Running SIG Fall 2018 Newsletter

Running Special Interest Group Newsletter Septemberl2018

this issue Running SIG UpdatesP.1

Quarterly Webinars & Content Creators We have a goal of producing 2-3 webinars per year We also are in need of content creators for our SIG newsletter.

Running SIG Updates 2018 has been a busy year. We are now the Running Special Interest Group of the American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy! Cool new name, same focus on running performance, rehabilitation, & wellness.

Since CSM 2017 the Running SIG has::

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Sponsored one pre-conference course for CSM 2019

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Sponsored 4 running-related education platforms for CSM 2019

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Reached >900 followers to our Twitter Account: @SPTSRunningSIG

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Continued our Mentorship Program

We are very proud of these accomplishments but we realize we have just scratched the surface of our SIG’s potential. Our goals for 2018-19 include:

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Send out a quarterly newsletter

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Conduct a webinar/video education lecture series

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Increase contacts between mentors and mentees

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Initiate a quarterly ournal club/discussion board

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Increase running SIG membership.

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Continue to build capacity of our SIG members to successfully present at APTA Conferences

If you are interested in presenting a webinar please contact Scott Greenberg at: greeniedpt@gmail.com. If you are interested in producing content for the newsletter contact Jeff at: Jeffery.Taylor-Haas@cchmc.org

Team Concept Conference: 11/29-12/1 Team Concept Conference, also known as TCC, is November 29-December 1 in Las Vegas, NV. While the main focus is on the tactical & combat athlete there is some cool programming on running. Check it out! Registration is open now! Here is the link:https://spts.org/education/

conferences/team-concept-conference/ New at TCC! If you are a running SIG member & plan on going the Academy is planning on having signage& space in the Expo Hall to promote our SIG. So, if you are planning on going please alert Scott at his email above.

There is No Silver Bullet

By Jeff Taylor-Haas, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS

Running injuries are all too common. On an annual basis approximately 1 out of every 3 runners will experience an injury. While experienced runners appear to be injured less frequently than novice runners, their injuries are no less problematic.

Whereas younger runners seem to experience more episodes of knee pain and shin pain, older runners are more predisposed to injuries to the calf, Achilles, and plantar fascia.

And while running injuries are common so too is the latest fad in sports medicine to treat and (deep breath) try toprevent running injuries. From minimalist shoes to maximalist shoes, from kinesiotape to dry needling, from cupping to myofascial release, and from strength training to gait retraining there exists a belief in the general public (and perhaps within sports PT’s, too) that if I only do x then I will either avoid injury or quickly recover from my injury. In reality, the scientific literature points out the folly of holding up any one intervention or shoe or technique as the silver bullet that can effectively prevent or treat running injuries. Repeat after me-there is no silver bullet to preventing or treating running injuries.

What we do know is that the majority of running injuries appear to be multifactorial. Key elements of most running injuries involve training errors such as a rapid increase in either training volume or pace or both. One of the most common risk factors of any one running injury is having had a previous running injury. While somewhat of a catch-22, we can learn from these two points.

And what is that? First, no technique or technology can replace a thorough patient history. I often know what my patient’s injury is and what factors are contributing to that injury from just a thorough subjective intake. Second, most runners, both healthy and injured, struggle with proper load management. Musculoskeletal loading is incurred with each step a runner takes. Load is informed by variables such as how fast a runner is running, the total volume of running, what surfaces a runner runs on (variable or non-variable), the form the runner employs, and the relative health of the underlying musculoskeletal system to incur those loads.

Running-specialist PT’s have spent the last decade heavily focused on under-

standing running form as a means of understanding specific joint and cumulative loads.

With much research in the area of running biomechanics from preeminent researchers such as Irene Davis, Bryan Heiderscheit, Rich Willy, & Blaise Williams PT’s have been debating many questions, but perhaps most importantly “what is the ideal running form?” I’ve participated in those debates and they will continue to rage on. And with good reason. Running form speaks directly to what specific and cumulative loads will impact the lower extremities during running.

And just as form alters load so too do other factors—such as shoes, training surfaces, training intensities, & total training time.

But are we forgetting the basics when it comes to load management? Should we move beyond running form and running shoes and think about variables such as shoe/surface variability, building (slowly) a tolerance to load, off-seasons, strength training, mental health, and overall musculoskeletal health?

Recent studies indicate varying the shoes we run in may incur a modest protective affect against injury. Running on different surfaces (such as trails) may vary the location & cumulative load of the external moments impacting the lower extremity.

Slowly building training capacity over many seasons and years may be more protective than the seasonal rapid spikes in training many experience to meet the goal of the next race. And having an off-season, or even another hobby, might help reduce both the physical & mental burnout from continuous training. If we tell our adolescent runners to have an off-season and to try to avoid sport specialization should we not consider employing the same advice for our adult runners?

Overall, as running-specialist PT’s we need to always ask ourselves “why did this person become injured & how can I help prevent this from happening again.” If we ask this question & focus on the long-term we may find that it is not the techniques we employ that matter as much as the sound advice & education we can provide. This is not a complete knock on the fads of our craft. They are there because they have short-term benefits. But we are not a shortterm specialty. We’re here for the long run.

To do so means to embrace the reality that there is no silver bullet. And that’s ok.

We are on Twitter and Facebook!

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for all Running SIG-related news, journal articles, and discussion on running-related topics Twitter: @SPTSRunningSIG Facebook: Sports Physical Therapy Section Running Special Interest Group

Journal Club To participate in the journal club you need to go to SPTS.org. Log-in. Once you log-in you will need to make sure that you have added the Running SIG to your profile as a group member. Once you do that click under SPTS members to get to the SPTS Forums. You will see the latest posts from Running SIG members. This will serve as our place to discuss all things running, including recent journal articles. You don’t have to wait—start a discussion now! Need help with a patient? Post HIPAAcompliant content & see who can provide you some advice. The forum is there for our benefit. Please use it regularly to stay connected to your fellow SIG members!