Mead Street Physio Clinic

It is the end of the winter sports and a chance for those of us with injuries to get some much needed healing time.  But what should we do in the off-season to keep fit?  Should we work on aerobic fitness with lots of running or hit the weights and develop our strength and power? 

Firstly, let us define the 'off-season'.  It is the period of time between the last competitive game and the 'pre-season'.   It is the time of self-directed fitness and so having a clear idea of what to do is paramount.

One way of ensuring an active recovery period is to do cross-training.  That is, pick a sport that you don't compete in.  So for footballers and netballers for example, that may be swimming or cycling.  2-3 sessions at 60-70% of maximum effort would be ideal.  Stretching, self-release work with myofascial elements with the use of rollers, and light to moderate weight training would also be appropriate.  For resistance training, avoid heavy weights and focus on "core" exercises for stability around the spine and pelvis.  More reps and lower resistance with only modest amounts of power work will allow your tired body recover over the summer.

Consider yoga, pilates, swimming or cycling over summer.  It allows the regeneration of the seasons injuries while maintaining a good level of fitness.  Remember, it is easier to keep some baseline fitness over summer rather having to start from scratch and risk injury in the preseason.

Mead Street Physio Notice Board

Spotlight on Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is common.  Everyone over the age of fifty will have signs of degeneration of some of their joints.  What makes some people's joints become sore and osteoarthritic depends upon a number of internal and external factors.       

The process of OA begins with either susceptible joints or a history of trauma to the joints.  It is caused by mechanical forces but is modified by your body's own response to these forces, particularly your genetic predisposition and immune system response.  External factors that can contribute to the onset of OA include:

• Occupation
• Joint injury
• Level of sports participation
• Intensity of sports/activity training
• Bone mass index

The causes of OA are explained by two competing theories.  The "Wear and Tear" Hypothesis explains OA in terms of repeated weight-bearing stress on the joint as may occur with running or heavy impact exercise.  The "Muscle Dysfunction" Hypothesis describes how when the muscles around a joint weaken, there is an increased likelihood of greater force through the joint.

Recent scientific research has found some interesting findings with regard to exercise and OA. 

• Strengthening and endurance exercises relieves symptoms in people with mild to moderate OA
• Regular running actually increases joint space width in OA knees, while exhaustive running decreases joint space.

The take-home messages from these findings are:

• Control your symptoms associated with OA
• Do strengthening and endurance exercises
• If you run, don't stop even if your Xrays show signs of OA, as running builds muscle strength.

Mead Street Physio offers a range of exercise types to help control the effects of OA including Pilates, gym, mat work, and tailored running/cycling/swimming routines.