Rips & Running Injuries
Many of you may not know that besides being a Proud Dad, Podiatrist and Runner, I am also a volunteer Surf Life Saver. So what do Surf Rips and Running Injuries have in common? As Surf Lifesavers we are about preventative actions as much as performing rescues, the same can be said for Running Injuries, take preventable actions to avoid those injuries.
For most beachgoers, we are all familiar with the Red & Yellow Flags which indicate the safest place to swim in terms of conditions and supervision by Life Savers. Picture this situation, a swimmer is enticed into a calm section of water, outside of the flagged area, where there are no breaking waves, particularly when there are larger breaking waves along the beach. The swimmer blindly runs into the water to cool off and before they know it, they are being swept out to sea. The swimmer then realises they are in some difficulty and starts to panic. This situation has now become, a potentially life-threatening situation for the inexperienced swimmer. If the swimmer had heeded the warning signs, understood the situation, looked for appropriate advice and was experienced they would have never placed themselves at risk.
Like the Red & Yellow Flags on the beach, there is a safe zone to exercise in. If we do not push ourselves a little, our fitness and strength will not improve, however, if we push ourselves outside of our safety zone, something is likely to go wrong. I like to refer to this safety zone as comfortably, uncomfortable. We improve our fitness and strength but we don’t put ourselves at risk of causing an over-use related injury.
Just like an unfortunate swimmer, injury prevention is also about;
· Looking for the warning signs
· Understanding the situation
· Seeking the appropriate advice
· Experience
If you are feeling that you are out of your depth with your injury, make an appointment at Sunnybank Hills Podiatry today!
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