SPEEDY INJURY! SPEEDY RECOVERY??

Morning all,

Its been a rough few days recently, knee has been having a tough time since dislocating my patella 8 weeks ago at the UK Athletics Challenge final @ Eton.
The “FREAK” accident seemed to be getting better as fast as it happened! If you didn’t hear, I’ll give you a quick recap from what the papers reported:

ADAM Walker admits his season is over after dislocating his knee in testing conditions at the UK Challenge Final in Eton.The Crawley Athletic Club pole vaulter suffered the freak accident when going for his second attempt at 4.46m in the Thames Valley Athletics Stadium.
Walker, the Sussex senior champion, had only been a late call-up to the event after another athlete dropped out, but still managed to finish fourth and pocketed £100 prize money.
But the 28-year-old was left with mixed emotions as he was taken to hospital following the accident and will not be able to compete for the rest of the season.
I am so happy with my best result of fourth in the UK, but it cost me a knee and is still swelling," said Walker.
"I'm angry that the organisers made us vault in the dangerous conditions and didn't move it indoors or call it off.
"Last time I vaulted there about eight years ago, another competition was called off after a friend of mine had a career ending injury in dangerous conditions. He never vaulted again and still limps now."

Walker's injury compounded a miserable weekend for him which began on Friday night when his ankle swelled because of an insect bite picked up at a midweek meeting in Woking.
Having been told he had an infection, he was prescribed antibiotics to reduce the swelling and made it to Eton only to find the rain had left standing water on the pole vault run-up.
The competitors were told the event would not be moved indoors and Walker had to make the best of the conditions, clearing 4.16m and 4.31m to put him in fifth place.
With conditions worsening, Walker went for 4.46m but on his second attempt at the new height, it all went wrong.

"I came flying in, puddles splashing, struggling to grip the pole, my take-off foot was too close, and although it didn't feel right I tried to vault," he said.
"But my foot slipped from under me, I tried to grip the pole but my top hand slipped off the pole and I ended up crumpled in the box, screaming and gripping my knee.
"It's a bit of a blur. The pain was excruciating, as my patella (knee-cap) was ripped off and leg had been hyper-extended. I thought I was going to see bone sticking through so I was initially relieved."

Walker's condition has improved in the last few days and an x-ray has shown no tears to any of the major ligaments or tendons and no floating bone fragments.
He is now recuperating in San Francisco although his target of clearing five metres (IRISH RECORD) now looks a long way off.Horrible to read that again! Anyway, as I mentioned my recovery was initially so rapid, I’d had the best season of my career and a lifetime best height to boot. Even though I’d had my left kneecap ripped off (ouch!) I was in good spirits and Soo motivated to crack on and get it sorted, I attacked the rehab with force!
The PAIN involved was a shock to me, but with my Good friend and long term physio John Allen reassuring me I had to do it and the pain was necessary I didn’t look back. The physio’s I have always used are Matthews & Allen, one is the Head physio for the Wimbledon tennis Championships every year and the other is in charge of the majority of the UK Athletics teams at major championships (I had to wait for him to get back from Beijing to help me out!.

My strength gains were so quick it was really motivating how quick I was recovering. People would be shocked when they saw my progress and I told them I was only off crutches a week ago! Obviously I’m all about speed so I was loving it. However, flexibility has not been so good in my knee ( and the fact it still doesn’t look too hot!) and it stiffens up reducing the ROM (Range Of Movement) quickly if I neglect it.

So, here we are today 8 weeks later and I’m still sitting here writing this with an ice pack on my knee! Since the incident my knee has been able to fry an egg on it, its so hot and inflamed, with a bad weekend where it swelled up so I could not do any rehab except ice it constantly for two days and eat Anit-Inflamatories like smarties!

I’d over done it a tad, it’s a fine line between doing as much as possible to help it and over doing it and ruining your work!
OVER-TRAINING, you put just too much demand on your body and don’t respect the principle of rest and recovery, and you’r body will make you rest either through INJURY or SWELLING up to the size of a coconut knee and put you out of the game!

Hey my SPEED FREAKS, You have been warned! Take it from someone who knows and is still confined to running in the swimming pool!

Whats the worst injury you’ve had or known a friend experience?? Let me know, I hope you haven’t experience much… Unfortunately I doubt that!??

What’s yours??

Yours in Sport & Speed,

Adam Walker BSc PGCE CSCS

PS: Imagine 3 hours taken out of every day for 8 weeks (and counting) for REHAB, Strengthening, flexibility and Hydro sessions in the pool! FUN.

Put in the work PRE-HAB before an injury occurs, any problems, help needed gimme a shout.THE SPEED FREAK