Hello, welcome to my blog

Thank-you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to read through my blog. For those who do not know me personally, I am 28 year old physiotherapist and PhD student who is obsessed with running and cooking. I have decided to create this blog to share my thoughts and knowledge primarily in these former areas, but I also anticipate it will evolve into some form of running diary and collection of recipes.

Physiotherapy

As I approached my fourth year as a graduated physiotherapist, I decided to finally bite the bullet and start my own business. This was definitely not a decision that was taken lightly, and took months of preparation and planning to get the logistics and business model to eventuate. As a passionate distance runner, I would safely say that my specific area of expertise is the treatment and rehabilitation of running (and cycling) related overuse injuries. I suppose that one of my motives behind starting this blog is to educate fellow endurance athletes and competitors out there regarding the many misconceptions and 'wife's tales' surrounding the treatment of running-related injuries. Firstly, it is essential to understand that overuse injuries are a completely different 'kettle of fish' to traumatic injuries. The latter can almost follow a 'recipe-like' treatment protocol based on the specific structure that is damaged. The former, however, needs to be tailor-made to the individual, and needs a lot more investigative work conducted in order to identify and address the fundamental cause that is driving the individual's pain. In other words, for overuse injuries, you must treat the person, not the structural diagnosis. I like to think of the actual painful area as the victim - the art of treating a running-related injury is to identify the culprit(s). This can often involve treating an area of the body that does not initially seem related to specific painful area. But it is important to consider that the human body as a whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts. I plan to go into much greater depth, and highlight specific examples as the blog evolves to highlight these fundamental concepts. Although not essential, I still believe that it is of great importance to visit a medical or health practitioner that actually runs themselves to assist you in the diagnosis and rehabilitation of running-related injury. As runners, we have a very different and unique mindset - we dread the word 'rest,' and far too often do I see this as a completely unnecessary prescription to address a running-related injury. Of course the pain is going to subseed if you cease the activity that is driving your symptoms - however, chances are it will simply return upon recommencement, as the underlying cause has not been addressed. Lastly, no two running injuries are ever the same. For example, I could see 10 patients on a single day all presenting with left-sided ITB pain. The status quo would be to rest from running, prescribe hip flexor stretches, foam roll the ITB (do not get me started on these two methods...), and 'strengthen' the glutes. This in my opinion is completely lazy, and does not even consider the many variable factors that each individual client may uniquely present with. I would like to think that each of these 10 patients had their own individual treatment plan, customised to their specific needs, goals, and orientated towards identifying and exposing the culprit.

Research

I got my first taste of research back in 2011 whilst completing my Honours year during my undergraduate physiotherapy degree. Despite the stigma attached with research put forward by my fellow students in my cohort, I actually thoroughly enjoyed the process. Further to this, it has actually opened the door to many great opportunities in my short career thus far. This has inspired me to commence a PhD in the area of clinical neurosciences at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and Neuroscience Research Australia. Specifically, I will be focusing on the area of proprioception - which is essentially body position sense. I like to think of proprioception as the body's true sixth sense. It is something that we all take for granted - until of course we lose it. One of the single biggest risk factors for sustaining an injury in the future is a past history of the same injury. This highlights a current limitation in rehabilitative medicine, as this statistic suggests that we are not addressing all of the clinical deficits that present as a result of the initial injury. We address the obvious and measurable issues, such as pain, swelling, range-of-motion, and strength. However, the problem here lies in the fact that we first of all do not completely understand the physiology behind proprioception, and consequently do not know how to assess and measure it clinically. My research will hopefully contribute towards both of these mutually exclusive factors.

Running

I began running sporadically throughout my teenage years, primarily as a means of cross training to complement my main sport of sprint kayaking. It wasn't until 2010 that I really discovered my true passion for running, and entered my first race - the Newcastle Half Marathon. Since that race, running has become like a drug - it's addictive and I can't get enough of it. Recently, I switched my focus towards the shorter distances of 5km and 10km, and under the watchful eye of 'super coach' Sean Williams, have made some steady progress over the past 6 months or so. I plan to use this blog as a training diary to outline my weekly sessions, upcoming races, friendly rivalries, and to essentially embrace the beautiful art of distance running.

Recipes

2010 was the turning point for me in regards to diet, and it's broad reaching implications on all facets of my life. Prior to my expedition to the Himalayas, my daily food intake was unfortunately similar to that of a typical Westernised diet, consisting of large portions of processed foods, with very little room for fresh produce. Further to this, my cooking skills went as far as burnt toast. Having suffered through years of chronic health problems which ultimately led to my premature retirement from sprint kayaking, the single biggest factor towards my return to health and happiness was cleaning up the food that entered my mouth. This, coupled with my untapped natural talent in the kitchen, resulted in a sudden increase in energy levels, a massive drop in my running times, and even a significant improvement in my grades at university. I started recovering better, allowing myself to back up and train harder - ultimately getting fitter in the process. My attention and focus to detail was second to none, and my lust for life had returned - leaving me rejuvenated. I would like to share some of my favourite recipes on this blog that have become staples in my kitchen. Having done some travelling around the world, I have stolen a lot of influences from some exotic cuisines, namely Indian, Lebanese, and Ethiopian (the latter is amazing, and is slowly gaining some traction in the Western world). I don't prescribe to any fad diets (sorry to all you Paleo, gluten-free, vegan champions out there), as I feel that eliminating fundamental food groups from one's diet without medical advise is irresponsible and dangerous (trust me, I've been there and tried it)! I live by the philosophy of one of my previous bosses would have put, 'everything in moderation, including moderation itself.'

In Summary...

Wow, that became very long-winded. I guess my primary objectives for this blog are to share my knowledge in the hope that it can genuinely help others, especially pertaining to the field of overuse injuries and running. I am always on the quest to learn more, and live by the belief that the day that I stop learning will be the day that I retire. The true pioneers of all fields are also the most humble people, and truly embrace the journey of lifelong learning.