This year’s Airtricity Dublin Marathon
marks the 14th consecutive year of involvement of the Irish Society of
Chartered Physiotherapists (ISCP) with the event.
Chartered Physiotherapists will be on hand
at both the Marathon EXPO in the RDS on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th
of October and on Race Day, Monday 28th October.
At the EXPO, Chartered Physiotherapists
will offer advice on dynamic warm-up and stretches as well as avoiding injury
during the race, the Society will also have a stand at the event over the two
days.
Chartered physiotherapist, Bláithín Brady will head a team of
chartered physiotherapists and student physiotherapists at the designated ISCP
Marquee located near the Finish Line where volunteers will provide a dynamic
cool down and advice on the best methods of post- race recovery.
Bláithín has been involved with the Dublin Marathon the last few years now and says that in her experience, many of the people who take part suffer acute
pain and injury that can be avoided.
Bláithín’s advice to runners who wish to avoid injury is as follows:
Avoid hypothermia and keep warm by wearing the
right clothes , both at the startline and finish. Please remember it’s the end of October so be sure to bring lots
of layers for the finishline!
Avoid cramps by drinking enough water and isotonic drinks (a balance of salt and
sugar).
Ensure you perform an adequate dynamic warm-up
prior to the start — easy jogging, short strides, heel kicks, high knee running
and trunk twists.
Blisters, sprained ankles and joint-pain on the outside of the knee and/or in
the hip, are three of the most common and avoidable injuries sustained by
marathon participants. Therefore, make sure the runners you wear on the day are
well broken-in, fit comfortably and laces are tied properly so that the runner
is not loose against the foot. Also, wear
good socks and apply blister plasters on areas prone to blisters before the
marathon.
Don’t forget to rub Vaseline on body areas that
will repetitively rub against your clothing and use ‘Second-Skin’ plasters on
feet to avoid blisters.
And Bláithín’s
advice for post-race recovery includes:
As uncomfortable as it may be, keep moving after
you cross the finish line.
Walk for 5-10 minutes and then come along to our ISCP Marquee where we will take
you through the appropriate cool down including static stretches, this
will reduce the amount of muscle soreness you will experience and kick start
the recovery process.
Static stretching aims to lengthen muscles and
helps prevent muscle soreness and joint stiffness.
Soak your body in a cold bath, lake or ocean
within a few hours of the race to aid decreasing inflammation in the working
muscles, thereby easing pain and aiding recovery.
Allow sufficient time for your body to rest
before returning to training.
If you sustain a minor injury follow the PRICE
Protocol · Protect, Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate. For more serious injuries
seek medical attention.
Contact your Chartered Physiotherapist for
further information on post race recovery strategies or for assessment,
treatment and rehabilitation of injuries.
After the race visit the ISCP Marquee near
the Finish line for further advice on the best methods of post-race recovery. Further information is available at www.iscp.ie.