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
| WHAT |
WHEN |
WHERE |
| Floor Pilates Class |
6pm Tuesday |
Jack Healey Meeting Room |
| Sports Core Class |
6pm Thursday |
Mead Street Physio Gym |
| Independent Studio Pilates |
Monday-Saturday all day |
Mead Street Physio Pilates Room |
| Bike Fits |
Mon-Thurs |
Mead Physio Physio Rooms by Neil Drouet Level I Triathlon
Coach |
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.
