5 SmartMoves #1 - What is pain?, Crunchy knees, A Rooster’s rocky road to 2 x GF Wins.

WATCH

“The Mysterious Science of Pain” - A great animated TED Talk explaining pain. It is an easy to understand summary of exactly what causes pain and why each person experiences pain differently. To fully understand any injury or pain that you may have, it is essential that you understand what pain actually is.

READ

An article featuring knee expert Dr Christian Barton from La Trobe University. It looks at the relationship between running and knee pain and answers questions such as “is running bad for knees?” and “why do knees make a crunching sound?” Well worth a read for anyone currently running or avoiding running because of pain, crunching or fear of wearing their knees out.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2019-10-05/running-knee-pain-preventing-injuries/11564926

DOWNLOAD

Still on the subject of running. The Couch to 5K is a great app to help those who are wishing to begin running or return to running following a lengthy break or injury. As mentioned by Dr Christian Barton in the above article, many injuries are caused by inconsistent running loads. The app can help you structure the early stages of a running program to build conditioning and reduce the chance of injury.

DO

Russian Hamstring Exercises (Moderate to Advanced Difficulty)

A killer hamstring workout! Great for gym goers, anyone playing sports that involving sprinting. It works the hamstrings eccentrically (into a lengthened position) which can maximise strength gains and help reduce the risk of the dreaded hamstring tear. You can hook your feet under a piece of gym equipment or have someone hold your feet.

Start with small movements with your hands by your side (even this will be hard when you start out). You can increase difficulty by lowering further and adjusting arms position to chest or overhead.

This video gives us all something to aspire to!!!

ADMIRE

James Tedesco

Having now won 2 National Rugby League Premierships in 2 years and a Dally M Award for the best player in 2019, it is fair to say Tedesco is up there with one of the finest athletes in the country. It hasn’t always been smooth sailing though.

Tedesco ruptured his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in his very first NRL game in 2012. The dreaded ACL tear for most athletes involves reconstructive surgery and around a 12 month rehabilitation. For many athletes who rely on speed, agility and jumping and landing, an ACL injury can limit their ability to regain the many attributes that have enabled them to reach the top of their chosen sport.

In 2014, his season was cut short when he fractured his patella of the same knee. He also underwent knee surgery in 2017.

Tedesco has not only regained, but added more to his power, speed and agility through a thorough rehabilitation and ongoing management. One of the most difficult parts of recovery from any injury, let alone ACL surgery, is the mental side to the recovery.

Tedesco says:

"I'm not going to lie, those thoughts come and go, but it's about the amount of energy you put into it that matters. If the thought comes in that 'if I step off this leg then something might happen', I used to start thinking about that for five or 10 minutes. That's where you drain all your energy. If that thought comes now, I'll let it pass and then I'm not draining too much energy." - SMH June 15, 2017 “How James Tedesco rebuilt body, mind after paranoia set in”

It just goes to show that with the right advice, effort and a good mindset, you can not only recovery from major injury setbacks, but go onto to achieve bigger and better things.