Jane Cannan in charge of our new running clinic
Every day at our clinic we chat to women who are keen to get back to their beloved running, but because of circumstances surrounding the delivery of their baby, it may be necessary to caution women about an early return. Other women may have pelvic floor dysfunction or other musculoskeletal problems and just need help in how to start running having been inspired by friends or relatives or the Olympic Games! Whether it be prolapse, urinary incontinence, nerve damage or significant abdominal separation or a myriad of other reasons, whether a woman gets back to running and when that should happen, requires careful consideration.
Because running is a high impact sport, it places a greater burden on the pelvic floor – but what if the physical act of running has a profound positive effect on the mental and emotional state of that patient? If we look at the patient holistically, then encouraging and supporting her return to running could be a saviour for her if she has some post-natal depression or other anxiety issues. Should we just say a blanket no because of the state of her pelvic floor, when fitting her with a pessary could facilitate enough support to protect her from prolapse or stop her urinary leakage? Should we say no to a woman if by assessing her running technique we could tweek her running style and decrease the impact as she runs?
Well at Sue Croft Physiotherapy we have recognised the importance of this and we have started a running clinic conducted in the main by Jane Cannan, but also assisted by Amanda Quinn (nee Lee), where patients are assessed…….their whole body is assessed and exercises prescribed, adjustments suggested, pessaries fitted by myself or Kristen if necessary, and encouragement to return to running in a body-safe way. Jane and Amanda are both keen runners and with their strong musculo-skeletal background and special interest in women’s health, they will advise you as to the risks versus benefits and how to return to jogging / running safely.
In the past we have been always looking at the needs of the patients with respect to running and advising them on any injuries they have had, but now we are looking at it in a more structured way and seeing if a change to their running style or strengthening key muscle groups can reduce or stop the leakage/ reduce the impact on their prolapse, their pelvic floor or another joint and therefore prevent an injury. If you would like to be seen in the clinic specifically for running advice, please ring the rooms on 3848 9601 and tell our gorgeous secretaries that you would like to book in with Jane (initially) even if you are currently seeing one of my other physios including me.
The initial appointment is an hour and you need to come dressed for running (joggers, bike pants or shorts and T-shirt) and you may see Jane dressed for running also as she means business.

Jane and her running team mates showing us how it’s done