With the 2018 Dublin City marathon just under a week away, here are some of our physiotherapy tips to help ensure a hassle free run.
At this stage everyone knows the importance of stretching, diet and fluid intake leading up to the big day, so lets look instead at 2 valuable tips from a physiotherapy perspective.
- Breathing Technique. A simple breathing exercise can help prevent onset of abdominal stitch and tightness between the shoulder blades. Diaphragmatic breathing can be performed 3-4 times daily for 2 minutes to help decrease onset of the ailments mentioned above, as well as improving oxygen intake. To carry out this exercise, lie flat on your back with your knees bent. Place your hand on your tummy. Relax your chest and shoulders as you breathe, inhaling into your tummy. You should feel your hand rise with your tummy as you do this. As you breathe out your hand drops down again with your tummy. Perform this for 2-3 minutes trying to keep your chest and shoulders relaxed throughout.
- Improve Muscle Imbalances. Most of us carry compensations through our bodies, whereby some muscles work harder for others. This can cause overload and lead to possible strain of these compensatory muscles. Some people will find they get tight calves, which may be an indication that the calf muscles are compensating for weakness or under activity elsewhere. A common compensatory pattern here can often involve the calves working harder for the gluteal or quadricep muscles. To ensure your glutes and quads are firing on the big day try performing some small body weight squats and pelvic bridging exercises prior to your run.
Should you have any questions on the above please feel free to drop us an email or call us at Dunboyne Physiotherapy Clinic.
Best of luck
Bryan