Have You Been Diagnosed With A Running Injury?

Running injuries are very common and can be really annoying. It is important to get them looked at by your health care professional early on as they can easily progress and be difficult to treat.  

The following are some of the most common running injuries that can be helped with some simple hip strengthening:

●     Patellar femoral pain syndrome (PFS) – Runner’s knee

●     Iliotibial band friction syndrome

●     Shin splints

●     Hamstring strains

Strengthening the hip is key for rehabilitation. In this article, we will demonstrate three common hip strengthening exercises to help you recover and get back on track:

1) Clams

Lie on your side with your hips and shoulders in a straight line, stack your hips on top of one another and slightly bend your knees so that your thighs are at a 45 degree angle to your body. Place your hand on your hip and rest your head on your bottom arm. Keep your heels together as you slowly rotate your top leg in the hip socket opening the knee. Lift the knee as high as you can without moving your pelvis, hold at the top for 3 seconds and then slowly return to the start position.

This exercise helps to strengthen a muscle called Gluteus Medius. Gluteus Medius helps to stabilize the hip.

Try this 10 times for 3 sets

Clams - Athletic Therapy

 

2) Monster Walks

Use a resistance band wrapped around your ankles or knees and lower your body into a squat.

Step 1- Step to the left in squatted position 5 times and then step 5 times in a squatted position to the right.

Step 2- Step in the pattern of an X while remaining in the squatted position in each direction. Repeat 5 times.

3) Bridges

Lie on the floor and bend your knees so that your feet are flat on the floor. Squeeze your glutes/bum and tighten your abdominals. Lift your bum off the floor and hold for 5-10 seconds. Slowly lower back down to the ground. Repeat this 10 more times and try 1- 3 sets. This exercise works the glutes, core and hamstrings.

Athletic Therapy - Bridge

Getting it Right

Remember, this does not replace the advice of a health care professional. At Synergy Health and Wellness Centre we provide Athletic Therapy, Chiropractic Care, Massage Therapy and Yoga! We will assess your injury and try to determine the cause.

We will assess your:

●     Training – surface-type and distance

●     Flexibility

●     Alignment

●     Mechanics

 

For more exercises, injury rehabilitation, A.R.T, and orthotics come see us at Synergy Health and Wellness Centre where we will get you on the road to recovery!

Chiropractic adjustments help boost muscle function and prevent fatigue, study says.

February 23, 2015 Written by Canadian Chiropractor staff

New research into the effects of chiropractic care suggests it may have an important role to play in maximizing sporting performance and aid recovery from a range of conditions where muscle function has been compromised.


The New Zealand College of Chiropractic’s Centre for Chiropractic Research recently published a study in the journal Experiment Brain Research which demonstrates that following a full spine chiropractic adjustment session there was an increase in the subjects’ ability to contract one of their leg muscles.

The study shows an increase in muscle electrical activity readings of almost 60 per cent and a 16 per cent increase in absolute force measures. There was also a 45 per cent increase in the "drive" from the brain to the muscle (the degree to which the brain can activate that particular muscle) and a small, but significant, shift in the H reflex curve (a neurophysiological measure of spinal cord excitability).

“This study is the first to indicate that chiropractic adjustments of the spine can actually induce significant changes in the net excitability for the low-threshold motor units,” Dr. Heidi Haavik, chiropractor and director of research at the NZCC said.

“The results of the study also indicate that spinal adjustments can prevent fatigue, so we recommend chiropractic care to be a part of medical treatment for patients that have lost tonus of their muscles or are recovering from muscle degrading dysfunction such as with stroke or orthopedic operations.”

Haavik added the results suggest that the improvements in maximum voluntary contractions following the chiropractic adjustment session are likely attributed to the increased descending drive (i.e. from the brain) and/or modulation in afferent input. “These results may also be of interest to sports performers and we have recommended a similar study be conducted in a sports population.”

This work provides further evidence of the capacity of chiropractic care to address aspects of sensorimotor integration. The New Zealand College of Chiropractic’s Centre for Chiropractic Research is at the forefront of this groundbreaking neurophysiological research and is achieving these results faster due to the new Spinal Research Partnership Scheme.

The study was funded by a recent grant partnership between Spinal Research (formerly Australian Spinal Research Foundation), The New Zealand Hamblin Trust and the New Zealand College of Chiropractic. The study involved collaboration between the Centre for Chiropractic Research and world-renowned neurophysiologist, Professor Kemal Türker, from the School of Medicine at Koc University in Istanbul, Turkey.

 

3 Things You Should Know About Running

 

3 Things You Should Know When You Run Regularly

A few years ago when I was a fresh faced Athletic Therapy student, I started to experience pain in the side of my knee after about 3-4 km in on my run. I wanted to find out what was going on, so I started asking an upper classman at school some questions. In response, she asked me the following questions:

1.       What kind of surface are you running on?

2.       How long have you had your running shoes?

3.       What kind of warm-up and cool down are you doing?

These questions really opened my eyes. I was running along the side of the road on hilly surfaces and so my left leg was constantly on an incline going both ways. I couldn’t actually remember when I bought my current running shoes and I wasn’t doing any warm-up or cool-down.  I went and got myself a new pair of runners and starting running along the same side of the road both ways. I also started doing a dynamic warm-up…

What is a Dynamic Warm-up?           

Dynamic Stretching is a form of stretching that utilizes the active movement of muscle to bring forth a stretch. This type of stretching is not held in the end position. This helps to increase range of motion, blood flow and oxygen to the muscles and tissues to prepare them for physical exertion.

Studies have shown that dynamic stretching is more beneficial than static stretching. Static stretching involves holding the stretch in a static position for 15-30 seconds. Dynamic stretching is the most beneficial before exercise whereas static stretching is more beneficial after a workout.

When you are preparing your warm up, it is important to remember to keep it in proportion to the distance you will be running. Some of the best Dynamic Stretches are:

           

 

Butt Kicks

Frankenstein's

Walking Lunges

Leg Swings

 

 

Cool Down

Once you've completed your distance, you should slow your pace down to a slow jog or walk as this helps to flush lactic acid out of the muscles. Lactic Acid is what leads to that “cement” feeling in your legs that comes over the next day or two. We call it DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness).

This is  where static stretching comes into play, you want to hold each one of your stretches for nice long holds approximately 30 sec x 3 sets and you want to focus on stretching the muscles in the lower body such as the hamstrings, quads and hip flexors, calves and glutes.

If you have a foam roller, this is when you should use it. Foam rolling can help remove adhesions in the muscles, increase blood flow and establish normal function in the muscle.

 

 

We welcome Dr. Laura Clemenhagen to our team!

Synergy welcomes new clinic owner and chiropractor, Dr. Laura Clemenhagen. 

Dr. Clemenhagen is an experienced Chiropractor and ART (Active Release Techniques) Provider who has recently moved to Collingwood from Vancouver.

Dr. Clemenhagen grew up skiing at Mansfield Ski Club and is thrilled to make Collingwood her home. She welcomes new and returning patients. 

Click here for more information. 

Click here to book a complimentary "Meet-the-Doctor" visit with Dr. Clemenhagen. 

Big changes at Synergy ...

Synergy says "Goodbye" to Dr. Rene Asselin:

Out of his passion for sport, fitness, health and helping others recover from injury, Dr. Rene Asselin established Synergy Health & Wellness Centre in the beautiful town of Collingwood in October of 2004.  After spending a year teaching skiing and travelling throughout Western Canada, he knew that Collingwood was the place that he wanted to work, live and play.

After a decade of working in Collingwood Dr. Asselin decided that it was time to return to his roots and settle down in one location back home in Penetanguishene, Ontario.

"It was a pleasure servicing the Collingwood community and local residents over the past 10 years"  and he is very pleased to pass along the clinic to Dr. Laura Clemenhagen.  "It's nice to know that the clinic I worked so hard to establish and grow over the years is in great hands".

Anyone wishing to reach Dr. Rene Asselin is welcome to send him an email or contact him by telephone.

Tel: (705) 734-4334

Email by clicking here

"Wishing you all the best for the remainder of 2014 and into the new year."

Sincerely,

Dr. Rene Asselin

- The Founder and former owner of Synergy Health & Wellness Centre