A perfect beach body without the pain
Rebecca Nelson, owner of Ireland’s leading physiotherapy and sports injury clinic, Apex Clinic, discusses how to train smart for summer without letting injury stand in your way.
Inspired by the first rays of warm sunshine in many months, it’s so easy to launch into an overly ambitious new
fitness regime. It just feels so good with the sun on your back. Stop! This is the first big mistake people make when they begin training after the winter.
The ‘too much too soon’ trap
Many common injuries, such as shin pain, plantar fasciitis and Achiles tendinitis are directly related to increasing
activity or mileage too quickly. You will need to build up your fitness again gradually. Start by setting a realistic
training schedule and stick to it.
Mind your muscles; warm up well and stretch at the end
Never, ever stretch a cold muscle. You are just asking for trouble by beginning any exercise routine with static stretches. Whatever your sport – running, football, tennis or yoga – you should start with some mild aerobic warm ups to get the blood flowing to your muscles.
This unique regime of manual physiotherapy techniques, known as the Nelson Approach, was inspired by New Zealand and Australian physiotherapy approaches. Our success rates to date speak volumes as to why people are travelling from Southern Ireland and England for an appointment.
Five to ten minutes slow jogging or fast walking will increase the temperature of the muscles and make the collagen fibres more elastic. Stretching after you exercise is beneficial as it allows the muscle to be lengthened and prevents scar tissue setting in.
Sports massage for happy muscles
Sports or deep soft tissue massage focuses on the deeper layers of muscle tissue to help to keep the tissue more
supple and flexible. Regular sports massage helps maintain the health of your muscles by breaking up and
eliminating scar tissue within them. Pulled or strained muscles are directly caused by a build-up of scar tissue on the muscles and tendons. We recommend a once monthly sports massage to keep your muscles in top form.
Don’t risk injury; take action fast against pain
Don’t bury your head in the sand at thefirst sign of a niggle or injury. It is entirely possible to train through many
musculoskeletal injuries whilst having a course of physio treatment. We recommend you seek help as soon as you
feel something is not right.
Remember, the earlier you seek advice and treatment for a problem, the more chance we have of getting to the bottom of it and treating the injury at its source before it really threatens to stop your summer fitness regime in its tracks.