The Alter G-Trainer offers personalized precision un-weighting benefits that build run specific endurance without the pain and risk associated with full-weight impact on joints, bones, tendons, and muscles. With a simple touch of a button, a runner can reduce bodyweight in 1% increments, all the way up to 80% of bodyweight.

How does it work?

An air sealed cushion around a runner’s midsection uses air pressure to un-weight the runner – imagine a cork being pushed up through a wine bottle.  Meanwhile, the runner enjoys normal run range of motion – minus those pounds that the runner wishes to eliminate.

Who can benefit from running with Alter G technology?

New Injuries

• Rehabilitate AND Train with your natural gait and rhythm
• Reduce your weight to that level where impact is not harmful
• Maintain fitness while undergoing a rehab program
• No more water-run drudgery!

Performance Runners

• Add Volume without the wear and tear
• Over-speed training
• Active recovery runs can see quicker pace for improved turnover

Ironman & Ultra Marathoners

• Unweighting allows muscles of feet, legs, hips and back to sustain training intensity with minimal risk of strains
• Assists the body into remembering quick running gait and core patterns even under fatigue

Old Injuries

• Oh… to feel like before the old injury!  With the Alter G, yes you can!
• Faster and more frequent running without the next day penalty

Post-Surgical

• Transition to earlier walking and eventually running as fractional bodyweight is gradually added
• Greatly speed-up your recovery period
• Maintain basic active movement skills and fitness levels
• Rehab now becomes a more positive experience

Motivational

• Run at your college weight!
• Curious as to how losing 10 pounds would impact your running?  Touch a button and be amazed – and then motivated to drop the extra luggage

FORMA provides a variety of rehabilitation and training program packages for patients and visitors to take advantage of this leading edge anti-gravity technology.  Come join us for a run.

Other interesting articles:

• Alter-G G-Trainer Anti-Gravity Treadmill (YouTube)
• Lab Rat: Tread Lightly – With the help of a gravity-busting treadmill, the Lab Rat endangers a world record

Prior to any competition , the science of exercise and human performance have shown that better performance is achieved if the athlete schedules a well planned tapering of his or hers training intensity and volume (quantity) just prior to competition, and will follow with a psychological and nutritional preparation, in order to aim for their “peak” in performance on the day of the event. On course, every athlete is a different person and all sports will have a distinct tapering strategy. The objective of the tapering is to maximize ones training gains allowing the body to be fully restored and “recharged”, with a focused mind in order to provide the best output, which the body was trained to do. Veteran athletes and those with a well coach-supervised training plan will for sure have their tapering workouts in their planner.

As with any training plan the individualization is the key to the specificity of a successful training schedule. If you had to recover from running related injuries during your preparation, it is very important to avoid “overloading” your joints and ligaments as these structures take much longer to recover from the exercise stress than your muscles, and your heart and lungs.

Very important:

Accept the fact that all your hard training is complete. Your next goal is the nurture your body in preparation for the race.

Do not experiment with new activities this close to the race date. This includes no new routes for training, no new exercises (including new stretches), no new type of exercise equipment that you have not used during your normal training.

Here is a simple example of a tapering program TWO WEEKS PRIOR to a marathon or half marathon event on a Sunday:

Week before the last:

Sun: your last strong run (10-12 mi);

Mon, Wed and Fri: Active Rest : Unloading activities (light swimming, stretching, massage);

Tue, Thus and Sat: The ideal is to avoid the ground-pounding running to save the joints and ligaments for the big day. Plan for lower intensity non-impact cardio, for 40-50 minutes, using a bike out-doors or at the gym in a stationary bike or elliptical machines. This followed by stretching sessions.

Last Week before the Race:

Sunday: Rest – Prepare goodies for the racing day;
Tue and Thu: lower intensity non-impact cardio, for 30 minutes, followed by stretching;
Wed and Fri: Active Rest : Unloading activities (light swimming, stretching, massage). You may want to get to your racing destination on Friday. Start carbo-loading meals.
Sat: Rest. Continue Carbo-loading meals.
SUNDAY: Give your best!

Good Luck!

We are always available for questions, and we welcome all comments

We all understand that skeletal muscles are made up of thousands of cylindrical muscle fibers that are bounded together by connective tissue and are responsible for the movement of our bodies. It is also the primary responsible for maintaining our respiratory health through the diaphragm, and dictates our body posture throughout the years. With the exception of the muscles in our heart and the smooth muscles in our arteries, veins and digestive organs, the contraction of skeletal muscles is voluntary, controlled by the spinal cord and orchestrated by the brain. Therefore, by diversifying the exercises with our muscles, we are also promoting the health of our nervous system.

Skeletal muscles make up the largest organ mass in our bodies and it is the main responsible for regulating our metabolic rate (how many calories a day our bodies are capable of “burning” with and without exercising). Hence, the greater muscle mass, also called the lean body mass, the higher the rate of calories burned, even when resting on the couch! On the contrary, lower muscle mass will lead to an increased difficulty to shed unwanted fat even with exercise, as the exercises become less vigorous when the muscles are weak.
Skeletal muscles have an abundant of supply of blood vessels and are important assistants to the circulatory blood flow from our legs back to our heart. In addition, several hormonal controls are affected by our muscle’s activities. Skeletal muscles store away the excess of sugar in our blood stream in form of glycogen. And, with less muscle mass to maintain adequate physical activity, we increase our risk of developing type-2 diabetes, which will add to the potential complications with our cardio-circulatory health.

Statistics have shown that, as most of us age, our bodies experience a decline in skeletal muscle strength and muscle mass, in combination to changes in our ability to fully use our neuromuscular system. These changes our bodies experience, appears to be related to a decline in movement stimulus responsible for sending the messages all the way from the brain down to the muscles fibers it connects to. With the decline in movement there is a decline in the stimulus to the motor nerves, which in turn will affect the size, and latter in the number, of our muscle fibers. These will lead to a decrease, and later a loss, of lean body mass, which will be experienced as a decline in body strength. This decline is shown to be gradual in healthy persons. The direct correlation between the decline in lean muscle mass and our body’s ability to properly function will affect our ability to enjoy our once normal activities to the same intensity, in addition to increasing our chances for injuries.
An important known fact is that as muscles decrease in mass (atrophy), their blood and nerve supply also decrease, and if the atrophy becomes long-term the muscles are often replaced by inactive fibrous tissue. At this stage, the muscle fibers are not able to be regenerated.
What has also been statistically shown is our bodies begin to lose muscle mass as earlier as our 30s most often due to a sedentary lifestyle and poorly rehabilitated injuries. But the aging process in terms of muscle loss and the ability to retain efficient muscle function can be altered, regained, improved, and even reversed. When mass of the heart muscle was compared amongst exercising individuals of the same sex and age, the study showed that those individuals with higher heart muscle mass were those who were the most consistent with their exercise, and age and gender were second and third factors.
It has been shown individuals in the later years (70+) will regain lean body mass and strength in their muscles, facilitating they function, decreasing their risk of falls, improving their health reserve (the ability to recover from illnesses), and most importantly their quality of life.
The biological progression that occurs as we age cannot be completely stopped. But many of us can opt to alter these statistical figures. By maintaining and regaining the lost muscle mass through the combination of proper exercise, healthy nutrition and adequate rest, we can positively improve our entire neuromuscular system, including strength, endurance, flexibility and coordination. These will facilitate better balance, proper posture and fluid movement, which will lower the risk of injuries and will add confidence and enjoyment to remain physically active in all our stages of life.
To maintain good quality of life to our longevity, we need not to forget to fully rehabilitate all injuries, and to consistently maximize the functional strength training in our weekly exercise routines.
For more information on how muscle strength can support your longevity. Call the medical staff at FORMA today at (949)999-0777

References:
Exercise preserves, builds heart muscle. Ransdell Pierson, –April 2, 2011
Sarcopenia – The silent crippler. Loma G. Davies Silcott, September, 2008.
The physiology of aging: what you can do to slow or stop the loss of muscle mass. Michael G. Bemben, May, 2002.
www.sarcopenia.com: an online forum and sharing of good information.

We have all heard the saying, “no pain, no gain.”  But WHAT are we truly gaining from the experiencing of muscle pain?

To begin answering this question, an important concept needs to be understood in that muscles are the “final organ” of the neuromuscular system. To better explain, nerves are connected in a very tight network with all muscles, which depend on the nervous system to properly function to their optimal control and with the desired strength capacity. In addition, cellular organs within the muscles and tendons provide an automatically direct feedback to the nervous system to maximize one’s performance.  Our brain, being the organ where all sensations are interpreted and decisions are made, has the capacity override the neuromuscular control if needed. The brain will facilitate fluid movements if it feels safe and pleasant, and will inhibit or “guard to compensate” movement if there is a threat for injury or if pain is present.

Before we even feel muscle pain during exercise, we first experience fatigue and discomfort–like a tolerable burning or tightness. But even at the stage of feeling the fatigue, our neuromuscular machine is challenged to maintain balance and control while executing the best muscular performance. If our mind drives our body to continue exercising in this case, the neuromuscular system reorganizes the contractile activities within our muscles, which in turn, will require more energy from the body to keep up with the increased demand. This will trigger the signals for adaptation not only in the muscles, but also in the entire body in order to meet the increased demands for a higher level of performance.

Therefore, the goal of training is to drive our bodies to the point of fatigue while maintaining our proper form and control during exercise. This will result in developing the capacity for our bodies to adapt assuring our desired results for an improved performance.

Beyond the stage of fatigue and discomfort during exercise, pain is acknowledged.  Our bodies  react to it as a signal of impending or occurring injury.  If the pain becomes intense, we will not be able to continue to move, much less perform.  However, we can choose to “push” and keep on exercising with some level of pain.  As a result, our bodies will come up with strategies to guard and protect  ourselves by minimizing the weight to the painful areas of the body while in motion.  Additionally to compensate, our movements will begin to slow and become less efficient.  Pain during exercise also interferes with our natural posture by affecting our “core stability”, making it harder to breathe and causing increased stress on our cardiovascular system. These reactions to pain are the innate responses, learned to protect our bodies, but only short term.

Long term, adaptations to pain can be potentially harmful.  It tends to lead our nervous system to operate in fear of moving the affected area or body part, and then, our movements become compromised. The changes within the body brought on by constant pain will also cause a redistribution of the natural loads during exercise, requiring the body to compensate.  If the pain is left unresolved, these compensatory movements will lead to repetitive stress.  Affecting not only the painful area, but also the healthy body tissues, which is the basis for the cause of most “overuse injuries”.

Another consideration of not properly dealing with the cause of the pain is the exponential increased time necessary to recover from an injury once it becomes chronic.  In addition, painful sensations in any part of our bodies will affect our ability to rest and restore energy, thus, compromising the potential improvements from exercise that could have been made to the entire body.

A common example is to continue running or walking with some pain in one foot, knee or hip that forces the athlete to adjust his or hers “natural form” in order to complete a planned walking or running session. By doing this, not only is the athlete affecting the desired results they were determinate to achieve from the time spent training, but they are also greatly increasing the chances of worsening a potential injury. And, if this same pain is not resolved, and keeps coming back while the athlete continues to train, another healthy body part, such as the other limb or lower back, will potentially develop an injury.

So next time, you are pumped up and ready to push through that “muscle burning”… go ahead as long as the proper exercise form is maintained.  However, if the exercise becomes painful…..Stop and listen to what your body is telling you.

And remember, “NO PAIN, THEN GAIN.”

For more information on Ways to Improve Performance or to check to see if the medical staff at FORMA can assist that push for you, call the office today at (949)999-0777

References

Arendt-Nielsen, L., & Graven-Nielsen, T. (2008). Muscle pain: Sensory implications and interaction with motor control. Clin J Pain , 291-298.

Cote, J. N., & Hoeger Bement, M. K. (2010). Update on the relation between pain and movement: Consequences for clinical practice. Clin J Pain , 754-762.

Hodges, P. W. (2011). Pain and motor control: From the laboratory to rehabilitation. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology , 220-228.

Hodges, P. W., & Tucker, K. (2011). Moving differently in pain: A new theory to explain the adaptation to pain. Pain , S90-S98.

Special Thanks to:

Jung Hee Han, Osteopathic Medical Student for her initial research and references, and to Christy Shaver for editing patiently.

The event in Mumbai was a first for such a large gathering of barefoot runners and already the folks at the Guinness World Records have taken note of its success. But that’s not the subject of today blog post. What we thought we’d do is pose some thoughts about the advantages of running without shoes, and encourage you talk with us here at the FORMA physical therapy office in Costa Mesa before choosing to do so.

The primary difference between running with shoes and running barefoot comes down to how our feet strike the ground. Harvard University’s Skeletal Biology Lab has conducted studies that show our heels will almost always strike the ground first when we’re wearing shoes. That’s why we tend to purchase running shoes with well-cushioned heel areas. This artificial cushion absorbs most of the shock during the heel strike phase.

However, most barefoot runners avoid landing on the heel, instinctively preferring instead to land with a forefoot or mid-foot strike. To the layman, that means the balls of the feet or the middle of the foot. This style of running doesn’t generate the sudden, large impact that occurs when your heel strikes the ground first. As a result, Harvard University found, barefoot runners can sprint on the hardest surfaces without discomfort from landing.

In addition, by using the balls of the foot or mid-foot running style, a runner realizes an increase in mechanical efficiency and a decrease in energy waste. That means less twisting and sling moments to the knee and less impact to the leg, hips, lower back and neck areas as you become efficient at running barefoot. In other words, those who run barefoot tend to land on the middle or front of the foot, thus causing a spread of the impact forces to the foot and possibly reducing the chances of injury.

Due to social constraints, many of us live in our shoes, which in turn braces and leads to a degree of de-conditioning of our feet. Our walking habit commands us to contact the ground first with our heel and not with the mid-foot, which only reinforces this habit when we run. And when we train for barefoot running for the first time, well… stand by for trauma to the unprepared foot!

But here’s the rub. Adapting to barefoot running requires a slow, gradual progression, an easing into the habit. Start slow and start on the sand. We’re blessed with miles and miles of the stuff here in Orange County and your best bet is to run on the soft sand — the dry and flat part of the beach — where the natural cushion of the ground will decrease impact on the feet, knees, hips and spine.

Running on the soft sand will increase the demands on your feet, and require extra work from your calves and Achilles tendon, thighs, hips and core muscles. Your heart and lungs will feel the extra workload too leading to increased burned calories!

The advantage of this type of cross training is the ability of increasing the work load to the body parts required for running, which will lead to increased muscle strength and neuromuscular control (stability) and power when performing sports or other activities on any ground surface. But as with any new exercise, watch for excessive soreness to your feet and calves as you begin running on the sand.

The key is to talk with an experienced coach or trainer about how to use barefoot running in your training program and how to transition to running barefoot. This way you will be guided to how to properly and efficiently take advantage of this great natural way of running and to enjoy your healthy active lifestyle. However, if you have questions about possible health limitations on introducing or continuing barefoot running, talk to us here at FORMA.

To sum up, some of the benefits of running barefoot might include:

• Less impact to the legs and plantar fascia
• Less chance of developing shin splints
• Better limb compliance with a more natural gait
• A reduction in calf pulls and Achilles tendinitis
• Improved balance
• In addition, running shoeless can make you feel more in tune with your environment.

For more information on barefoot running in southern California or to check to see if the medical staff at FORMA feels barefoot running is right for you, call the office today at (949) 999-0777.

Botulinum toxin injection therapy — popularly known as Botox — was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in April of 2002 as a means of temporarily improving the appearance of frown lines between the eyebrows. The nod from the FDA resulted in widespread cosmetic use of the product, with many advocates seeing it as less intrusive and costly than plastic surgery.

A little bit of background for you: What Botox does is block the neurotransmitters that tell muscles to contract. As a result, it decreases severe muscle spasm and pain for about three months, and in some cases, up to six months. Botox injections that work to reduce the contraction of the muscles in our face, provide smooth appearance to the wrinkles. That’s made a lot of people — from politicians to plumbers — very happy.

But since its original development, Botox injections have also been used by skilled physicians to treat painful conditions caused by muscle spasms, and that’s where FORMA and Dr. Claudio Carvalho step into the picture.

Most recently, Botox has received FDA approval to treat the severe muscle contractions in the arms and hands of people who have suffered from a stroke. Botox has also been used successfully to treat such symptoms as neck pain, headaches, mid- and lower-back pain, bladder spasms and arm and leg spasms. In addition to that, there have been several studies looking into the mechanism by which Botulinum toxin may also block the neurotransmitters that ‘tell’ the nerves to send painful signals from injured areas.

At FORMA, we stay on top of the latest developments in pain management at our physical therapy offices in Costa Mesa, Calif. And that includes the use of Botulinum toxin injection therapy because we understand that precisely planned pain management is an important part of maximizing one’s performance in physical rehabilitation therapies. And, of course, our ultimate goal is improving your overall physical performance and quality of life.

Ask our own Dr. Carvalho about Botox and he will first explain that in physical rehabilitation, Botulinum toxin is used to target the muscles, which have not improved after other methods have been used. These methods might have included moist heat, soft tissue manual therapies, active and passive stretches, oral muscle relaxants, among others.

Botox injections are carefully planned to decrease the tension of muscles that are affecting the body part needing rehabilitation. In the case of shoulder and neck pain, for example, some common muscles will make it difficult for someone to bring the shoulder blade backwards, which is needed to reduce the sensation of “tension” on their neck area. In this case, the pectoralis minor muscles would normally be too “tight” and are good targets for the Botox treatment.

Following a week or two of Botox treatment, the results can be noticeable during physical therapy sessions. And with the neck pain decreased with improved use of the arm, life becomes much more productive and enjoyable.

For additional information on how Botox may help in expediting your recovery through physical rehabilitation therapies, schedule an appointment with Dr. Carvalho at our Costa Mesa Medical Physical Therapy Office, or call us at (949) 999-0777.

Kelly Young - Specialist in Exercise & Sports Nutrition

Meet Kelly Young, a functional exercise specialist who joined FORMA in April of last year. Kelly is an extension of our medical team in executing a comprehensive plan of care for each individual patient. In that way, Kelly epitomizes the FORMA Difference. And part of that difference is the team approach. But enough about us; let’s hear from Kelly:

FORMA: What did you do prior to coming to work for FORMA?

Kelly Young: Prior to FORMA I had been working as a personal trainer, assisting clients in meeting a wide range of nutrition and fitness-related goals. My approach toward personal training is similar to the care we offer patients here at FORMA. Each patient is treated with an individual program to best fit their needs in order to obtain the best outcomes.

FORMA: What do you consider to be the best part of your job?

Kelly: The best part of my job is helping people return to their everyday lives pain-free. I get the opportunity to meet and work with so many incredible people and it gives me a lot of joy to see those people return to their normal activities.

FORMA: What sorts of physical activities do you like to do?

Kelly: I enjoy participating in any and all sports. Growing up and through my college years, I was a competitive volleyball player. And as much as I enjoy outdoor activities, I am also an enthusiastic gym-goer.

FORMA: If you could take two weeks off from work and travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and who would take with you?

Kelly: My travel buddy and fiancé, Darius, and I would go to Greece and the surrounding Mediterranean region where we’d take in the sights and observe local nutritional habits. (The Mediterranean diet is known to be a very heart healthy cuisine.) I would also like to visit Brazil to observe that country’s sports medicine and training methods. Brazil consistently creates world-renowned athletes in volleyball and mixed martial arts.

FORMA: What are you reading right now (or watching on TV or viewing at the theater)?

Kelly: I enjoy reading cooking magazines and watching the Food Network. I am always looking for healthy lifestyle tips to share with my clients and patients. I also enjoy reading fitness magazines and my professional fitness literature to learn about the latest trends in fitness.

If you enjoyed “meeting” Kelly, stay tuned. We plan to continue to introduce you to our physicians, chiropractors, physical therapists, athletic trainers, exercise specialists, concierge and other staff members over the next few months. Patients constantly tell us how comfortable they are in our offices and we want you to experience that same comfort level. We want to know about you – but we also want you to get to know us. That’s a big part of the FORMA Difference.

You may not have ever considered medical food as a solution to an injury or to relieve pain or inflammation, but by utilizing Targeted Cellular Technology (TCT) to deliver natural amino acid precursors found to promote efficient functioning of specific cells, these prescription medical foods can fulfill the nutritional needs of a specific disease or injury that cannot be met with a simple shift in diet.

Our own Dr. Claudio Carvalho (you know him as “Dr. C.”) says these medical food capsules include specifically selected amino acids — the backbone of protein chains — that stimulate the body’s process to produce specific neurotransmitters (natural proteins) that have been found to increase the natural ability of the body to utilize the medication ingredients a thousand times more efficiently at the targeted cellular level. As a result, the medication ingredient in each medical food capsule is so small that it nearly eliminates the possibility of undesired side effects and interaction with other drugs.

At FORMA, the main classes of medical foods that are currently available by prescription include:

• AppTrim: Aids in weight control and low energy from fatigue
• AppTrim-D: Aids in weight control while you rest at night at sleep
• GABAdone: Prescribed for sleep difficulties with anxiety (racing toughts)
• Sentra AM: Recommended for attention difficulties, tiredness, fibromyalgia, neuropathic pain
• Sentra PM: Helps for sleep and with depression (sedness feelings)
• Theramine: Great for the treatment of pain and inflammation
• Trepadone: Used to assist in the treatment of joint degeneration  related Osteoarthritis/Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Hypetensa: Helps in the management of hight blood presure and metabolic syndrome
• Lister-V: Assists to enhance the ability of the cells to ward-off viral illness, modulate allergic reactions and modulate the immune response

For instance, a prescription for Theramine might decrease pain and inflammation from a knee injury with few if any side effects. That’s not the case with NSAIDs (e.g., ibuprofen, naproxen, etodolac, etc.), which can cause kidney injury, or Tylenol, which can cause liver damage, or a stronger pain medication that can lead a person to perform through their pain, thus worsening their condition.

Dr. C. says Sentra AM can be used to manage the pain generated from hyperactive nerves — neuropathic pain. Thus, Sentra AM would prove advantageous for someone with sciatica symptoms.

In the case of an athlete who can’t sleep, is anxious about an upcoming race or suffers depression, GABAdone capsules might be prescribed. Pain, anxiety and depression are common symptoms that affect our ability to get a good night’s sleep. Dr. Carvalho says that for sleep difficulties with underlying depression, Sentra PM is a great alternative for some patients.

The use of the Targeted Cellular Technology process also prevents the development of tolerance to a particular drug. Unlike pharmaceutical agents that lose their effectiveness in a relative short period of time, Targeted Cellular Technology maintains its effectiveness and does not weaken.

In case you’re wondering, medical foods are supported by clinical trials, and are regulated by the FDA where they are listed as GRAS — Generally Recognized As Safe — products.

In addition, these medical foods can be used in combination with most already prescribed medications needed for existing or other conditions. In many cases, Dr. C. can modulate prescribed dosages of the pharmaceuticals in order to maintain effectiveness with decreased side effects. That’s because medical foods increase the production of neurotransmitters, which in turn, optimize cell’s utilization.

Currently, most private insurance plans and Medicare cover the medical foods available at FORMA. For more information, visit the Medical Foods section of our website, or, the next time you’re in the FORMA office in Costa Mesa, ask Dr. Carvalho if the Medical Foods are right for you.

- – - – - – - -

UPDATE (Dec. 10, 2010): Learn more about Medical Foods on the FORMA Medical Foods Page

That being said, here’s a recent note from someone we helped:

Just on the basis that I’m an active individual, I’ve come to accept the fact that I’m bound to spend part of my life recovering from one injury or another. That’s one reason I’m glad to know about FORMA. With their help, I spend the least amount of time in the injured phase.

I’ve been through their facilities on a number of occasions, each time for a particular injury. The doctors were quick to point out the problem (weak) areas in order to apply therapy and get me out running again — and each time I left the office stronger than the last.

Because Dr. Carvalho and Dr. Bakman are both running coaches, they know how to adjust your training regimen in order to speed up healing without compromising your training goals.

As an employee of A Snail’s Pace Running Shop, I’m comfortable in sending our customers who are experiencing pain or injury issues to FORMA for a free screening.

Ben Cardenas, Assistant Manager & Running Academy Coach

A Snail’s Pace Running Shop Fountain Valley, CA

Ben and hundreds of other athletes have been able to recover and strengthen, and are now back competing and enjoying an active lifestyle because they choose to be a participant in their recovery.

You can contact us to schedule an appointment and together we can see if our approach, the FORMA Difference, may help you achieve your goals for an active lifestyle.

Setting a goal is a lofty undertaking, a noble pursuit. And when it comes to training for a race or marathon, an individual is far more likely to work through physical pain and setbacks if they are pursuing a goal and have a community commitment. But such aspirations should be based on reality, and those of you targeting such ambitions should seek guidance to achieve the desired result.

That being said, the doctors and physical therapists here at FORMA are all about setting goals based on each patient’s physical abilities and the specific sports requirements to achieve results.

In fact, what our professionals know — and what you may not know — is that the majority of runners treated at FORMA received their injuries as a result of self training for a particular race or participating in that particular race without the proper preparation.

When athletes train and condition themselves for any sport under the guidance of qualified coaching, they reduce the chances of experiencing sport-related injuries.

And that’s where FORMA’s goals come into play. While we have a mission of treating those who suffer injuries, we also specialize in working closely with many coaches and trainers to help mentor their clients to become lifelong runners, cyclers, skiers or exercise enthusiasts.

We provide physical therapy and rehabilitation treatments, but equally important are our efforts to provide each patient with precise medical diagnosis, taking into account the demands of their sport. For example: A runner recently developed a new pain in her hip that is present only after running more than 20 minutes, and goes away soon after she stops. She never has pain with walking or standing. It will be important to understand not only what is her medical condition, but the correlation with her running at minute 20 needs to be considered. Then, modifications to her training can be advised.

This allows our patients to better communicate with their coaches providing guidelines  to more effectively improve their athlete’s training programs.

Our medical director, Dr. Claudio M. Carvalho (known to our patients as “Dr. C”), says an athlete must determine the type of physical activity in which he or she wants to become involved. And, he says, the issue of Running versus Racing is a good example of what can get complicated if one is not properly guided. Unsupervised training programs are available in books and on the internet. However, the value of a one-on-one training program includes the establishment of the necessary skills and physical qualities that are needed for that particular sport. It also requires the individual evaluation of each participant and the planning of the program addressing the needs of the sport to the best training method for each individual to achieve their goal. Most importantly, the coaches will provide supervision and adaptation to the program to the individual’s specific needs as it changes during the training progress. And that includes how to go about training while recovering from an injury.

“Racing is an event that one aims to compete — or just complete,” Dr. C says. “It requires specific planning and periodization principals (biological responses to stress) of adaptation to a gradual overload, mixing specific exercises based on the individual needs and the demands of running in order to peak in performance at the racing day.”

He says that running, on the other hand, is an activity that is mostly used for cardio-respiratory conditioning. Its purpose is to improve oxygen utilization, and helps the joints handle gravity forces and stimulate bone mass. “Simply speaking, the physical requirements needed for running are well conditioned heart and lungs, coupled with a healthy framed body that can handle the repetitive over a long duration of impact,” Dr. C says.

Coaches and trainers understand the risks with their particular sport. The inevitable impacts of running that affect the runner’s toes, feet, shins, knees, hips, back, neck and arms, are well distributed in a healthy well-trained athlete. And if any one of these areas is compromised, the others are forced to take up the slack (compensatory imbalances), with a long-run effect of breakdown or failure. These imbalances in performance are identified early — and promptly corrected — by training professionals. Athletes can’t see themselves perform, especially when it comes to running. Thus, without supervision and direction, these problems tend to escalate into injuries and keep those runners off (the) track.

These important concepts are taken in consideration when a coach plans a training program for a particular race. “The goal,” says Dr. C. “is to progress in a periodization plan to strategically build both systems (cardio and frame) in order to “peak” on race day.”

When you use running for conditioning or leisure, that biological response to stress (adaptation through periodization) can be more flexible. However, there has to be a higher attention to the cycling periods of loading versus resting in order to avoid overtraining, which results in the development of overuse injuries.

Here at FORMA, we believe the secret to optimal performance is to be able to recognize the needs of a particular sport or activity (running or racing) and seek guidance to properly plan a training regimen that will induce the correct adaptation that allows you to perform at your best. And when it comes to conditioning for health, we’d much rather you become a runner than a runner in just one race or event!