TheFinalSprint.com - Track & Field, Marathons, Racing News, Training Advice, Elite Athlete Blogs, Interviews, Podcasts, Videos and More! - TheFinalSprint.com is the Premier Destination for Track & Field, Marathon, Cross Country, Olympic and Road Racing Enthusiasts.

Lead Stories: Wednesday, August 20, 2008

‘Personal Trainer’ and ‘Athletic Trainer’ are
NOT the Same Thing

Posted January 7th, 2008 at 9:00 AM by Jeremy Sussman

Section: News & Results, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise, Drugs In Sports

NOTE: The following statement was released to major sports, health and fitness publications by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA). This press release is NOT in reference to any article, editorial, or other content published by TheFinalSprint.com or the TFS Media Network. Conversely, it is intended as a universal statement, clarification and request to the media at large on behalf of the NATA membership.

NATA has followed news of Roger Clemens’ admittance this week to receiving B12 and lidocaine from personal trainer Brian McNamee. NATA has read this information with interest and caution since some media have incorrectly reported that Brian McNamee is an athletic trainer.

McNamee is not, nor has he ever been an athletic trainer, as confirmed by NATA and Board of Certification (BOC) records and the New York Yankees. He is in fact a PERSONAL TRAINER and should be referred to as such and not as a “TRAINER” which can add to reader confusion. You should be aware that the term “athletic trainer” is a title-protected term by statute in 43 states.

In your coverage of this very timely sports and health issue, we appreciate any references to McNamee to be accurate. The original Mitchell Report correctly identifies McNamee as a personal trainer, and we hope media will continue to refer to him by his correct profession - PERSONAL training. An accurate description of McNamee is vitally important to the reputation and credibility of the 35,000 athletic trainers working with sports medicine patients and clients.
Read the rest of this entry »

One comment, add yours | Permalink

Healing How-To: Knee Injuries

Posted December 1st, 2007 at 9:13 PM by Shannon Clark

Section: Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab

If you have recently suffered an injury to your leg, then knee rehab exercise is going to be extremely important for helping you to heal and enjoy physical activity again.

It’s a good idea to start by talking to your physiotherapist, if you have been seeing one, about any knee rehab exercises that you can do. The experts usually have quite a few recommendations that will be targeted towards your specific needs, and will build the muscles and ligaments around this joint.

One great knee rehab exercise that will strengthen the outer quad muscles . . .

Read the rest of this entry at our partner site: HerActiveLife.com

6 comments, add yours | Permalink

Q&A: What can I do about pain that goes up my leg from the back of my heel?

Posted September 5th, 2007 at 1:15 PM by Martha Jones

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab

You’re describing Achilles tendinitis, pain the large tendon that extends from in the back of your heel to your calf muscle. It hurts most when you get up in the morning and when you start to walk or run. It will heal only if you stop running and find another sport that doesn’t hurt when you do it, such as cycling, swimming, or pulling on a rowing machine.

The Achilles tendon is made up of thousands of individual fibers, like a rope with thousand of strands. The fibers can be broken if you apply a force greater than their inherent strength. No medicines hasten healing.

As soon as the tendon stops hurting, doctors usually prescribe strengthening exercises, but you have to exercise against greater resistance to become strong and strong resistance prevents healing.

If you want to return to running or jogging, start out by . . .
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

ASK LARA:Plantar Fasciitis and 3 Ways to Cross Train

Posted September 3rd, 2007 at 6:00 PM by Lara Johnson

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Columns, Cross Training, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise, Ask Lara

Need advice? Injured? Confused? Overwhelmed? Bored? ASK LARA!
ASK LARA is a free advice column to help you with all of your running, fitness and nutrition inquiries. To ASK LARA — simply fill out the form at the conclusion of the column.

Q. I think I have plantar fasciitis and have a marathon coming up in 2 weeks. I’m not sure how much running I can do between now and then. Any advice on how I can keep my fitness level up? I already bike indoors once a week but I’m not sure if biking can take the place of running. Anything you can suggest is much appreciated.
~Darlene from Boise, Idaho

A. Plantar fasciitis is a pesky problem that affects numerous runners. With a marathon so close, you certainly don’t want to make matters worse, but you do want to maintain your fitness level. The good news is that you are only 2 weeks out from the marathon, and thus the work is done. As you have already accomplished your training over the past weeks, now is the time to begin a taper and thus decrease your training anyway. The severity of the problem should dictate how much you are able to run. If it’s painful to run, it’s not a good sign and you should focus mostly on other activities. Adding some good cross training to the mix can help you heal the problem while maintaining your fitness. First, let’s take a look at the injury.

Plantar fasci-what?
Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the band of tissue, the plantar fascia, that connects the heel bone (calcaneus) to the forefoot, supporting your arch. When this area is strained through overuse or weaknesses, it causes irritation and inflammation, often causing pain in the heel first thing in the morning and …
Read the rest of this entry »

3 comments, add yours | Permalink

Ice or Heat: The Great Debate

Posted August 31st, 2007 at 2:18 PM by Lisa Cieplechowicz

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab

Ice or heat? As straightforward as this question sounds, these two choices are often points of hot debate amongst athletes attempting to soothe injured body parts.

Yet despite strong arguments from both sides, here’s the simple truth: ice and heat both have their advantages and neither is a cure-all. Therefore, the safest bet to heal sports-induced injuries is to understand which method works best for what conditions and when.

Read the rest of this entry at our partner site: HesFit.com

Comment on this post | Permalink

Muscle recovery techniques to get you back up, running and in the gym

Posted August 7th, 2007 at 6:11 PM by Shannon Clark

Section: Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise

One of the most critical aspects of your workout is your recovery. While you definitely do need to be putting in the effort at the gym to provide an overloading stimulus on the muscles to keep challenging them, if you aren’t giving your muscles enough time to recover and grow back stronger you will not see the progress you like.

Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to enhance your recovery ability so you spend less time out of the gym and more time enjoying your workouts (and reaping the desired results)…

Read the rest of this entry at our partner site: HesFit.com

Comment on this post | Permalink

Runner’s Knee and the processes of prevention & healing

Posted June 14th, 2007 at 11:00 AM by Courtney Albon

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab

The term “runner’s knee” refers to an inflammation of the tendon, the (ITB), that is located on the outside of the thigh. As injury to this tendon often results from overuse of the knees, and runner’s rely on their knees to function within their sport, the title “runner’s knee” is quite appropriate. The name is, however, deceptively exclusive as runner’s knee describes an ailment common among individuals who are active in a spectrum of activities such as biking, walking, or jumping.

As mentioned above, the inflammation of the ITB can be a result of overuse or overstretching of the tendon in any activity that requires repeated knee bending. Misalignment is also a factor in the injury. If a bone is out of it’s correct position, then the excess stress being placed elsewhere can result in the pulling and inflammation of the ITB. The tendon can also undergo stress because of weak thigh muscles or a direct injury to the knee such as a fall or a blow. Runners with flat feet, or fallen arches, often have knee problems as the ITB is forced to stretch in order to compensate for the missing arch.
Read the rest of this entry »

2 comments, add yours | Permalink

Running:
The cause or cure for stress?

Posted June 6th, 2007 at 2:33 PM by Jessica Galvano

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab

Work. Errands. Overgrown lawns, full laundry baskets, and empty bank accounts. With countless concerns and unrelenting responsibilities, where is the relief? For many, exercise provides a much needed reprieve from life’s incessant demands. If your exercise of choice is running, however, you could be unintentionally creating rather than alleviating stress.

While running may seem the “safest” of athletic endeavors, its non-contact allure oftentimes conceals its high impact risks. Each meeting of foot and pavement introduces the possibility of new stresses, or more specifically, stress fractures.

No strangers to injury, distance runners are often intimately acquainted with this dreaded affliction. Inevitably, over time, constant pounding predisposes shins and feet to fracture; these tiny cracks cause point-specific pain and occasionally, mild swelling. The areas most susceptible to stress fractures include the foot’s delicate metatarsal bones, calcaneus (heel), and tibia (shin)—all essential areas in a sport that requires limber lower limbs.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink

Hip Tendonitis: Causes, symptoms, treatments and prevention of this dreaded, athletic injury

Posted May 30th, 2007 at 3:30 PM by Alexandra Haller

Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab

All athletes have a dark, furtive, and silent fear of getting injured. It haunts all athletes; from professionals like Meb Keflezighi who was forced to drop out of last April’s Flora London Marathon at mile 16, to casual runners like myself.

Recently, I was sidelined with tendonitis in my right hip a month before I was to participate in my first half marathon.

When I told my sister, she instantly identified with my anguish by saying “So, it must be like going to write a big term paper and having your computer break down the night before it’s due.” Exactly.

When your body seemingly and unexpectedly fails you, you are frustrated, confused, and scared. Fortunately, you can minimize your worries and expedite your healing by educating yourself on the potential pitfalls of regular training, proper care for your athletic body, and ways to prevent such injuries.
Read the rest of this entry »

13 comments, add yours | Permalink

TFS Review: TP Total Package (Ball, Footballer, Block & Quadballer)

Posted May 29th, 2007 at 10:20 AM by Paul Petersen

Section: Gear & Apparel, Miscellaneous, Sports Medicine, Special Features, Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, TFS Reviews

These past two seasons have been tough ones for me. Runners’ knee in both knees, lower back pain, SI joint pain, plantar fasciitis, and a groin strain had brought my running to a grind (literally) during 2005 and the first half of 2006. After months of not running, and enduring physical therapy, chiropractic, and massage therapy, I was finally back up and running by September of 2006.

I noticed that deep tissue massage was particularly effective in accelerating healing, but at $40/hr, I could not afford to do it more than once or twice a month. Then I discovered Trigger Point Technologies and their massage products through injury message boards and word of mouth. I figured that the TP Massage set would be good investment, since I could use it every day at no cost after the initial purchase.

If it holds to even half of the claims of the website and of other peoples’ reviews, it would be worth the money by helping to keep me injury-free and feeling good during and after runs (Some of the before mentioned reviews of this self-massage toolset are by Linda Gallo, SNEWS, and active.com). Reviews such as these, plus the product’s informative website, convinced me to shell out the cash to buy it myself and add it to my arsenal of injury-prevention and running maintenance tools.

I have been using the massage tools and techniques faithfully every day now for the last 8 weeks. The tools of the “Total Package” (Pictured above) include the Ball, the Footballer and Block, and the Quadballer.
Read the rest of this entry »

Comment on this post | Permalink