WALK THIS WAY walk this way by ANEL OOSTHUIZEN
Walking Away from Injuries
As athletes , all of us face injuries at some point in our careers , and whether severe or just a ‘ niggle ,’ they can be frustrating , but as we go through them , they teach us to stop and listen to what our body wants . That is why they say , “ Injuries are our best teachers ,” and I have found this to be true every time I ’ ve had an injury . As a result , I have walked away from each injury stronger , both physically and mentally .
Having taken up race walking at a young age and worked my way all
the way up to the Olympics , I have always taken injury-prevention seriously , especially given the specific wear and tear that race walking places on the body . I recently sat down with Georgina Els , a physiotherapist in George , to chat about injuries , and we made some comparisons between running and walking injuries , and the reasons behind them . ( Georgina also has some awesome tips to share with us in the videos below on how to strengthen / prevent the injuries we will be talking about here .)
Georgina graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand , and gained experience in paediatrics , ICU and orthopaedics at Baragwanath Hospital . She practiced in orthopaedics at Sandton Medi-Clinic in Johannesburg for many years , complimenting her out-patient practice , before moving the George . She has furthered her studies in Orthopaedic Manipulative Therapy ( OMT ) which involves specialised muscle , joint and nerve assessment and treatment . Sport and the outdoors are part of her life , and she is both a competitive CrossFit athlete as well as CossFit Level 1 trainer .
I believe that Georgina is amazing at what she does , and has so much knowledge to share about the athlete ’ s body and injury-prevention , but what I ultimately took from having a chat with her , and puzzling things together , was that ( a ) each sport comes with its own set of injuries , ( b ) it is never too late to strengthen the muscles
Expert Injury-Prevention Demo
I asked Georgina to demonstrate some of the best injury-prevention exercises or strengthening drills that race walkers can do make sure they avoid injury . In the first vid , she focuses on the difference between running and race walking , and in the second she focuses on specific injury fixes . ( Disclaimer : All exercises performed here by Georgina Els from Georgina Els Physiotherapy . All exercises should be done at own risk . If you have any concerns , consult with your medical practitioner first . If symptoms don ’ t resolve , seek medical attention .)
Images : Emmanuel Tardi & courtesy Anel Oosthuizen
To find out more about Georgina Els Physiotherapy in George , go to https :// georginaels . co . za or follow her on Facebook @ georginaelsphysio , or you can mail her at physio @ georginaels . co . za .
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ISSUE 134 OCTOBER 2020 / www . modernathlete . co . za