Good luck to everyone running the grueling Dublin Marathon in a couple of weeks time, including our very own Karen, running her second marathon! The weeks leading up to the marathon will be tough, and not only the actual running of the race, but the recovery can be just as painful! So with that being said, here are our top tips for a fast recovery.
Recovery After the Race:
How fast you recover after a tough race depends on a number of different factors including:
Actual time spent in running preparation
How much rest you got pre-race
How good your nutrition was pre-race to fuel your body
Our top tips to aid recovery:
Rest: In the next 7-10 days try to get as much rest as possible, aiming for 8 hours sleep per night. This will help speed up the recovery process after the marathon.
Ice Baths: If you can withstand the cold, ice baths are a great way to help fight delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)
Nutrition: For electrolyte recovery try Nuun or BioSteel performance and recovery drinks. With each meal consume some protein (15-30g), take omega 3 supplements, plenty fruit & vegetables especially pineapple which is high in an anti inflammatory called Bromelain. It is advisable to take in essential mineral salts that will have been lost through sweat during the marathon. We recommend Himalayan Salts to help replenish these salts.
Keep moving: Avoid running for the first days after the marathon, but do take short walks and move as much as possible
Laser: Laser therapy is a great post-race tool to help aid recovery. It helps speed the healing process in the tissues
Kinesiotape: Lymphatic Applications and Cut Outs will help the drainage of the legs and to help reduce DOMS.
Sports Massage/foam rolling: Both are good ways to help your body to recover after the race.
Running Injuries
For some of you, you may have picked up an injury or two during the race. It is important to have these injuries assessed and treated appropriately. Don’t just let it go! Call us today to see if we can help with your marathon recovery!
Yours in Health,
The Lawlor Clinic Portlaoise
Chiropractic | Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization | Active Release Techniques (ART®)
Plantar Fasciitis (PF) can be quite a debilitating disorder. It is commonly described as having pain under the heel of the foot or along the arch of the foot. It is a progressive disorder, where the first few steps in the morning are painful, along with barefoot walking, or pain wearing flat shoes. Prolonged standing, walking or running can aggravated the pain. Many different treatment options have been proven to be effective in treating PF, such as deep tissue work, stretching and manual therapy. But, are there any additional therapies that are effective at treating PF, for example, if the hands-on approach is not yielding results to your liking?
At the Lawlor Clinic, we utilise Class 4 Laser Therapy for a variety of conditions, including PF. But, is it any good? Are there positive results with this approach? Or is it all a load of nonsense? Let’s see what the evidence says.
Class 4 Laser Therapy
With laser therapy, a light beam is placed on the injured area in an effort to affect cellular metabolism, protein synthesis, wound healing and immune response. The idea is that this will fight the inflammation in the fascia, reduce heel pain, and increase recovery time. 2 papers have evaluated the effectiveness of Class 4 Laser Therapy on chronic PF, and have a strong quality of evidence as they appear on the Cochrane Database of Research.
Macias, 2015
Kiritisi, 2010
Participants
69
25
Laser Treatment
X2/week for 3 weeks
X1/week for 6 weeks
Follow Ups
Before, 1week, 2weeks, 3weeks, 6weeks, 8weeks
Before and at 6weeks
Results – Plantar thickness
DNA
A difference in plantar thickness, but not statistically significant (not meaningful)
Results – Pain
Statistically significant improvement (p<0.001)
Statistically significant improvement (p=0.001)
These two studies demonstrate that after 6 sessions of Laser Therapy, the PF pain had significantly reduced when compared to placebos. This shows that laser is effective in treating PF, but it is important to explain to patients that research suggest that the most effective treatment approach is 6 treatments either x2/week for 3weeks or x1/week for 6weeks and then the patient can make up their mind which they would rather.
Comparing Laser to Extracorporal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT)
The idea behind ESWT is similar to LLLT. In ESWT, a probe is placed on injured area and shockwaves are pulsed in through the skin to stimulate angiogenesis (new blood vessels) and neurogenesis (new nerve cells). In theory, these aspects stimulate wound healing mechanisms. Again, 2 high quality papers compared the use of LLLT vs ESWT:
Cinar, 2013
Suleymanoglu, 2014
Participants
55
81
Treatment
X3/week for 3weeks of either ESWT / Laser
X3/week for 3weeks (ESWT)
X3/week for 4weeks (Laser)
Both given stretches for 3 months
Follow Up
Before and at 3 weeks
Before, after 1st session, after 3 months
Results – Plantar Thickness
DNA
Reduction in plantar thickness, more significant reduction in ESWT
Results – Pain
Statistically significant reduction in pain with Laser, not in ESWT
Statistically significant reduction in pain with ESWT, not in Laser
The data above suggests there is no difference between using Laser or ESWT for treating PF. This is because of the conflicting evidence above.
In summary, the evidence demonstrates that Laser (once completed for 6 sessions between 3-6weeks) is very effective in reducing pain levels in those with chronic PF. If you are suffering with PF, or any foot pain, please do not hesitate to contact us today
