Lesson Learnt Part Deux: Ouch, That Hurt...

Don't ignore the Niggle...

Picture the scene, I am warmed up after a 2 mile jog,  stretching and drills and have set off on my first 800m rep on the track. Then after around 20m something in my right leg snaps and I am left hobbling the 2 miles home in excruciating pain. A simple muscle pull you might say. No. Lesson learnt the hard way.... I ignored the cardinal rule of all runners; I had a niggle in my right knee and instead of resting I took it upon myself to ignore and soldier on, thinking I knew best. Big mistake.

This happened almost a fortnight ago and after a few days of the ritual of ice, heat, elevation and rest, it was no better. I was getting both worried and increasingly fed up through not being able to train. My weekend was spent cooped up, not leaving the house with my leg propped up on a cushion resting on the coffee table . I have single handly increased sales of Voltaren through the application of heat patches and massaging the gel religiously into my aching joint.

The pain itself appeared to move and was not isolated in one area alone. It ranged from a shooting pain up my quadricep to an ache deep in my knee, the side of my knee and when I did venture out on a recon short trip, the back of my knee. It is pretty much the most frustrating injury to happen to me in a while, but also the most worrying. At the age of 14 I had a lot of scar tissue removed from the same joint due to running competitively at club and county level since the age of 11. My biggest fear was that this old injury had reared its ugly head and would possibly put me out of action for good.

Cabin fever had well and truly set in. I needed a professional. I found Dr Pierre Huwiler on an Expat Chatroom for Sports Specialists in Geneva. I explained my history and he ran some quick exercise and joint tests before promptly sending me down for a number of X rays. He examined these for what felt like hours but in reality was probably 10 seconds before concluding it was not a bone injury. I have never felt happier in my life, nor was it ligament damage. OMGGGGG, I have never felt so relieved. My diagnosis was severe acute inflammation and I was ordered further rest, a 10 day course of industrial stength anti inflammatories, of which I am only allowed 1 per day and a follow up appointment. If I wasn't in so much pain I would have skipped out of the clinic, such was my joy.

Let this be a warning to all of you....If you have a niggle or an ache that does not feel quite right, DO NOT ignore it, just take a rest day. I should have known better really as I did a 20 mile bike on Saturday with some steep hills thrown in, 11 mile hilly trail run on the Sunday then a 6 mile tempo run on the Monday. The previous week I set a PB at the Lausanne Half Marathon. I clearly did too many strenuous work outs and too little rest, when I could have probably done without going to the track on Tuesday. But no, I chose to ignore and am now writing this blog as a cautionary tale.

Take heed of my advice readers....The odd rest day when you feel a little out of sorts is not going to make a difference, if anything it will probably make you stronger. And 1 day is better than the enforced 2 weeks I am currently suffering...

Compress Yourself

A Tight Squeeze...

Last year I was crippled by the pain of shin splints which put my best laid training plans out of the window for a good few months. As a result, come the summer season I was less than at my best and constantly worrying that the dreaded splints would rear their ugly head once more. All I could do was ice, rest and pray they would not hinder me again. It was through lack of being able to run as much as I would like that led me to the joys of cross training, triathlon, duathlon and consequently my faithful compression socks.

I started swimming and cycling in order to compensate for lack of running and to keep my fitness levels up. I entered the London duathlon and saw a vast population of athletes wearing some rather fetching black and grey knee length socks. Upon trawling round the small expo in search of kit and sporting trinkets to further my sporting prowess, I fell upon the black and grey socks.

What indeed was the mass appeal of them and more importantly, why should I part with £35? The kindly sales man informed me these were compression socks...'Ah, but would they cure my recurring shin splints?'...'Yes, they will certainly help'. OK then, purchase done and dusted. It definitely helps that Chrissie Wellington swears by them, maybe one day I too could break my own world record, beat the majority of men in a race and finish 20 minutes ahead of the next female competitor? Doubtful, but I was willing to give them a try.

These socks have worked absolute wonders for me. I can happily say that I have been almost a year without shin splints and I thoroughly owe some of this success to my trusty 'Compress Sport' R2 compression socks. I started off doing all my training runs in them and also wearing them during recovery for around 30 minutes after finishing exercise. I would thoroughly recommend them to anyone who suffered from the same ailment but also in a more general sense as compression clothing has been proven to have many benefits:

Thermoregulation

Your body will operate best when at the right temperature. Muscles must be kept warm for optimal performance and to avoid injury, however overheating is just as bad; it puts stress on your heart and slows your reactions.

The main difference between compression and regular clothing is its ability to efficiently remove perspiration from the skin. This is achieved by the use of moisture wicking fabrics and the garments tight fitting nature. Unlike other breathable garments such as quick dry t-shirts, you do not get perspiration pooling on the skin. This means that in hot climates your body's cooling system continues to work efficiently and in the cold you are not wearing wet clothing, therefore you will stay warmer.

Reduced Muscle Oscillation 
Every time we move our muscles move too. When they do small tears appear within the muscle tissue. The presence of these tears along with the build up of lactic acid is what causes muscle pain both during and post exercise. By reducing the rate at which this damage takes place we are able to work for longer and experience less pain following training. The principle behind stopping body shake is old and probably the best example is the wearing of sports bras. Now with the elastic properties of compression garments, the same sort of support is available for the rest of the body. This is the reason that compression garments must be firm fitting.

Increased Circulation 

This is the main benefit that is advertised by manufacturers of compression clothing. The reason for this is that increased circulation is what is claimed to give benefits in performance. By speeding up blood flow food is provided to muscles faster and waste products such as lactic acid are removed more efficiently. This means that you should experience a higher level of performance and faster recovery times when wearing the garments post exercise. This in turn will allow you to train harder in your next session.

Increased Proprioception 

Our body's proprioceptors help us to know where our arm is in relation to the body or your foot in relation to the ground. By wearing a garment that is effectively a second skin, these senses are heightened. This is achieved through the contact with the skin and the elastic properties of the fabric. This is the same principle used by medical professionals when they apply strapping or a compression bandage to a joint injury, not only do they add support but they help you to become more aware of your range of movement.

The Compression T2 socks supported my legs and served to boost circulation and clear waste products from my muscles. Many athletes will sleep in compression clothing or wear it underneath normal clothes to aid in recovery. I have certainly been known to wear my Compression socks underneath my jeans when I am feeling particularly fatigued after a hard session. I would recommend everyone should 'compress themselves' at least once!


http://compressport.uk.com/blog/