Ryan Sandes - This will soon be the new home of the domain ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

28 BODy SCIENCE Balance Biomechanics The average runner strikes about 600 times per kilometre. Somebody who weighs about 70kg lands with roughly 120 tons of force per square centimetre per foot strike. Does this get your attention? Now imagine your foot is not striking correctly; that means your ankle is not working properly, your knees are under strain and a whole lot of muscles are trying to counteract the imbalance. Are you still wondering why you have that niggling injury you just can’t seem to sort out? Maybe it’s time you start paying attention to your biomechanics. INJURIES The foot is a complex structure made up of 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments and 19 muscles and tendons. With all the pressure we put on our feet every day, it’s no wonder that many runners land up with knee, hip, back and even neck problems because their feet and legs are not aligned correctly. Many running injuries are caused by over training, lack of stretching and in fact a large percentage of all lower limb injuries in sport are caused by poor biomechanics, say Franklin Dubowitz, podiatrist from the Centre for Sports Medicine and Orthopaedics in Rosebank, Johannesburg. Running is a repetitive action and if your biomechanics are not working properly, it is bound to cause problems. “South African runners are out there every single weekend, winter and summer, and many run crazy distances. A lot of athletes don’t take care of // The foot is a complex structure made up of 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments and 19 muscles and tendons. // themselves and ignore pain or slight niggles. Some leave it so late that they end up with serious injuries,” says Franklin. Very few people are 100 percent balanced and aligned. Most of us supinate (roll outwards) or pronate (roll inwards) to a certain degree, and it is normal to pronate within certain perimeters, therefore it is not everyone needs intervention. Running shoes play a role in helping with problems such as excessive supination and pronation, but in a lot of cases, shoes are just not specific enough. That’s when you should start considering consulting a podiatrist. “If I measure the way you strike with your feet and one foot has a 15° of pronation while the other foot has a 24° of pronation, how can you expect one set of running shoes to work for both feet?” says Franklin, who has treated sporting stars such as Shaun Pollock, Graeme Smith, Sachin Tendulkar and most other members of the Indian cricket team. HIGH SPEED CAMERAS. IMAGES OF PRESSURE UNDER yOUR FEET. ISSUE 4 SEPTEMBER 2009 / www.modernathlete.co.za THE OlD AND THE NEW Most of us know the traditional system of orthotics, where an impression of the foot, called a plaster cast, is taken while the patient is sitting in a non-weight bearing position. Podiatrists use this cast, as well as computer technology, to design a device that balances and corrects problems. This process normally takes anything from a couple of days to sometimes a few weeks, a sometimes frustrating waiting period for someone in a hurry to sort out their injuries. New technology now allows for orthotics to be made instantaneously in as little as an hour including consultation; a first in South Africa, says Franklin. You can walk out of the consultation room with your new pair of orthotics in your shoes and you can be sure it’s going to be a pair that is flexible, comfortable, functional and transferable. Franklin does not work with rigid orthotics. “One has to remove the abnormal movement of the foot but at the same time still allow for the normal movement. Your foot has to be able to move and absorb shock and that is the reasoning behind more flexible orthotics,” says Franklin. In Sachin Tendulkar’s case 11 years ago, rigid orthotics were the cause of his stress fracture. “He battled to run in the hard orthotics and eventually flew in from India to see me. We manufactured a special orthotic and within seven days he was up and running. That orthotic is still known today as the Tendulkar orthotic,” says Franklin, who has been treating runners, amongst others, for 27 years. THE PROCESS A patient is assessed by a video gait analysis system while running or walking on a treadmill. Four high speed cameras record the foot strike from all angles. This information is recorded instantaneously on a computer. While playing back the recording, one can see how the patient is landing and how the foot moves through the gait. “We can slow down the recording and dissect the leg, ankle and foot from each and every angle and establish whether the patient is supinating or pronating,” says Franklin. He is strongly against methods of assessment where the patient runs up and down an alley in order for a podiatrist to diagnose what the problem is with the naked eye. “Your eyes are simply just not quick enough to see exacts,” says Franklin. NEW TECHNOlOGy: THE MACHINE yOU STAND ON WHIlE yOUR ORTHOTICS GETS MOUlDED AROUND yOUR FEET. FRANK WITH INDIAN CRICKETER SACHIN TENDUlKAR. VIDEO GAIT ANAlySIS SySTEM. The best method of assessment is a video gait analysis system, used by a many podiatrists these days. Usually, an additional analysis is done where the patient walks across a pressure plate. Information about the stride, pressure points (superficial and deep seated), possible supination or pronation, and a comparison between your left and right foot are recorded on another computer, which shows two and three dimensional images of pressure under your feet. It also shows the exact movement from heel strike to toe-off. In more traditional methods of treatment, this information helps podiatrists with the manufacturing of orthotics in a laboratory. New technology changes all of this. In many cases, orthotics can now be manufactured instantaneously in the comfort of the consultation room. You can walk out with the orthotics in your shoes, says Franklin. It works like this: first a ready made module which fits into your shoe gets chosen for your specific sport or daily activity. These modules, of which some are made of carbon fibre, are imported. Previous information gathered from TECHNICIANS IN FRANKlIN’S lAB: STEPHEN RAMABElE, VUSI TSHABAlAlA AND ClIFFORD MAHlABA. DIFFERENT MODUlES PRE HEATED AND lAMINATED.
You can walk out of the consultation room with your new pair of orthotics in your shoes. // your stride, pressure points and possible supination or pronation help Franklin to manually adjust the mould around your feet until it feels comfortable and is customised to your specific problem. The success of the system is that your orthotics are made under weight bearing circumstances, which allow them to feel soft, light and flexible. All adjustments are made while you are standing on the orthotics in the machine. A negative impression is done with the assistance of a sophisticated pressure sensor plate. The selected module is then pre heated and laminated. It is inserted into the digital mould and the patient is then asked to stand on the machine once again to allow the module to set in the required position. The patient steps off and the orthotics are done. Remember, this machine does not perform magic and all orthotics take time to get used to. One should at first walk with the orthotics before attempting to run. Wearing orthotics also does not mean that you will never get injured again, but, according to Frankin, your chances of injury are greatly reduced. ADVICE TO RUNNERS If you have an injury or a niggle and you are not sure whether you need the help of a physiotherapist, a chiropractor or a podiatrist, consult a sports physician, who can steer you in the right direction. A lot of runners believe they should run through pain. Nonsense! Pain tells you something is wrong and you should get it seen to. Take action and don’t wait until it is too late to ever run again. Sales personnel in sports shops are trained to fit shoes properly. They are not trained to diagnose problems. It is ultimately up to you to train wisely and correctly and to listen what your body tells you. SOUTH AFRICAN CRICKETER ANDRé NEl. FRANK AND COMEDIAN lEON SCHUSTER SOUTH AFRICAN CRICKETER GRAEME SMITH. SOUTH AFRICAN CRICKETER DAlE STEyN. SOUTH AFRICAN CRICKETER ASHWEll PRINCE. 500/1000km SO WHAT DO yOU HAVE TO DO TO qUAlIFy? It's simple. Run or walk a cumulative distance of just 500km in official road races between 25 May 2009 (that’s just one day after Comrades), right up until the Comrades Marathon on 30 May 2010 (Comrades is not compulsory). In the spirit of the competition, other events such as cross country, official trail runs and even fun runs are allowed providing they are organised by either a club or a welfare organisation. This is the year you can and should do it, says Bruce Fordyce, multiple Comrades winner. “I think that striving for 500km between November and May each year would help all runners”. It will in particular help all novice Comrades runners to exercise good discipline in building up for the special big C next year. To achieve a minimum of 500km you need to average less than 10km per week so work it out yourself - there is plenty of time and you can do it. WHAT WIll yOU RECEIVE? Each entrant will receive a special 20th Anniversary t-shirt, race list and guidelines. Challenge While many runners complain that events are either cancelled or disappear from the road running calendar, there are those races that have stood the test of time and are guaranteed to reappear each year, providing runners with renewed motivation to improve on their past performances. One such competition is the 500/1 000km Challenge which, after 19 years, is alive and well and in South Africa. In fact, this year marks the 20th edition of the challenge and organisers are making it possible for everyone to participate; the qualifying benchmark has been set at just 500km. I n t e r n a t i o n a l 29 Each finisher of the 500km Challenge will receive a two tone finisher’s medal and a second personalised t-shirt. Personalised silver, gold and platinum medals will still be awarded for longer distances as well as distance scrolls and permanent numbers. CHARITy Over R70 000 has been donated to charity in the past. This year, the organisers will donate R10 from every entry plus 1c for each km run or walked by all competitors; so each step of the road will help someone in need. As always, any competitors own fund raising initiatives will be encouraged and endorsed. As you compete at events around the country you will always see ‘1 000km Challenge’ badges worn with pride by competitors. So, why not make new friends and acquaintances on the road, travel to interesting races and enjoy new experiences? Commit yourself to a healthier life style. Enjoy the camaraderie that the 500/1 000km Challenge has provided to thousands of people over the past 20 years. Full details can be found on the website www.1000km.co.za or www.entrytime.com
Page 1 and 2: September 2009 FREE The Desert Runn
Page 3 and 4: Cover image: Ian Taylor/RacingThePl
Page 5 and 6: Readers’ Comments We receive so m
Page 7 and 8: Image: Nick Muzik - www.nickmuzik.c
Page 9 and 10: Compare our prices, Better yet, com
Page 11 and 12: time I was not embarrassed to run.
Page 13 and 14: PROTEIN, PROTEIN EVERYWHERE This ta
Page 15 and 16: sms to my fiancé, my kids, family
Page 17 and 18: qualifying races up until April 201
Page 19 and 20: TOWEL HAMSTRING STRETCH Lie on your
Page 21 and 22: enzymes that serve as antioxidants.
Page 23 and 24: The thing I love most about running
Page 25 and 26: What is the potential effect of a p
Page 27: male, highlighting how simple genet
Page 31 and 32: TAKING A STAND Johnny’s biggest
Page 33 and 34: Nedbank SA 10km Championships Satur
Page 35 and 36: RACE PREVIEWS Nedbank Cape Town Mar
Page 37 and 38: The club prides itself on having al
Page 39 and 40: TuksSport Sport School for young ta
Page 41 and 42: ClUB NEWS Well Done Alberton! The f
Page 43: ��

Ryan Sandes - This will soon be the new home of the domain ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?