Runners be aware there is a potential injury lurking under your sock. This injury first shows its true colours as you begin to increase your mileage and suddenly begin to develop sharp pains and constant discomfort in the arch of your foot. You may also notice some visible redness and swelling on the inside of your ankle and foot after running.

Do you sit with a forward head posture? It’s easy to end up with your head hunched forward when you spend most of the day sitting in a chair and staring at a screen. Computer work, texting, reading and driving in bad posture can all promote a forward head posture.

The shoulder joint is a ball and socket joint - the ball is at the top of the upper arm bone, the humerus, and this fits neatly into a socket, called the glenoid which is part of the shoulder blade. This allows for a lot of movement within the shoulder joint which also leaves the joint more susceptible to instability and injury. It is often described as the equivalent of a golf ball on a tee.

After pregnancy the hormone relaxin can stay in your body up to 4-6 months postnatally, leaving your ligaments and pelvic floor muscles more vulnerable to injury in the postnatal period. You will have reduced core stability and mechanical control as your abdominal muscles have naturally stretched during pregnancy and require time and care to recover, particularly following a caesarean section.

Proprioception is defined as your awareness of your body in space. This ability is responsible for a number of functions that are constantly occurring, mostly subconsciously from; accurately reaching for objects, giving your foot the extra required lift to clear the curb, and preventing you falling when stepping on loose footing.

Gluteal Tendinopathy is a type of tendon disorder that typically occurs to the glute medius or minimus tendon as a result of overloading. It commonly presents as pain over the greater trochanter (the bony lump felt at the side of your hip).

Are you training for the Dublin marathon? Have you been strengthening your hamstrings?

The hamstrings are usually associated with sprinting more so than endurance running but strong hamstrings are essential for running, irrespective of speed.

Research has shown that peak muscle forces generated in the hamstrings were up to 8.95 times bodyweight when running at a speed of 8.9 m/second. Interestingly the hamstring peak muscle force was high even at slower running speeds (3.49m/second).

What often gets forgotten and is rarely talked about is how important your ribcage position, pelvis position and your breathing can be to your core training and core function.

Swipe to see some simple steps to set yourself up for core strengthening exercises.

The Achilles tendon is very strong and resilient but when it is exposed to higher loads, like an increase in running distance, this can begin to take its toll. Over time, that tendon continues to be stressed by frequent running, which can result in partial tears, pain and tendinopathy.

The soleus muscle is deep to the gastrocnemius and contains a high proportion of type 1, slow twitch muscle fibres, unlike the gastrocnemius which contains a higher proportion of type 2, fast-twitch fibres. This allows the soleus muscle to have a significant role in postural control.

It is important to note that activation of the soleus requires the knee to be partially flexed. Swipe to see an example of some exercises to rehab an injury to the soleus muscle.

Treatment for Plantar Fasciopathy is often multi-faceted and generally starts with conservative interventions. High load strength training consisting of heel raises with a towel inserted under the toes to further activate the windlass mechanism has been shown to be effective for longstanding cases of plantar fasciopathy.

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Book in now with our BSc Physiotherapist Will Holmes at any one of our Physio locations; Leeson Street, Clonskeagh and Glenageary (Honey Park).

The pelvic floor muscles form the base of the group of muscles commonly called the ‘core’. Core muscles are vital for balance and stability. The core is not limited to the muscles you can see around the stomach (what we often think of as the “six-pack” region). In fact, dozens of muscle groups make up the core. The core can be described as a muscular box with the abdominals in the front, paraspinals and gluteals in the back, the diaphragm as the roof, and the pelvic floor and hip girdle musculature as the bottom.

The pelvic floor are a group of muscles and ligaments in your pelvic region that act as a sling to support your organs in your pelvis. It comprises of a collection of tissues that span the opening of the base of the pelvis from the tail bone to the pubic bone and out to the sit bones and groin area.

The pelvic floor are a group of muscles and ligaments in your pelvic region that act as a sling to support your organs in your pelvis. It comprises of a collection of tissues that span the opening of the base of the pelvis from the tail bone to the pubic bone and out to the sit bones and groin area.