Mental illness is not ‘all in the mind’, scientists shift the scientific goalposts sometimes, walking is ‘doable’ and beneficial, and an update on the Flora pro.activ saga.
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Dear Dr Briffa
I’ve just been listening to your most recent podcast and as I am a Dietitian, am an avid reader of your website and have passed a lot of your information on to the patients I see. I feel compelled to write to you about a totally separate matter though and it was something you mentioned about your running and history of injuries it produced, leading you to replace it with walking which you suggest is a preferable activity. I’ve been a distance runner for a number of years and have consistently struggled with “overuse” injuries, particularly in one of my hamstrings. After trying the standard route of buying the “right shoe for my footstrike”, consulting physios, chiropractors and podiatrists I finally found what I think could be the answer for many, many injured runners: it isn’t running that causes the injuries, it’s running badly! So I’ve worked on my running technique with a certified coach and found real benefits. What I’ve learnt is that running is a skill, and the better we learn the skill the better our performances and the less damage we cause our bodies. In fact the same can be said for walking too. So for those who have learnt the skill to a high degree as children, they are less likely to end up with injuries than those who exhibit poor running skill throughput their adult lives. I realise we all have limits to the amount and intensity of the running we can do, but spending some time to improve technique could help to raise the threshold of that limit before injuries occur. I guess it’s taking a wider perspective of the subject in a similar way to the principles upon which you deal with diet. I’m not suggesting walking isn’t good for us, but done correctly running can remain an exhilarating (and entirely natural) pastime well into our later lives without the continual spectre of injuries hanging over us! I thought that this might be of interest to you due to your personal experience.
Hi Sian
Thanks for your comments and insights. I’ve thought about this before, and reasoned that it was unlikely that my problem lay here because I’ve always had an ‘easy’ running style. But what do I know? (I think I’m a great dancer too, but I know many who would beg to differ
) It is entirely possible that someone who knows what they are doing would be able to spot my biomechanical imbalances and help me correct them – I’m open to that. Incidentally, walking around the park I quite-often wince when I see people run by, wondering what their jarring, lopsided running gait (no judgement) must be doing to them. Maybe I was, in my own way, one of these people!