Marathon Special by Zoe Queally

 

 

MARATHON SPECIAL

As a Physiotherapist with a particular interest in sports injuries and the

clinical application of Pilates, marathon season is one of my busiest times of

the year!

 

Across Europe tens of thousands of runners will

have decided to don their trainers and begin the

gruelling training regime required to successfully

complete a marathon.  The majority of my

clientele are based in Barcelona or London so the

two key dates are 6th March and 17th April,

respectively.  In training terms this means that

currently every weekend will be dedicated to a “long run” of at least 90

minutes, on top of 5 times a week training runs of varying times, speeds

and distances.  This year’s London Marathon is sponsored by Virgin and

they have a great training programme put together for runners of all levels.

Check out their official site for more info

(http://www.virginlondonmarathon.com/training-centre/training-

advice/training-plans/).

 

Even for seasoned runners, the strains and pains caused by such a

demanding training schedule start to rear their ugly and unwelcome heads

and many runners find they need a bit of extra help from a Physiotherapist. 

Physiotherapy is vital in these final stages of training to avoid minor

overuse strains becoming more troublesome injuries.  Classic problems that

I see commonly in runners, particularly during the couple of months prior to

a marathon, include ITB syndrome (ilio-tibial band), low back pain, knee

pain and groin pain.  All of these problems are, in the majority of cases, due

to muscle imbalances that can be simply and easily reversed using PILATES

exercises.  Clinically, Pilates exercises are adapted to the individual and

everyone is fully assessed prior to treatment for an optimum

treatment/exercise programme.  However, as so many of the typical

running-related injuries can be avoided using Pilates, I would like to share a

few of the key clinical Pilates exercises that I have prescribed time and time

again, with great success, to runners who come to see me at Fisioplus

Pilates (www.fisiopluspilates.com).

 

Common muscle imbalances occur very easily whilst training for a marathon or regularly running long distances, mainly due to the compensation strategies that are adopted as key muscles start to fatigue. 

One of the fast fatiguing key muscles is the Posterior Gluteaus Medius (PGM) which is primarily responsible for stabilising the sideways movement of the pelvis when standing on one leg.  A marathon runner takes atleast 41,000 steps, every single one requiring the PGM of the stabilising leg to activate appropriately to allow the placement of the other foot in front.  As fatigue occurs, if the task remains unfinished, other

muscles are drafted in to help.  These are then overused and become tight Marathon Fact:

Last year more than 23,600 runners entered the flora London marathon . Marathon Fact: A minimum of 41,000 steps is run in a marathon, in addition to the millions covered in training and short.  Overused, shorter muscles around the lower back, groin and knee start to complain, thus producing symptoms and altering the

biomechanics of running.

 

There is a current wave of forward thinking therapists and Pilates

instructors promoting “restorative” Pilates classes which can be

incorporated between training and more aggressive workouts.  The idea is

to restore some of the muscle imbalances and common “overuse” patterns

which occur during training.  Working a muscle in a different way,

throughout its length, as in Pilates, promotes the use of different muscle

fibres therefore reducing the tendency of parts of the muscle to become

short and bulky. Shortened muscles are far less efficient than longer,

stronger, slower fatiguing muscles.  In a repetitive activity such as running,

improved muscle efficiency will have many positive results including a

better performance or race time alongside a reduction in pain and easily

avoidable overuse injuries!

 

Don’t just take my word for it, give it a go!

 

Zoë Queally 

 

Zoe Queally is a Chartered Physiotherapist and specialist in the clinical

application of Pilates. She is Director of Fisioplus Pilates-A Physiotherapy

and Pilates centre based in Barcelona, Spain and develops and runs training

course for Physiotherapists, Osteopaths and qualified Pilates Instructors in

the clinical application of Pilates throughout Europe.  

 

A new one day CPD workshop aimed specifically at Runners and all

professionals who work with runners will take place in May in Barcelona and

London.  Contact Fisioplus Pilates zoe@fisopluspilates.com for more info see www.fisiopluspilates.com

http://www.fisiopluspilates.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Marathon_Special_Pilates_Exercise_Sheets.pdf