Physios Online Health Snippets

 I must admit that I have a chuckle when clinical researchers get unexpected results.

 I have somewhat of an appreciation of the planning, approvals and preparation that it takes to do a study. Enough to know that it is a long and arduous process!

 I guess all of this effort is perceived to be worthwhile when the researchers finally get to punch the air and celebrate (in their white coats) when their results support their predictions.

 Unless it all goes pear shaped, of course, and their findings are not as expected. Now that’s a bad day at work.

 And so it was for the merry bunch that did a study on shin and knee pain in Army Recruits. The white coats gave about 1000 Army Recruits, doing their vigorous three month initial training, an additional exercise program aimed at reducing the incidence of lower leg injuries.

 I guess you have worked out the punchline – it didn’t work! The injury incidence was the same, whether they did the additional program or not.

 The moral of the story: The main RISK FACTOR for developing shin pain is a rapid increase in impact activity. The MAIN thing that will insure against injury is progressing said impact activity