The Dublin City Marathon has soared to success in recent years from its humble beginning in 1980. It has grown from a modest 11,000 in 2007 to nearly 20,000 this year with additional places offered to fill the demand. Dublin is closing in on Paris, London and Berlin as the fourth largest marathon in Europe.
With the increase in participants comes the inevitable increase in running injuries. Long distance runners can suffer from Stress Fractures, Achilles Tendinopathies, Plantar Fascia Pain and Knee, Hip & Low Back Pain. Luckily, all of these conditions are treatable by a Chartered Physiotherapist.
If you are at an elite level or running for a specific cause, injuries generally occur with a change in training load that a runner is subjected to. It is this portion of the training cycle as runners hit a peak training distance coming up to race day that can be problematic, particularly so for people new to long-distance running or those enrolled in their first marathon. Something as simple as a change in running footwear can change the direction of the loading patterns in the foot.
An injury at this stage of training can be very disheartening for any person with ambitions of competing or even finishing the 26.2 mile challenge after months of training.
How do I Treat and Prevent Injuries?
Simple prevention strategies can be implemented such as following the guidance of an experienced Chartered Physiotherapist to tailor their training programme and distances. Maintaining muscle length and reducing tension by foam rolling is also advised.
Biomechanical evaluation and the assessments of muscle imbalances are ways that a Chartered Physiotherapist can diagnose the reason for pain and find the root cause of the problem. Patient-specific strengthening and stretching exercise plans are introduced along with Sports Massage and Dry Needling to alleviate the pain and reduced function. Both Sports Massage and Dry Needling are used to reduce the tension in trigger points along taut bands of muscle which can improve the function of each specific muscle while also serving as a key recovery tool as part of the training process.
A holistic treatment approach with Physiotherapy can have each person confident in running their best time in this year’s Dublin Marathon!
Author: Oisin McCabe
