Trust Physio

15/11/2025

Excellent post - thanks to Roy Palmer, an Alexander Teacher, for this.
You’ll often hear me talking about postural cues, eg a helium balloon out of the crown of your head 🎈Roy uses strings as an analogy. It really doesn’t matter, it’s about what works for the individual.
Want to know more? How about popping along to listen to Roy at the Centre for Complementary Health, Godmanchester, this coming Tuesday - don’t forget to book!

15/11/2025

🚨 Important reminder for anyone who exercises (yes, that includes runners! 🏃‍♂️🏃🏼‍♀️😉

Whether you’re:
- surviving on little sleep as a new parent 😴
- recovering from wild party nights 😉
- battling jet lag 🌍
- working crazy hours 💻
- going through menopause 🔄
and I’The Endurance Physio the list !

…lack of rest really increases your risk of injury.

Check out this insightful post from The Endurance Physio—it explains why rest isn’t just “taking a break.” Rest is how your body adapts, gets stronger, and builds resilience. 💪
Remember: Rest ≠ Rust. Your body needs it to perform at its best. ✨

😴Sleep & Running Injuries: What This Research Really Means for You 💤

A recent study profiling recreational runners found something important:

➡️ Runners with poor or inconsistent sleep had ~1.8× higher injury risk — even when training load, mileage, and intensity were accounted for.

That means injury risk wasn’t just about “doing too much.” It was about recovering too little.

🧠 Why Does Sleep Matter So Much?

Sleep is when your body repairs the micro-damage caused by training. If sleep is short, broken, or irregular:

Tissue repair slows
Tendons and muscles tolerate less load
Coordination and decision-making decline
Perceived effort increases

You’re not just tired — you’re biologically less durable.

🏃‍♂️ Practical Takeaways for Athletes

If you want to reduce injury risk, improving sleep is one of the highest-impact, lowest-cost interventions available.

Here’s what matters most:

✔️ Consistency

Go to bed and wake up at similar times. Irregular patterns were just as risky as short sleep.

✔️ 7–9 Hours (Most Nights)

Not perfection — just aiming for more “good enough” nights than bad, (Everyone’s normal is different so just base it on your normal!).

✔️ Reduce pre-bed stimulation

Late-night screens, long training sessions, or heavy meals can all delay the body’s ability to switch into recovery mode.

✔️ Don’t chase volume when recovery is low

If sleep has been poor for several nights, reducing load is smart training, not weakness.

(In general, adjust all training to accommodate reduced sleep).

🔑 The Big Message

Training hard doesn’t cause injuries.
Training hard while recovering poorly does.

Prioritise sleep like you prioritise your long-run or intervals — because the research is clear:
Better sleep = a more resilient, more consistent, less injury-prone athlete.

15/11/2025

🤯 Ever feel like your recovery is all over the place?

You’re not alone — and you’re not doing anything wrong.

These two diagrams show the real journey: the twists, the dips, and the emotional rollercoaster that comes with getting back to what you love.

At Trust Physio, we get it, we’ve seen it before, we can help support, coach and guide you through every part of that messy middle so you can keep moving forward. 💪

👉🏻Consistency and mindset are key 👈🏻

Having the vision of where you want to be can be a key morivator, so set those short and long term goals - they really are important.

It’s a journey, and it’s so important to trust in the process, because everyone’s path will be different, and unique to them. For some it’s smooth sailing ⛵️, for others every step can feel like you’re climbing a mountain 🧗‍♀️, it’s often somewhere in between.

Adam Meakins’ in The British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM) “Road to Recovery” reminds us that setbacks aren’t failure — they’re a normal part of how the body adapts and recovers.

Below is ‘The Road to Recovery’ by Adam Meakins; BJSM. The second photo is credited to the The Injury Psychologist.

You can contact the clinic via

☎️ 07956 775201 (the phone line is ‘manned’ Monday - Friday 8am - 6pm).

👩🏻‍💻book online at www.info@trust-physio.co.uk" rel="ugc" target="_blank">www.info@trust-physio.co.uk

📧 info@trust-physio.co.uk




📍Saxon Pool and Leisure Centre

14/11/2025

It’s all about the sweet spot …….

With running (and rehab) it's usually better to start at an easy level and progress than to make it too hard and flare everything up!

14/11/2025

Is running bad for your knees? 🏃🏻🏃🏼‍♀️🏃‍♂️
Quite an old study but the myths are still out there, so here’s what the research says …….. 👨🏻‍🎓

“Running ruins your knees”…..🏃‍♀️🏃🏻

You’ve heard it. Your fellow runners, family/friends have heard it. Your non-running colleague definitely believes it.

But here’s what the research actually says 👇

Does running cause knee arthritis?

Short answer: No.
Long answer: It may actually reduce it.

A large systematic review & meta-analysis published in JOSPT (2017) looked at thousands of runners. The findings?

👉 Recreational runners had lower rates of hip and knee osteoarthritis than people who didn’t run.
👉 Competitive high-volume elite runners showed slightly higher risk, but recreational runners—99% of the population—were protected.

Why?
Running improves cartilage nutrition, strengthens bone, boosts muscle capacity, and supports healthy body weight. Joints like movement. They hate inactivity.

Bottom line:
If you’re running for health, longevity, and enjoyment, you’re doing more good for your knees than harm.

Share this to help bust an old, outdated myth.

11/11/2025

🤔'Why does my back hurt?'

Following on from my 3 day course in London I thought I would share some videos, which I hope will be of interest and value.

🧐Please do let me know what you think or if you have any questions/concerns as a result.

The first video is entitled 'Why does my back hurt?'

Whilst they are targeted towards people living with persistent pain they contain up to date information regarding pain and factors that influence the sensitivity of our structures eg sleep, poor nutrition, lack of movement, certains ways you move, limited postural options, excessive tummy bracing, stress, etc. and it may explain why I ask so many questions when you first come in!

My aim = to be able to put myself in your shoes and truly understand your situation, so we can work together to target the most important elements influencing your pain, your long term results.

Want to know more?
Have persistent pain and want to get back to what you love?

Do please get in touch - either via the clinic number

☎️ 07956 775201 (this is manned Mon-Friday 8am-6pm)

or
📧 email info@trust-physio.co.uk

To book
Call us - ☎️ 07956 775201

Or you can book online via the website: Www.trust-physio.co.uk

📍Saxon Pool and Leisure Centre

https://youtu.be/lZlWq5TVvqg?si=fT20r-X3MOPmuiqT

09/11/2025

Rememberance Sunday and Armistice Day

Today we take a moment to remember those who gave everything for our freedom.
We think of their courage, their sacrifice, and the lives they left behind.

A quiet reminder to be grateful, to pause, and to never forget.

05/11/2025

🎉🎂 My clinic turns ONE today! 🎂🎉

One year ago, I opened the doors to Trust Physio with a mix of excitement, nerves, and way too many coffee-fueled late nights ☕💪

Since then, I’ve had the absolute joy of helping people move better, feel stronger, and get back to doing what they love — and honestly, I couldn’t be more grateful. ❤️

From those first “so… does this hurt?” moments to the triumphant “look what I can do now!” victories, every session has been a reminder of why I love this work.

To everyone who’s supported, trusted, referred, cheered me on, or let me tape you back together (again 😅) — THANK YOU. You’ve made this first year unforgettable.

To all at Saxon Pool and Leisure Centre who have been so welcoming - THANK YOU

Here’s to many more years of movement, progress, and bad physio puns. 😉

26/10/2025

Wow! What a weekend - watch this space

Thank you to Professor Peter O’Sullivan and his team.

Want to know more about Peter’s approach to working with people in pain - get in touch or have a nosey at Peter and his teams new website - EVOOLVE -link below in the comments

Peter is a world leader, clinician and an inspiration, I hope people can gain some useful information from the website.

It’s been a long but inspiring 3 days.

Get in touch if you want to know more 😊

26/10/2025

Thanks so much Steven Lacy - I really appreciate you taking the time to post, especially as you are now overseas. All the very best Emma

Steven Lacy

24/10/2025

A day full of learning, reflection, and reminders of what really matters in patient care.

Just finished Day 1 of a 3-day course with Professor Peter O’Sullivan, and it’s really reminded me why I do this job.

His approach completely aligns with what I believe good patient care should be — taking the time to understand people, helping them make sense of their pain, and treating them with honesty and respect.

It’s not always easy. It can be challenging for both the patient and the therapist. But this is the work that matters, and it’s what I’m committed to — learning, improving, and doing my best for every person who comes through the door.

A good reminder of what I try to do every day in the clinic. Really looking forward to what the next two days will bring.

24/10/2025

A timely post considering our recent running club event, having discussed the link between training errors and injury risk.

The study tracked 5,205 adult runners (mean age ~45.8 years; 22% female) over ~18 months.

These runners logged 588,071 running sessions via GPS devices (Garmin) during the follow-up.

Outcome of interest: running-related overuse injury (self-reported) rather than traumatic injury.

Key exposures/training-load metrics assessed:

Single-session distance spike: current session distance relative to the longest run in the previous 30 days.

Weekly changes: using acute:chronic workload ratio (ACWR) — one week vs past 3 weeks.

Week-to-week ratio: change from week to week.

Participants were categorised into training-load “spike” states:

Regression / ≤ 10% increase
Small spike: >10% to ≤30%
Moderate spike: >30% to ≤100%
Large spike: >100% increase (more than double)

For the ACWR (weekly changes) and week-to-week ratio, the study found no clear positive association with injury — in fact in some cases a “negative dose-response” was observed (i.e., higher ACWR did not always mean more injury).

The authors emphasise that many injuries appear to result from a large single session jump (rather than gradual weekly increases) and call this a shift to a “single-session paradigm” for running injuries.

Main message: If a runner suddenly extends a run in a single session considerably beyond their longest run in the past 30 days (especially >10%+), their risk of overuse injury increases significantly.

These studies are always useful but we need to be cautious and sensible in interpreting these results - injuries were self reported not diagnosed, and more importantly - lIt’s not saying “never increase distance” — it’s about progression and moderation.

The body needs time to adapt; big jumps overload tissues.

For coaches/athletes: Plan sessions such that large increases in running distance are avoided, or are approached with extra recovery and monitoring. Don’t rely solely on weekly sums; look at how the session distances compare to recent maximum runs.

For tech devices & wearables: The study suggests algorithms that focus on weekly load ratios (ACWR) might be mis-targeting risk; devices might need to incorporate “single session spike” metrics or compare to recent longest runs.

From an injury-prevention standpoint: Monitor not just cumulative load, but how that load is distributed, especially identifying “monster sessions” that deviate from recent history.

Also, The sample mean age ~45, majority male (~78%) needs caution when applying to younger or elite athlete populations. Also, “session distance” is a proxy for mechanical load — other factors (surface, pace, fatigue, biomechanical load) also matter.

For therapists working with runners:

Pay close attention to the longest run in the recent 30-day window and treat any session that jumps significantly above that as a flag risk.

Educate athletes: “Large jumps in distance/volume in one session potentially have a higher risk than gradual weekly buildup.”

Use session-level monitoring (not just weekly totals). Build training plans that avoid single big spikes; if a “big day” is planned (e.g., long run), ensure sufficient lead-in and recovery.

Use this evidence when interpreting wearable data and algorithms that claim to monitor “safe load increases” — they may need adjusting for single session context.