Running and knee health? Jog on

So we’ve all become runners during the lockdown it would seem. See I told you it was fun. But not just that. We’ve decided we want to be really fast runners overnight that can run almost every day. Never mind the fact of not having ran in years or in some cases ever. Meh! Let’s…

Whiplash – a pain in the neck, wallet and much much more

Driving and football: admittedly two very different skills. Yet for me they have a common ground: a very low point scoring history. Great for one but not the other. My annual car insurance premium offer has just come through the letter box this morning and it, much like my past glories of attempting long range…

Choose Exercise for Knee Pain

“For many complaints and conditions, the benefits from surgery are lower, and the risks higher than you or your surgeon may think”. -Ian Harris Thankfully it is edging ever closer to holiday time for us. The downside to being involved with team sport is the unpredictability of the season. Hence holidays get put on hold.…

Timing the Taper

There are sacrifices required to make the start line of an endurance event such as a marathon but as a sport I love the simplicity of  it. There are no short cuts. That time as you cross the finish line is the end result of how hard you’ve worked. It couldn’t be more fair. But…

Some deals not up for debate

Channel 4’s Deal or No Deal was my guilty pleasure in University. An early finish on a Wednesday and home for a fix of Noel Edmunds coaxing people to change their mind over the box with the unknown sum of money inside that they had been randomly allocated. Probability and statistics, calculated risks – so…

Heat, Hydration & Exercise

I’ve struggled cycling in the blistering heat of the Atacama Desert, shivered through 8 hour night-long ultra marathons in the Irish winter and suffered with altitude sickness in the beautiful but 3399m above sea level town of Cusco, Peru. Climate and weather conditions have always proved challenging in the world of sport. But this years…

Room to Improve our message with back pain

My television time is limited. Not by choice. I love a good Netflix binge when the chance arises. But long workings days coupled with a busy family life does not afford me that luxury at present. Yet my Sunday is not complete without catching up with Dermot Bannons latest renovation project. The shows template is…

“Parting is such sweet sorrow”

We all remember those early days in a relationship. Long walks together with close intimate contact. It felt right paired up with this attractive ‘model’ most guys dreamed of having. To onlookers it probably looked like the perfect match but below the surface there were problems beginning to emerge. What started as some minor nagging…

Glutes are key! No Butts About It

I like big butts and I cannot lie, a common ground both I and 1990’s American rapper Sir-Mix-a-Lot clearly share. But what interests me with the human derriére is far more than its aesthetically pleasing values. The role the gluteal muscles play in our everyday and sporting lives has become more and more evident as research emerges (you other…

Media making a Bags of Back Pain

  I opened my Twitter feed one morning last week to one of these sensationalist, scare mongering headlines; the type that health professionals trying to help people overcome pain absolutely loathe. It was an article warning of the long term dangers of school going children carrying heavy school bags and how 1/3 of parents thought their…