analysis of an individual’s movement patterns and help identify potential “weakness”.

These are carried out at PhysioActive by chartered physiotherapists, who are looking for

potential muscle imbalances which could put you at risk of injury.

Each assessment takes approximately 45 minutes and will be specific to your sport.

The Physio will discuss your sporting technique and what is required of the body to complete the movements successfully and with minimum risk of injury.

About Chris...

Chris Boynes (BEd Hons PE, Grad Dip Phys, MCSP) is a very proactive and experienced chartered sports and musculoskeletal physiotherapist with a previous degree in Physical Education. For six years he was Club Physiotherapist to London Irish RFC, working with international rugby players and coaches in professional Rugby Union. He continues to work with athletes, both amateur and professional, in sporting disciplines as varied as rugby, soccer, ice hockey, netball, tennis, martial arts, gymnastics, dance, ballroom dancing, athletics, boxing, sailing and windsurfing. He also works with PGA golf professionals as a consultant specialising in the management of golfing injuries and how to prevent them.

Chris set up PhysioActive in Mottingham as a sole practitioner in 1987 and expanded the clinic into its current premises in 2001. He is very proud of the excellent reputation the Practice has worked hard to achieve and expects high standards from all his colleagues. Over the years he has developed excellent links with leading orthopeadic specialists in the South East and beyond for when a PhysioActive patient needs further referral. He is now setting up a physiotherapy and sports injury clinic near Fakenham in North Norfolk, working with local sports specialists under the umbrella of 'North Norfolk Sports Medicine'.

A former lecturer in Sports Rehabilitation at the University of Surrey, Chris continues to lecture regularly on sports injury prevention, treatment and rehabilitation to chartered physiotherapists, osteopaths, coaches and players, both in the UK and abroad. He is qualified to teach the FA First Aid for Sport course and is a tutor in Emergency First Aid. He also runs classes on core stability and muscle balance work. He is licensed to treat with acupuncture and uses needles and electro-acupuncture with great effect for pain relief and in the treatment of acute and chronic conditions, as well as the more traditional methods of treatment such as mobilisation, manipulation, soft-tissue massage, electrotherapy and exercise therapy. Chris is Commercial Secretary on the ACPSM (Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Sports Medicine).

Over the years Chris has taken part in many team and individual sports. He studied martial arts for almost 20 years, gaining his 2nd Dan in Goju Ru Karate. He has completed several triathlons, marathons and half marathons, including the London Marathon on two occasions.