Pilates 4 Physio

Nice afternoon run to Cherry Beach and Port Lands.

Sunday run in fog over Cherry Street bridges. Lots of high fives from other runners. Building to a 10 k soon.

Gastroc or Soleus injury? Or maybe something else…
It can be helpful to differentiate a Gastroc from Soleus injury in terms of prognosis and management. It’s also important to recognise that there are other sources of calf pain including neural and vascular.
Sometimes calf symptoms are from fatigue/ overload rather than a true tear. In such cases pain tends to resolve rapidly with rest and load management is key.
Regardless of the diagnosis, treatment should be based on individual presentation as time to return to sport varies considerably and doesn’t always correlate with the severity of the injury.
Reference:
Green B, McClelland JA, Semciw AI, Schache AG, McCall A, Pizzari T. The Assessment, Management and Prevention of Calf Muscle Strain Injuries: A Qualitative Study of the Practices and Perspectives of 20 Expert Sports Clinicians. Sports Med Open. 2022 Jan 15;8(1):10. doi: 10.1186/s40798-021-00364-0. PMID: 35032233; PMCID: PMC8761182.

Pilates4Physio has a treatment room for rental. Would suit RMT, osteopath or chiropractor. Lots of potential for cross referral and prime location. We are in St Lawrence Market and close to the business district. Short walking distance from King St subway and Union Station. Email us directly if interested [email protected]. Or call 647-499-6685

The solution to yesterday’s calf pain question… 🏃‍♂️
As many of you said the main training error here is running the long run too fast. The goal for this runner is a sub 4 hour marathon. Race pace will be around 9 minutes per mile. Typically marathon long runs are approximately a minute per mile slower than race pace. So this runner should probably be pacing these long runs at around 10 minutes per mile, rather than speeding along at 8!
Peak load on the calf and Achilles tends to increase with speed and this can overload the calf and lead to symptoms. These may be linked to fatigue of the muscle (rather than an acute tear) and so usually settle fairly rapidly after a run but with a residual sense of tightness.
Lots of people also said they needed more info. You’re right! I was a bit stingy with the details! 😂 In reality you’d want to know a lot more about training distance, frequency and intensity as well as recovery strategies and rehab needs. So it could well be other things, not just pace!
The simple solution for this runner would be to suggest they slow down on these long runs and see how symptoms respond. We could also add in calf strength work to improve the muscle’s capacity to manage load. If they are managing these long runs at 8 mins per mile it may be worth them reconsidering their goal, perhaps they might manage a quicker marathon time? That said, the symptoms suggest they’re not coping with this training at the moment so we’d want to address those first.

Back to speed training! Weather better for it and the track is clear of snow. I thought speed work would be boring, but it’s not. Feels good to get the heart rate up ❤️🏃‍♂️😀

Happy women’s Day to the ladies 😀❤️🏋️💪🏻🌸

Snow run on the Don Valley. First day trying out the shoe spikes They performed well and I felt confident on the snow and ice. I see too many fractures in my practice, to take risks and not run with them. No point in losing a whole season of exercise , because you are in a cast. Running in snow is so amazing ! Thanks to for setting a fast pace

An invaluable resource for a lot of musculoskeletal injuries. Not just for sports, but for anyone with an injury. I’m looking forward to delving into this for my patients ! Notice the wild cat, keeping his eye on me 😻

Ready for work! Lots of lower backs. I am finding that exercise and manual therapy works well in most cases. Even the acute discs with leg pain. Everyone is different in how they respond. Home exercises are also key. As well, reassessing and adjusting the treatment, direction of manual therapy and type of exercises. When we get it right, it’s nice to see patients getting better each week.

New layout of the two reformers and towers ! It took a few goes to get it right. Now more floor space for standing work. Thanks to for his expert help on the mats. Why is standing work so important ? Because rehabilitation has to progress to functional work. Most people have musculoskeletal pain in a functional task. Lying down is a good start to reduce pain, but not forever. Stand and be strong !

Busy day at the clinic. Seeing lots of herniated lower back discs. Patients present with their unique symptoms. There is no standard approach to treating disc herniations. We treat the symptoms and prioritize the leg pain first. Usually most people respond well to a combination of manual therapy techniques, mobility exercises and then strengthening, when pain is lower. Most disc herniations can be treated with physiotherapy. Only a very small % of patients require surgery.

I am a runner, not a great one, but enough to know how much it takes to keep running fit. Sometimes injuries just happen and other times they can be prevented.

Physiotherapy for running injuries is a great learning experience. You get to understand running gait, shoe selection, muscle strength and flexibility for running.

Lots of simple exercises you can do at home or gym to rehabilitate, or just keep running fit.

Check out our page on running injuries at Pilates4Physio.ca under conditions we treat. It focuses on the more common injuries we see.

Exercise selection for Patellofemoral Pain - RunningPhysio Our articles are not designed to replace medical advice. If you have an injury we recommend seeing a qualified health professional. To book an appointment with Tom Goom (AKA ‘The Running Physio’) visit our clinic page. We offer both in-person assessments and online consultations. Exercise select...

Not an easy process. There isn't any solid research that supports choosing a shoe, based on your foot type either

One study did show that injuries were reduced when participants selected an insole based on comfort only!

After looking at the best evidence and what seems to work in practice, here is our bottom line:

Shoe selection should be based on:
The type of runner you are.
Past and current injuries.
Your shoe comfort level.

The best thing you can do is to have a running assessment. running shoes are not the sole cause of injuries.

Go and try on shoes. If the retailer has a treadmill, give them a test drive.

Feel free to reach out to us, as this is not a black and white topic!

Pilates4Physio

Don't be in pain at home! - https://mailchi.mp/7125e1e2e949/dont-be-in-pain-at-home-14976593
Pilates exercise programs on the classic equipment, taught by a registered physiotherapist.
Physiotherapy also available, combined with Pilates rehabilitation.

🏋️Private Pilates taught by a physiotherapist and Stott Rehabilitation Pilates Instructor.

🏋️We also offer physiotherapy for injuries or other health related goals.

🏋️Claim your physiotherapy on your insurance.

🏋️Let us help you set some realistic fitness goals for you.

🏋️Safe space with Covid protocols in place.

🏋️Email or call for more info !
[email protected]
647-499-6685

🏋️Website: pilates4physio.ca

🏋️Private Pilates taught by a physiotherapist and Stott Rehabilitation Pilates Instructor.

🏋️We also offer physiotherapy for injuries or other health related goals.

🏋️Claim your physiotherapy on your insurance.

🏋️Let us help you set some realistic fitness goals for you.

🏋️Safe space with Covid protocols in place.

🏋️Email or call for more info !
[email protected]
647-499-6685

🏋️Website: pilates4physio.ca

Keeping our seniors safe, with lower limb and balance programs. So rewarding to see someone progress from a fall risk to be safe again. Age is just a number. Strength and balance are timeless !

We already know this, from previous studies. This study published in 2022 also confirms the benefits of exercise over anti inflammatory and pain meds. Yes, graded exercise can reduce pain when it is given correctly, at the right time ! We need to think of exercise as medicine. For more info contact us at Pilates4physio.ca

Useful summary of the health benefits of strength training. These findings are independent of the effects of aerobic exercise. It’s a no brainer to do strength training. Very positive findings !
British Journal of Sports Medicine Published Online First: 28 February 2022. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2021-105061

The body is strong and robust and can heal, a very powerful message! :)
ACL can heal and there is a lot more evidence for this.
The best thing to do is to watch Kieran Richardson's lectures on Trust me-Ed on exactly this topic.
He describes the evidence and also how to conservatively treat people with a torn ACL, without needing surgery.
He also explains when it's good to have surgery because it won't work for everyone. Very well balanced lecture:
https://www.trustme-ed.com/lectures/acl-tear-non-surgical-management-practical-tutorial