Rowney Chiropractic will be closed from the 22nd to the 26th of August 2017 as I will be heading to some remote communities in Western Australia to help run some programs for the Right Track Foundation.
​I will have sporadic phone reception, however, will be checking my voice mail.

If you would like more information on the Right Track Foundation head over to:
​ ​http://www.righttrack.asn.au/ 

Wishing everyone all the best this Easter!

Trail running commonly consists of running over uneven & sometimes loose terrain. One of the common concerns for people starting out trail running is rolling/spraining an ankle. Below are a few exercises and tips to help you get your ankles ready for your next trail run!

Trail running vs road running; how different is it?
Simply put, quite a bit. It is still an area where we have a lot to learn; but the body responds very differently to running over uneven terrain than a smooth, consistent surface. We see an increase in energy expenditure (leading to earlier fatigue), increase in stride variability (both length & step width), increase in leg stiffness & vastly different ankle biomechanics.

So what does this mean to you?
Trail running places very different stresses on the body to running on the road. If you were swimming you wouldn’t only practise breast-stroke & then go compete in freestyle even if they were the same distance. Why? Because it’s a different event. Prepare your body for running off-road; it’s a different event, it places different stresses on the body & the body needs time to adapt.

What can you do get your ankles ready?
It's not possible to completely remove the risk of ankle sprains in any circumstance, but there is a number of systems you can train to reduce your risk.
​
There are 3 types of exercises you need to do to get your ankles ready:

1. Ankle strengthening
2. Balance (Proprioception) training
3. Terrain specific running

Ankle Strengthening
You require a baseline level of strength of both the muscles and the supporting ligaments & tendons around the ankle and foot. Especially if you have had a previous ankle injury, some of these support structures may be compromised and it is important to ensure they are strong enough to support the body on uneven terrain.

Balance (proprioception) training
As you run along uneven terrain your body needs to gather information about what is happening correctly, quickly interpreted a correct response & then execute that response accurately.

There are a couple of different systems within the body that help you stay upright, balanced & avoid injury as we move.
-          Eyes: our eyes have a horizon levelling reflex. In other words, our eyes want the world to stay upright and level.
-          Vestibular system: organs within our ears that determine head positioning and movement. As we age, often this system becomes less reliable.
-          Information from ligament/muscle/tendon tension & joint positioning: This system lets us know what’s happening through the rest of the body; not just the head.

These systems are important & work together to let the body know what is happening. We want to train each of these systems; firstly in isolation & slowly progress them to a functional activity such as trail running.

Terrain Specific Running
As mentioned above trail running is different to road running. Gradually and consistently increasing trail difficulty will have you running on more technical trails safer than throwing yourself down a steep, loose rocking trail once every 6 months.

Exercises:
​Over the coming weeks we will be releasing videos that demonstrate various ways of training the above systems. We will start with basic; easy exercises and progress to harder, more challenging ones.
So stay turned and get those ankles up to scratch this trail running season!


​If you have any questions that are specific to your ankles or running, or would like a program tailored to your current ankle stability, we will be more than happy to help.

Looking for a great massage ball to get into all those tight areas? Grab one of these for $10 ($2 off usual price)

A decent massage ball will last you for years; unless your dog finds out how bouncy it is! :P

Do you have feedback as to how we can make our clinic better? We would love to know!
​Flick us an email or fill out our short online survey by going to www.rowneychiropractic.com.au/feedback

​All feedback can be sent confidentially & we appreciate your honesty in helping us improve.

This has a few benefits in the long term of a slightly bigger treatment room; being down stairs; sound-damped room etc... unfortunately we still need to wait for council approval for the proper room to be built. In the meantime I will be treating down-stairs in the same partitioning we were using in the last place. So I apologise in advanced for the noise.

You can still contact me on the same mobile number 0481 084 940.
If you have any questions of concerns just let me know :)

Last appointments will be made for Friday the 23rd Dec and first appointments on the 3rd Jan 2017!
​Feel free to contact us if you have any concerns during this time on 0481 840 940.
...
Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Regards,
Dr Adam Rowney

However; they are really simple and quick to make. By doing so you can know exactly what's in them & save yourself a coin or two.
- Below is how I make my simple raw chocolate protein balls:

Note: Raw balls are often quite high in calories for their size, which is ideal for my needs when I need a quick snack after training that will help me recover and quickly get on with my day. Feel free to customise this recipe by adding or substitute ingredients to optimise these tasty raw balls to suit your taste buds and needs.

For this recipe you will need:

• 2 Cups of organic cashews
• 2 Cups of organic dates (remove pits)
• 3 Scoops of organic brown rice protein (or WPI)
• 2 Tbsp organic cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp organic maca powder
• 1 Tsp organic ground vanilla beans
• Blender or food processor
• Mixing bowl
• Small amount of water
• Some hands to mix it all together!

*Makes ~16 balls depending on size

• Put the cashews in the food processor and break them down into smaller pieces
• In a separate batch process the dates until they are a fairly smooth paste

​Note: if you have a large enough food processor you could place all the ingredients in there together, but if you only have a small processor like me, ensure you do small batches to not overheat your unit!

• ​Add the processed dates and mix with your hands until it is a thick paste. You may need to add a little water to help it all bind together.

​Note: Don't add to much water, otherwise they'll be really sticky and not roll well.

• Roll by hand into the size ball that you desire.
• Store in the fridge until you are ready to enjoy!

Note: if they are a little sticky or you feel like being a little fancy, roll the outside of the balls in the some extra maca or cocoa powder. You can also add bits of cocoa nibs for that extra crunch!

This article can be found at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26907615 (full text is not free)


​This study has only recently been published by the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics {Epub; yet to go to print}. The study was an observational, retrospective study (2006-2012) and looked at the healthcare costs of patients aged 66yrs or older with chronic low back pain who were deemed to have multiple comorbidities. The 4 subgroups looked at were: those who only received Chiropractic manipulative therapy, those who received Chiropractic manipulative therapy following or preceded by conventional medical care, or those who received conventional medical care alone.

​Overall the study found that older individuals with chronic low back pain (who received Medicare benefits) that had multiple comorbidities that used only Chiropractic Manipulative Therapy had lower overall costs of care, shorter episodes, and lower cost of care per episodes than patients in the other 3 groups.
​Patients that received a combination of Chiropractic Manipulative therapy and conventional medical care; had lower overall costs of care than those who only received conventional medical care.

​This study provides some support for the use of Chiropractic Manipulative Therapy in the treatment and management of older individuals with chronic low back pain with multiple comorbidities.



Weeks WB, Leininger B, Whedon JM, Lurie JD, Tosteson TD, Swenson R, O'Malley AJ, Goertz CM. “The Association Between Use of Chiropractic Care and Costs of Care Among Older Medicare Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain and Multiple Comorbidities.”. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. (2016); [Epub ahead of Print]. accessed 11/03/16 from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmpt.2016.01.006