NO INJURY. NO NEED FOR A THERAPIST. I’M A FRAYED KNOT

“Why do I need to see a therapist? I don’t have an injury.” Yet. You don’t have an injury ... yet. 
As discussed in another post., the body is all about patterns of movement. Keeping everything lubricated, free-moving, with connective tissue adhesion (“knot”) free, plays a huge part in the longevity of comfortable, pain-free, and efficient movement. 
For example: A minor ankle roll on a trail run, causing the stretching of ligaments, can alter your gait. This altered gait affects your knees, hips, back, shoulders and neck. Maintenance treatments mitigate the effects of little things that can become bigger things.…

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PATTERNS and PAIN. Too much of a good thing

More often than not an acute neck or back spasm occurs as a result of a simple movement; brushing your hair or bending to pick something up. The movement itself is not the cause of the issue but rather our movement patterns in the preceding days, months and years. Remember that anything in excess is no good. Even if it is something “healthy.” Consider George, an avid road cyclist and IT specialist. As a young man he cycled competitively and was blessed with a body that required little in the way of maintenance. George put all of his aches and…

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No Pain No Gain. NO.

I’m in my 40’s and grew up with war baby parents who were taught that “If it hurts it means it’s working,” and obviously the good old, “No pain. No Gain.” I remember an incident on my Aunt’s farm in KZN, where I was accidentally bitten on the hand by the family Bullterrier. It was completely my fault. He had a penchant for not only chasing rocks but also eating them. I had been playing a game of fetch with him and I had pretended to throw the rock but still had it in my hand (a lesson to never…

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I’ve Got the Injury Blues

The number of times I have had the following interactions with clients: CLIENT:  “Well, I'm not doing anything currently. I’m injured.” Me: “I’m sorry. What? So, you have rolled your ankle and can’t run, so you’re not doing anything?” CLIENT: “Running was my routine and my life and this has disrupted everything.” ME: “I absolutely understand that but what about the rest of your body that is desperate to move and do and be seen and heard?” CLIENT: “You need mental help.” We’ve all been there. Loving our chosen activity, in a great routine, and feeling fit and strong and…

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Pisco to San Juan De Marcona

We are now on our way from Pisco to San Juan de Marcona. The riders have a very technical stage ahead, with plenty of way points to find, and hefty time penalties for points missed. It’s hot and the race began immediately with a “special stage.” A special stage of the total distance traveled is a timed section where way points must be found and time penalties are incurred for missed points or speed infringements. The liaison stage is basically just the route traveled to get from point A to point B and is not timed, although rules must still…

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Final Days Dakar 2018

While riders came in absolutely shattered from a very long penultimate day, no one cared. The promise of a shorter final stage and the podium so close was enough to keep everyone’s spirits buoyed. We managed a small amount of sleep on hot tarmac in our usually noisy bivouac for the last time. My Garmin watch me tells me I averaged around 4-5 hours a night with only an hour to 90 minutes being deep sleep in our bivouacs. The rest day in La Paz and pre- and post-Dakar were obviously different. I’ve had an elevated heart rate from the…

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San Juan

The bivouac in San Juan is at the old raceway and absolutely magnificently set in a valley surrounded by mountains. It was 38 degrees when we arrived but the heat was dry and the energy and beauty of the place just made everything okay. We were blessed with a few drops of rain and a breeze later in the afternoon which made us all love our non sandy bivouac just a little more. All riders came in tired after their long ride but in very high spirits. One more long day of racing ahead (900km) from San Juan to Córdoba…

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Belen to Chilecito

As the boys would not be coming to the bivouac for the night, we had the entire day to explore while we made our way to Chilecito. The drive through a mountainous reserve was exquisite and we stopped often to try to capture the sights, but the truth is no camera can do this area justice.We also stopped at an archaeological site - home to the Incas thousands of years ago - and I found a canyon to swim in. It was literally the cleanest I have felt since leaving South Africa. Such a treat in this historical, special place.…

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Salta to Belen

The route for the riders was absolutely awful. A section of 60km of river bed, where white rocks are disguised by white sand and 100km of sandy whoops where riders stay in first and second gear…I honestly wonder what the hell Dakar are trying to prove. I am beginning to get the feeling that the essence of Dakar is somehow being lost. Our drive was once again fantastic and we arrived at a refuel point just in time to help one of our team riders who had come off after one of the cars had sped past her without giving…

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Tupiza

We woke in the the camper to good weather - what a relief! After a very local breakfast in Tupiza, we walked around the town and enjoyed the local excitement as they set up to watch some of the riders coming through. The Bolivians are passionate about Dakar. We found our way to a petrol station and viewpoint, and waited for the riders. I received a message from a Hout Bay friend who told me his brother was in Tupiza and was looking for us. We found one another and it was fantastic to spend time with people Who knew…

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