Keep it moving

COVID-19 and lockdown has forced a huge number of businesses to shut up shop, and with the reliance now on employees to work a normal 9-5 whilst sitting crumpled up at their dining room tables it is hardly surprising that people are starting to get sore necks and backs.

Add into the mix those slumped on the sofa self-isolating or living the furlough life churning out episode after episode on Netflix and the result is a lot of painful necks, stiff backs, tight chests and crackly coughs – for those recovering from illness.

One way Witty, Pask & Buckingham have adapted is by offering video consultations for those who are in need of expert advice. One particular service is a Zoom consultation around your posture and working from home set-up.

Leaving athletes more vulnerable

Simply put, the body does not like static postures, especially sitting. Movement is the key to keeping joints, especially those in the back, well oiled.

Prolonged postures will lead to one of two things; stiffness or weakness, or both, which will subsequently cause you pain, dysfunction and leave you vulnerable to strains and sprains.

Not only this, but in the case of the upper back, chest, and ribs it will make keeping your lungs and airways clear much, much harder…..which might be why you are still feeling a bit out of breath.

Here are out top tips to avoiding the lockdown aches and pains.

The Sofa Slumper

• Every 20-30 minutes get up, go to the loo, drink some water, walk up and down the stairs a few times. 
• Reach your arms above your head and lean back over your chair (avoiding falling off ideally) and reverse the position you have been in.
• Front of the hip – it is essential to stretch this out. Tightness here leads to you tipping your pelvis forward and your lower back becoming stiff, 
  • Stand up. Take a step forwards so you are in a stride position.
    Tighten in the tummy muscles and lean into the front leg to feel the stretch through the front of the hip (back leg). If balance allows you reach up above your head.
    Hold for 30 seconds, swap legs.
    Perform 3x

Working From Home 

Setup is key. Good posture is not about forcing yourself to sit bolt upright and hold yourself tense.

• Make sure you are close to the keyboard, so that you are not overreaching
• Get a chair which can go under the table/desk, so your tummy is touching the desk. This allows you to sit back against the back of the chair and relax.
• If using a laptop bring it near you so that you don’t have to lean or reach for the keys and use books to raise the level of the screen to eye level.
• Similarly, if using a desktop PC ensure the keyboard is close to you and monitor at eye level so you are not forced to slump forward to look at the screen.

Why is this important?

Upper back and rib cage pain is tough and slumping for hours while holding yourself up with those muscles is painful. It can also lead to the classic ‘chin poke’ posture which compresses your neck and will give you neck and shoulder pain, as well as headaches.

We all just have to ensure we are all doing the small things right to prevent the NHS becoming overwhelmed with really sick people.

Just do as you are asked. Follow the guidelines, stay safe, look after the vulnerable, and don’t think it doesn’t apply to you….it does. Don’t be that idiot.

Together we will beat this.

Matt Bergin and Mark Buckingham are both chartered physiotherapists at Witty, Pask and Buckingham. For more information on both, or the clinic as a whole, click here. They are still able to offer video consultations within the current situation. 

The post Are you sitting properly? appeared first on Fast Running.

Whilst this isn’t specific for running I’ve had a few runners recovering from COVID-19 that have actually found it helpful. As well as this athletes slumped around the house all day in general might benefit from thinking about their breathing too.

If you are recovering from illness or struggling with breathlessness, or even fear, anxiety or panic, learning some simple breathing techniques can really help.

It is essential to keep good lung function and breathing patterns to ventilate all the lung to reduce infection by mobilising and clearing the whole of the lung of fluids.

Your lungs sit within the protective cage of your ribs, with the diaphragm – the dome-shaped muscle, at the bottom. It is the diaphragm that plays a major role in breathing. 

Breathe it all in

As you take a breath in the diaphragm contracts and flattens, increasing the space in the chest, allowing air to rush into your lungs. The opposite then happens when you breathe out. 

Good diaphragm strength improves cough effectiveness and makes it harder for bugs to take hold – which is the difficulty people have with this virus.

When we get breathless or spend hours slumped on the sofa or over your laptop, we do not effectively use the diaphragm and we revert to breathing only with the top of the lungs, and the lower parts become stagnant. This then in turns reduces the oxygen uptake in the blood and leads to more feelings of breathlessness…..a vicious cycle.

You can get control of this as well as exercise the lungs and clear the tubes more effectively by working on your breathing pattern.

Posture can be key

To start with think about sitting back in a chair and taking pressure off your tummy. This allows space for the diaphragm to move. If you can’t sit back, then lean forwards with your elbows on your knees to let your tummy space to expand.

Breathing Exercises

The active cycle of breathing techniques (ACBT) is an effective way to help clear sputum from your chest. ACBT is simply a set of exercises that helps loosen and remove secretions from deep in your lungs and airways. 

Breathing Control

Breathing control is slow, controlled breathing, using as little effort as possible.

• Check your posture (as above).
  Relax your shoulders and think about breathing in with your tummy. 
  • Place one hand on your tummy and one on the chest, feel the movement.
• Take a slow breath in through your nose, using your tummy
• As you breathe out purse your lips – this helps to open up the airways
• Gradually make the breaths slower and deeper

Deep Breathing 

Deep breathing allows the lungs to fully expand, especially the lower parts.

• Take a long deep breath in through the nose, using your tummy to fully expand your lungs. 
  • At the end of the breath in you might feel the ribs lifting, this is good. It should NOT be the first movement though.
  • What you DON’T want is your shoulders lifting up. Doing this leads to issues elsewhere – neck/shoulder tightness predominantly.
  • It can also be helpful to hold your breath for a couple of seconds at the end of the breath in, to really allow the air to get to the depths of your lungs. 
• Breathe out gently and relaxed, as if you’re sighing. 
• Repeat 3-5x

Huffing or Coughing 

Huffing is brilliant at shifting reluctant materials from the depths of the lungs to the central tubes ready to be coughed out. Better than coughing and nicer on the throat. If when performing you hear a rattling sound, you are doing it right. 

• Perform the huff on the breath out. You should have an open mouth, and imagine you are trying to steam up a mirror, rather than coughing. Use your tummy muscles to help you squeeze the air out.
  • This can either be a gentle, long huff or shorter, sharper huff.
• Repeat 3x
• Each cycle of huffing should be followed by breathing control.

If you have found this sequence of exercises has not completely cleared the chest it may then be worth performing a couple of coughs.

• At the end of the huffing, perform 1-2 short coughs, with chin to chest.
• The temptation is often to continuously and aggressively cough in the attempt to remove fluid, avoid this. It will cause irritation in the throat and will make you more breathless.

Working on these exercises several times a day will help enormously to ventilate the lungs and prepare you to better fight the worst effects of this virus.

Matt Bergin and Mark Buckingham are both chartered physiotherapists at Witty, Pask and Buckingham. For more information on both, or the clinic as a whole, click here. They are still able to offer video consultations within the current situation. 

The post Time to breathe appeared first on Fast Running.

The aim of the programme, called JLF Racing, is to help take athletes identified and invited onto the project to the next level.

“We have so far taken on three of the region’s leading distance running talent, with the intention of assisting them financially with their training and racing, as well as doing as much as possible to take them to the next level” said Directeur Sportif James Lawler. This assistance includes quality training and racing kit.

“The main motivation is really to stay in touch with the sport,” stated Lawler, who ran a 2:22:36 marathon best himself back in 2011. “Once I stopped competing personally, and many of my peers stepped away from the sport and the training groups broke up, it was easy to drift away… I felt I had really lost touch with the sport I love.”

The athletes

With the announcement today of 2:16 marathoner Aaron Scott there are now four members of the team. The three athletes already part of the project are Benjamin Davies, Matt Bergin and Josh Lunn.

The youngest, 20 year old Davies, is a GB World Cross Country representative and 3:49 1500m man. The there is Matt Bergin, Irish International with 13:54 5000m and 3:44 1500m bests, aged 26 and fast-improving Josh Lunn, also aged 26 with a recent 66.29 half-marathon performance to his name from last month’s Reading Half Marathon and a focus on a debut marathon later this year.

“Their Coaches (Mark Goodwin, Simon Goodwin) focus on the training aspect, whereas JLF Racing exist to provide support in all other areas, and to promote their achievements and assist them in gaining entry to the best races to showcase their talent” added James.

Going forward

Speaking to Lawler it is clear his main focus is helping the athletes “and we would like to expand and help more athletes in future. It’s important to remember the commercial promotion side of the project but the main objective is seeing the guys achieve their goals.”

What about some female members of the team for the future? “Absolutely yes,” the director sportif is quick to reply. “We have already discussed ladies we’d like to speak with about how we can help. This is a forward-thinking and modernist approach to distance running and nobody who is looking to maximise their performance is excluded.”

Recent weeks have seen the project launch onto social media, with established international athletes among the growing number of followers across all platforms.

What does this mean for clubs?

One concern the old guard might have is the impact such teams might have on the excellent club structure in the UK. Yet it is clear that the team will encourage their athletes to represent their teams and only wear full JLF Racing kit when not representing their clubs (or their countries).

“We’re not looking to be affiliated. It’s more like a supporting structure for the individuals than a club. That’s why these sorts of ventures are referred to often as ‘projects’. They have to be thought of differently to a club. We don’t want to be competing with their clubs in any way as they come first, but we’re also not looking to be immersed in club rules and politics. We’re free spirits in that sense.”

Exciting times ahead and great to see committed athletes getting the support they need to perform at their best. maybe we’ll set up a Fast Running Project in the future to race against the JLF racers… Maybe.

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post New team JLF Racing add Aaron Scott to their lineup appeared first on Fast Running.

A week rarely goes by where I don’t get someone telling me they have shin splints. It is one of the most common injury related phrases heard in the running world, so you would think it is fairly well understood, but often this isn’t the case.

This isn’t just something I see in those new to running either. I see it across the board. From people just starting out at parkrun all the way through to the elites. So what actually is shin splints?

The term ‘shin splints’ isn’t so much a diagnosis, rather a part of one of four conditions affecting the medial shin area, most commonly. Shin pain can be broken down into four general categories; muscular, bony, neural and vascular.

Often muscular shin pain can be caused by strain or excessive tightness to a number of muscles occupying the medial shin area. Their attachment to the bone via a structure called the periosteum can become irritated and inflamed (periostitis). If these structures continue to be overworked and overloaded bony stress injuries can occur (reaction/fracture).

There are also several other conditions which can manifest themselves as lower leg/shin pain. None of which should be overlooked. These include types of compartment syndrome and nerve related issues such as nerve entrapments in the lower leg, or referred neural issues from the lower back. To make our lives more difficult you can have combinations of these.

Muscular

First we will focus on the most common, the muscular type injury.

Differentiating between these conditions can often be difficult, no less because they often co-exist. However, there are subtle distinctions in the presentation and behaviour of each. This helps to guide the treatment and rehab.

The most common type of shin pain I see is caused by excessive tightness or strain to the muscles occupying the medial shin area. Namely the tibialis posterior and soles muscles. As well as occasionally several other muscles in the area responsible for flexing of the toes. You can also develop inflammation to these muscles points of attachment to the bone via a structure called the periosteum (periostitis).

Tibialis posterior/soleus pain is felt as a dull pain or real tightness typically along the distal 1/3 of the inner shin, into the soft tissues behind the bone. A soft tissue problem generally won’t be painful at rest. But will be most sore at the beginning of a run and will often get easier as you get moving. 

Bony

You then have the bony type injuries, the two words that put fear into ever runners minds… stress fracture (or reaction).

To briefly explain the process, our bones are constantly being remodelled to adapt to the stresses and loads placed upon them. If the level of stress being placed through them is greater than the rate at which the structures adapt, an area of bone weakness will develop.

When the excessive stress continues the bone may fracture microscopically – this is when you experience pain. Ignore the pain and continue to stress the area then it can develop into a larger crack. Eventually, a stress fracture will happen.

Similar to the muscular type pain the most common location for stress reaction/fracture is the lower part of the inner shin. There will be a specific point of tenderness on the bone and in contrast to the muscular type injury this will be felt over a much smaller area – maybe 1-2cm. Another give away is the behaviour of the pain.

With a stress reaction, the issue will worsen as you run and will feel worse after, and you may even experience a deep ache, or throbbing type pain at rest or at night in the more developed (stress fracture) types.

‘Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome’

Where things can get confusing is the involvement of the periosteum (periostitis) – which is often understood to be part of a process called ‘Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome’ (MTSS) the term now more commonly used in place of ‘shin splints’.

Due to the rich nerve supply of the periosteum the bone will be exquisitely tender to touch, however, this will generally be felt over a larger area. There will not be the one to two centimetre focal point of tenderness as in a stress fracture. Some view this as a part of the stress reaction/fracture pathway, while others view it separately.

The Causes of shin pain

Shin pain of bone, muscle or inflammation of the periosteum often have similar causes. As a physiotherapist the aim is to figure out what factor(s) have contributed to an excessive amount of stress being placed through the medial shin.

The simple things should not be overlooked. “Too much too soon” or footwear that should have been changed months ago. But also things like changes in running surface, e.g. more running on concrete, running on a camber, more track running. All such things will impact the way we run and the stresses and strains placed through the body, especially the medial shin.

There are however some common biomechanical issues that can cause medial shin pain. The most common is over-pronation, the rolling in of the foot. This pattern of over-pronation can happen higher up the chain as well, with excessive internal rotation of the leg as whole.

This lack of control on impact places a torsional (twisting) stress through the inner part of the shin as the foot collapses and the knee drifts inwards. It’s overloading the inner shin muscles – namely the tibialis posterior – which coincidently controls pronation. Weakness in this muscle, along with the lateral glutes (you’ll hear this a lot) will often leave you with this pattern of movement.

Self testing

There are a few simple tests you can do yourself, which may be revealing….

Standing in front a mirror or recording on your phone, perform a few single leg knee bends. Watch what happens to the foot and knee. Then do the same but hopping this time, what happens.

What you are looking for is the foot to maintain a strong arch, the knee to travel over the middle of the foot and also for the pelvis to remain level.

It is then worth looking at the strength of these specific muscles…

Tibialis posterior

With the outward force being applied by the tester, the foot should hold strong. If the tester is able to easily move the foot it simply isn’t strong enough. When we run we put somewhere around there to four times our body weight through the legs. If you cannot resist a friend pushing your ankle out, imagine what is happening when you run?

 Glute strength 

The more lateral gluteal muscles are of particular importance. They are holding the knee over the middle of the foot on impact. Side-lying, lifting the test leg up and backwards (behind the line of the body), you should hold strong to a downward applied force. There must be no rocking back of the pelvis/trunk or bringing forwards of the leg – these are all cheating mechanisms to overcome the weak lateral gluteal muscles.

As well as having the strength in these muscles we also need to have adequate flexibility, particularly through the calf, foot and ankle to allow for load absorption on impact.

If there is a restriction in ankle range, either due to calf tightness or ankle stiffness the foot will often over-pronate, or externally rotation (turn outwards) to overcome the lack of range. This will cause a much greater torsional stress through the medial shin.

If you have been working on these areas and you still feel you aren’t getting anywhere it is worth looking at several other areas. I would recommend routine assessment by any qualified physiotherapist you may visit. Restrictions through the hip, issues in the sacroiliac joint (SIJ) and lower back can all also be contributing factors.

Treatment

The often co-existing and overlapping nature of medial shin pain is what makes it so difficult to treat. It’s why people so often find themselves suffering with it time and time again. Even when doing what they think (or have been told by Dr Google) are the right things.

If there is any concern that you may have sustained more of a bony type injury my advice would be to get it properly checked out. Despite the fact I have just written heavily about the issue,  do not solely rely on the internet for help.

Once the underlying cause of your shin pain has been determined, the rehabilitation can take a number of routes.

Bony

If the issue is bony in nature (i.e. stress reaction or fracture) you will require rest, somewhere between four-eight weeks depending on the severity of the injury. More detail of stress fracture management and rehabilitation will be discussed in later pieces.

Muscular

If the issue is muscular in nature, or irritation to the periosteum, you still need to be sensible. Symptoms are often ignored in the early stages. It might just be that the pain is felt as an occasional tightness and soon disappears once you get running. But the sooner you take action the better.

If these early signs are ignored and the feeling of tightness becomes more consistent you will likely require some rest. This is simply overloading the tissues and a more serious injury will develop if ignored.

In order to address the issue, treatment will be focussed on correcting all the weaknesses, areas of tightness, and biomechanical faults that have been identified.

Tibialis posterior strength

The tibialis posterior muscle is largely responsible for controlling pronation of the foot on impact, so it is essential this muscle is strong.

I would aim for three sets of around 15 repetitions. Alternatively, you can perform the same exercise in the gym using a pulley machine. 

Lateral glute strength

When running the lateral glute muscles are responsible for controlling the internal rotation of the hip on impact. Weakness here will often leave you with the movement pattern shown above.

There are many many ways of building strength through these muscles, but the more functional you can make it to running, the better.

Standing on the affected leg, with the opposite leg against the wall. Keeping the foot pointing forwards, slightly bend the standing knee and turn it out over the foot so that you can see several toes inside the knee, as you look down.

Push the leg into the wall and hold strong through the standing leg. Initially, I would aim to hold for at least 30 seconds, but quickly working up to two-three minutes.

Progressing on

Once the initial strength through these muscles has been well developed you should then look at building to more running specific exercises. These can include single leg control drills such as hops, bounds, lunges etc. It is this initial strength, coupled with the running specific drills that, over time, will transfer into your running. This then reduces the chances of developing such injuries.

It is also worth assessing the range through the calf muscle as tightness here will force the ankle into a more overpronated position on impact, as the knee moves over the foot, again stressing the medial shin area.

In terms of self treatments, it is worthwhile getting fingers and thumbs through the inner, muscular part of the shin. Just a few minutes, every day or so, to free off any of the tightness can help.

The strengthening exercises will take a few weeks to show initial improvement. Thus some deep tissue work is a good place to start in the meantime.

RELATED: The causes of Achilles pain by Matt Bergin

About the expert

Matt Bergin is an international middle-distance runner for Ireland and physiotherapist at leading UK practice Witty, Pask and Buckingham, specialising in running injuries. You can find out more at www.wpbphysio.co.uk.

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patron. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post Runner’s shin pain: What, why and how to treat appeared first on Fast Running.

British international Eilish McColgan and Callum Rowlinson claimed victories at the Wilmslow Festive 10k road race on Sunday (November 25).

McColgan celebrated her birthday in style winning the women’s race in a course record time of 32:39.

The European 5000m silver medalist was eighth overall, while Sale Harriers Manchester Rowlinson was first over the line in 31:36.

McColgan, who tops the UK 10k rankings this year after her superb 31:53 run in Doha in January, finished 50 seconds ahead of Bristol & West AC’s Kate Reed.

British Olympian Reed clocked 33:29 as she continues her comeback after years of injuries and operations, while Southampton’s Louise Jackson completed the women’s podium in 35:07.

For the men’s race winner, Rowlinson, it was a big personal best and his first time under 32 minutes.

Photo: Run North West

Tipton Harriers Jonathan Carter finished second in 31:52 just ahead of Preston Harriers’ Andy Benson in 31:53.

Bedford & County AC duo Matt Bergin and Alice Burgin won the titles at the Wolverton 5 mile road race on Sunday.

Bergin, who represented Ireland at the World University Games last year, was first across the finish line in 24:28, four seconds ahead of Irish international marathoner Kevin Seaward. Cheltenham and County Harriers’ Alex Bampton completed the men’s top three.

In the women’s race, Burgin was first across the line in a time of 29:05 (chip time 29:01), finishing over a minute ahead of second placed Sophie Delderfield of Vale of Aylesbury.

Nick Martin was the commanding winner at the Doncaster 10k on Sunday crossing the line first in 30:57. Rotherham Harriers’ duo Arron Larkin and Lee Milburn completed the men’s podium.

City of York’s Emma Ballantyne won the women’s race in 36:52 ahead of Keri Pearson and Sophie Darling.

Cardiff AAC’s Matt Clowes just missed out on the course record at the Cheddleton 10k on Saturday (November 24) as he stormed to the win in 30:52.

Clowes, who grew up in the village, was hoping to break the record set by Clifton Bradley many years ago.

Photo: Mick Hall

In the women’s race, Amy Neil of Newcastle AC won in 40:37.

At the Derby 10 mile road race on Sunday, Belper Ten Twenty Triathlon Club’s Andy Harding and Birchfield Harriers’ Tamara Armoush claimed the wins in 53:59 and 58:12 respectively.

The men’s runner-up was Charnwood AC’s Mark Couldwell in a time of 54:20 ahead of Notts AC’s Jarratt Perkins in 54:39.

City of Stoke’s Michelle Ross-Cope was second in the women’s race in 60:53, with Derby AC’s Veleska Willis completing the top three in 64:11.

Rob Danson won the men’s race at the Wesham 10k on Saturday in a time of 32:23. Danson had a two minute gap on second, his Wesham Road Runners club mate Gareth Booth. V60 athlete Jill Jefferson of Red Road Road Runners was the first woman in 42:16.

Pontypridd Roadents Samuel Richards won the men’s race at the Wiltshire Half Marathon on Sunday in a time of 71:12, while George Gurney and Chris Roxburgh completed the top three.

In the women’s race, Clevedon AC’s Francesca Rawlings took the honours in 86:25 ahead of Nina Wagstaff and Catriona Ward Sell.

North Derbyshire RC’s Richard Start was first across the finish line at Derbyshire’s Clowne Half Marathon in a time of 74:09, while Rosie Haddock was the first woman in 87:05 (chip time).

Dorset Doddlers’ Iain Trickett won a close race at the Boscombe 10k in 34:08 with only six seconds separating the top four men. Bournemouth AC’s Emma Caplan won the women’s race in 39:07 ahead of Diana Leggott.

At the Manchester Road Race in Connecticut, USA on Thursday (November 22), Andy Butchart continued his return from injury with a 21:45 clocking over the 4.7 miles course to finish third.

The popular Thanksgiving Day race was won by Edward Cheserek in a course record 21:16.

Liverpool Cross Challenge, including Euro Trials

Charlotte Arter and Ross Millington claimed the victories in the senior races at the Liverpool Cross Challenge at Sefton Park on Saturday.

With athletes battling for places on the British senior, under-23 and under-20 teams for next month’s European Cross Country Championships, the competition was fierce as expected.

The full report from Liverpool can be found here.

parkrun

City of Norwich athlete Iona Lake ran 17:06 at Norwich parkrun to record the fastest women’s time across the UK on Saturday, while Ewan Cameron, Jonathan Cornish and Ronny Wilson all ran 15:18 to share the men’s top parkrun spot.

The UK parkrun top 10 can be found here.

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patron. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post Eilish McColgan and Callum Rowlinson win in Wilmslow – weekend round-up appeared first on Fast Running.

After the first article addressed identifying and treating an Achilles injury, this time we look at the causes of this type of injury.

There are a number of common causes that can predispose one to developing an Achilles injury, and it often requires looking deeper than just the normal ‘too much too soon’.

Biomechanical faults, lower limb weakness, poor muscle flexibility or joint range, limb control, as well as training and footwear errors can all impact the way you run. Change the loads being placed through the Achilles and over time you have the potential to cause tissue damage.

If you are experiencing Achilles pain then start by looking at the possible causes below.

The most common causes

1) Strength

For any runner you should be able to achieve around 3 sets of 25 single leg heel raises, with weight (up to 20kg). If you are only able to complete 10 before you feel fatigue more strain may be placed upon the Achilles tendon than it can manage. Specific to the Achilles tendon, eccentric heel raises should be completed.

Eccentric Heel Raises are shown in my first article.

For a mid-tendon Achilles issue that is a few weeks old, begin the eccentric heel raises. Rise up on two feet, and lower down on one. Initially perform 3 sets of 15 reps, 2 times daily and then working up to 3 sets of 25 reps as able, plus working up to some resistance (up to 20kg).

For the more acute issues, rest, ice, load management, plus some isometric strengthening are your best options until things settle.

It is also worthwhile looking at the strength of several other areas, which have a stabilising and movement control role during running:

2) Foot invertor strength – tibialis posterior

3) Gluteal strength – especially gluteus medius

4) Movement control – assesses both pelvic control (especially glute) and ankle control also

5) Flexibility

This can either be from stiffness in the ankle joint itself, or from tightness in the calf muscle. You can test the calf length yourself. With the help from a friend, keeping the knee straight the ankle should be able to passively bend up 20 degrees past 90.

6) Excessive pronation

Does your foot collapse in as you run?

This could be a result of weakness in the tibialis posterior muscle, which should be strengthened (as per picture of ankle inversion strength above)

7) Training errors

Injury to the Achilles tendon can often occur as a result of a rapid increase in training volume. You should aim to increase training volume by 10-15% over time.

You may also have just incorporated a lot of hill training into your schedule, or have started running on a surface harder that you are used to, for example concrete. Even a track that is harder than you are used to could have an impact.

8) Footwear

Do I need new or more supportive running shoes? What about orthotics due to a long history of flat feet?

These are all questions you will have on your mind and, as runners; our footwear is our most vital piece of equipment. I advise footwear to be changed every 500 miles and plenty of training apps allow you to count the miles in each pair of shoes.

We must also consider the terrain we run on. Minimalist or barefoot running is becoming increasingly popular, and we are seeing more and more foot issues as a result. Wearing these shoes is not always a bad thing, but it must be done with caution and introduced over time. It’s no good suddenly doing all your runs in minimalist shoes on concrete, you will get hurt.

Remember everyone is different

Everything discussed in these Achilles articles is a guide. Everyone’s Achilles issue is different and everyone will respond differently to the exercises and progress at different rates. So it is vital that you listen to your body. If things settle sooner, then you can accelerate things, and progress the rehab accordingly, and similarly if you feel soreness don’t be afraid to take a day or too longer.

If you wish to have more individual guidance then please consult a chartered Physiotherapist with specialist knowledge of Achilles issues. Here, the lower back and pelvis can also carefully be assessed, as many imbalances stem from issues in the spine and pelvic girdle

About the expert

Matt Bergin is an international middle-distance runner for Ireland and physiotherapist at leading UK practice Witty, Pask and Buckingham, specialising in running injuries. You can find out more at www.wpbphysio.co.uk

In his next article, Bergin will take a closer look at the causes of an Achilles injury.

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patreon. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post The causes of Achilles pain appeared first on Fast Running.

Bergin, the US-based athlete lined up to contest the second of two 5000m heats and looked tactically assured as he maintained a presence at the front of the pack throughout the race.

Coming into the home straight the 24-year-old knew he had done enough to secure automatic qualification and eased off to cross the line in 14:25.10 for third, behind Jonas Raess of Switzerland and Ethiopian Zemen Addis Ayalneh.

Bergin is back on the track on Monday to contest the final.

Phil Healy finished seventh with a battling performance in women’s 200m final. The Irish national champion, who went into the final as the eighth fastest from the semi-finals, was one of the quickest out of the blocks and as the sprint approached the bend Healy was in a good position.

However, coming down the home straight the strength of the rest of the field told, with Healy clocking 23.81 for seventh, and just pipped to sixth place by one hundredth of a second.

The impressive Italian, Irene Siracusa took the gold medal.

In the 100m hurdles heats, Sarah Lavin didn’t have the best of starts out of the blocks but showed desire and determination to finish fourth in 10.64. With only the top two automatically qualifying for to the final it was a difficult ask for Lavin to qualify, but the 23-year-old came agonisingly close sharing the last quickest qualifying time with a trio of athletes across all three heats.

Lavin, Stephanie Bendrat of Austria, and Frances’s Laura Valette all clocked 10.64, with the Austrian awarded the last place for the final by the smallest of margins.

Michelle Finn was 14th in the women’s 3000m steeplechase final. The Rio Olympic athlete started strongly, but a strong lead group was quick to break away leaving too much to do for the rest of the field.

The 27-year-old posted 10:40.06 as she crossed the line, in a race won by Turkey’s Tugba Guvenc in 9:51.27.

Cian McManamon was first up for Ireland’s athletics delegation in the morning session, competing in the 20km race walk final.

The 25-year-old came through the half way mark at 46:27 in 15th place, before moving up the ranks to field to finish in 13th, crossing the line 1:35:06.

Fast Running’s daily updates on the World University Games can be found here.

The full schedule of athletics events can be found here, and for live coverage visit livestream.com/fisu.

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