A runner’s ability to avoid and manage injury will determine his or her fitness on race day. To help local runners reach their goals, Physical Therapists Rob Naber and Jenny Warner from Physical Therapy of Los Gatos, and Dr. John Kao from the SOAR Medical Clinic teamed up in May to deliver a running injury prevention and treatment seminar to 150 members of the San Jose Fit marathon training club.
Already several weeks into their training program, the San Jose Fit runners were engaged and attentive as Rob Naber presented information on avoiding and managing injuries. The runners received information on pronation and supination, walking and running biomechanics, and some corrective exercises that Physical Therapists prescribe to address specific problems.
Dr. Kao’s presentation provided information about the causes of injuries, specific training errors to avoid, and detailed medical descriptions of several kinds of running injuries. He also explained the injury first-aid “PRICEMM” protocol, which calls for Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation, Medications, and other treatment Modalities.
The presenters offered these key take-away messages to the San Jose Fit runners:
- Avoiding injury is the key to running success
- Most injuries result from overtraining
- Do not increase training mileage or duration by more that 10% per week
- Complement your running training with specific stretching and strengthening exercises
- If you have an injury, use cross-training activities to continue your fitness training
- Use a heart rate monitor to maximize the benefit from your cross training efforts
Dr. Kao recommended contacting a physician whenever any of these circumstances arise:
- Pain is localized to the bone or joint
- Joint motion is accompanied by catching, popping or locking
- Pain cannot be controlled by the recommended dose of over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen
- The problem persists for more than two weeks
- You are worried or concerned about your symptoms
Dr. Kao noted that individuals can make the most of any medical visit by coming prepared with accurate information about their injuries and symptoms. Dr. Kao can be reached by contacting his assistant Wendy at (408) 247-4900 x1214.
The seminar presenters thank Sports Basement for the use of their Sunnyvale store conference facility for the San Jose Fit seminar.
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