Spring has sprung and with it comes Daylight Savings bringing us extra hours of daylight to frolic about. For Angelenos, this often means an extra hour to squeeze in a post work, workout which brings with it the risk that the over-zealous amongst us may seriously inure ourselves in pursuit of that extra, afternoon endorphin rush.
While we at Westside Today are thankful when any part of our readership has more time to spend on our site, we realize that a readership in pain was less likely to forgive us our writing trespasses. This coupled with the upcoming LA Marathon — set for Sunday, March 20, 2011 a mere days away — we decided to consult with leading pain management specialist Alexander P. Hersel to get some tips on what we can do now so that we don’t ruin a great weekend of exercise with a subsequent week of pain or worse, serious injury.
“People with preexisting pain conditions and anyone intending to run the LA Marathon must be certain that they have adequately prepared their bodies. Preparation may include physical therapy, Pilates, yoga, and any other core strengthening regimens,” says Hersel. So, it’s strengthening and stretching; pity it’s not just carbo-loading that we need to do.
“Regardless of how you’ve prepared, you must be sensitive to the risk of further injury or new injury. If said injury occurs, it’s important to pursue professional intervention in a timely manner to avoid escalation of pain. At the end of the day, the most effective way to prevent an injury is to listen to your body and never push beyond it’s limits,” adds Hersel. How running 26 plus miles isn’t pushing yourself beyond physical limits is beyond me — and likely why I will never look as good as most of the runners I see.
If you’re sitting this weekend’s run out because of a previous inju
ry or because you are still battling chronic pain, get up; there are specialists out there to help you,”pain is a complex condition, it requires treating multiple biological systems as well as social and psychological components that affect how those in pain are perceived and treated by others. Thus, in my practice we employ a comprehensive approach which draws on a variety of disciplines including medication, minimally invasive pain producers and epidurals for example. Plus, we have other tools available to us including physical therapy, acupuncture, biofeedback, and psychiatry. Pain affects the mind, body, and spirit, therefore treating pain requires attention to the whole person,” said Hersel.
We hope that your whole self enjoys the daylight and the Marathon without injury or too much annoyance due to the area street closures.
For more information on Dr. Hersel: www.paininjuryrelief.com
For more information on the LA Marathon: www.lamarathon.com
