A closer look at our physiology

Feb 01, 2016

This week, I've got some great research looking at a more microscopic level. The first is by a team in Denmark led by Prof  Ylve Hellsten, whom I recently saw present at the Sports Medicine Australia conference. Resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant which is found in grape skins (red wine) and dark chocolate. Also often taken as a supplement because experiments in rats showed positive effects on atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), blood pressure and a number of other benefits. However,

Muscle strains, running, balance and chronic pain

Jan 17, 2016

Welcome 2016. An interesting article to start us off (1). There has been a growing body of research in the last decade into chronic pain and the changes in the brain associated with this - in other words, changes in central pain processing (i.e. Changes in the spine and brain). A  hyper vigilant response to a stimulus is one of the results of this.  This research has looked at the possibility of central pain processing changes, in association with chronic Achilles tendinopathy. The research

Running and shoes

Dec 22, 2015

On my final post for 2015, I've got a running focused blog for you. The first article (1) is really a presentation of two new paradigms in terms of running injury prevention put forward by Nicholas Tam and legendary running expert, Tim Noakes. Much research has looked at the influence of: shoes, gait (forefoot, rearfoot landing), pronation, barefoot etc on injury rates. A paradigm shift is presented here for a) preferred movement path and b) a comfort filter. What they discuss is the many

Female athletes, knees and Kinesio taping

Dec 13, 2015

This is one for the ladies, but also for coaches (1). Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) affects about a quarter of the female population, but this is one of the only studies looking at its effect on athletes; an important investigation as HMB can lead to anaemia, which can affect training and competing. This study involved an online component (789) and also took a large sample from those competing in the London marathon (1073 of which 90 were elite). They all answered a questionnaire. A quote from