Back on Track

10/09/2026

Any aspiring doctors??

Do you know a young person in year 12 or 13 who is an aspiring doctor and interested in studying medicine?

Applications are open for our popular Introduction to Medicine Programme where participants gain first-hand insight into life as a doctor. They will:

🔹 develop their clinical skills and patient observations
🔹 take part in simulation lab activities
🔹 learn from consultants and clinicians
🔹 receive guidance on medical school applications
🔹 explore careers in medicine and the NHS

The programme takes place from 26 to 28 October 2026 at Dorset County Hospital.

There is a £60 programme fee (free for students eligible for Free School Meals).

This programme attracts significant interest each year and places are limited. A link to the application form is in the comments.

08/09/2026

🗣️ Noisy knees are a common discussion in clinic- typically it is not an issue. Here is some info here:

❓Are noisy knees normal?!

Gerald McCoy and colleagues used ‘vibration arthrography’ to listen to the knees of 250 healthy people. Patellofemoral crepitus was recorded in 99% of them! Lateral knee noise was less common, noted in 22% of subjects.

While this is reassuring most of us don’t have access to this kit to assess our patients. More recent research suggests knee sounds that are audible to the naked ear may be less common.

Crouch et al. (2025) reported knee crepitus in 36% of pain-free people and it was significantly more prevalent in those with pathology, occurring in 81% of people with knee OA.

So while knee noises may be common in asymptomatic populations it’s important to consider crepitus and joint sounds within each individual presentation and address the concerns a patient may have.

For more on assessment of knee crepitus, clicks and clunks be sure to watch our new episode of the Paper Round, available soon for members of Running Repairs Online.

In it we’ll explore how to examine knee sounds including location and where they occur in knee range plus what this can suggest in terms of pathology. We’ll also cover the impact crepitus can have on patients, how it correlates to patellofemoral pain and key messages to deliver in patient education.

P.S. Do I get extra credit for the song choice, ‘Crunch time’? 😂

23/08/2026

‼️ Youths- back to sport

A long summer break for younger athletes, is often accompanied with less activity and growth spurt- which is fine and well deserved. But, consider the ramp up in in training and loading when they go back to sports- it should include rest days to avoid injury.

These tips below from Kids back to sport can help avoid injuries:

1. Work hard but listen to your body – any low back pain or tightness, or pain where muscles attach, especially at the pelvis, should be reported.

2. If you have had a large or fast growth spurt, let the coach know and accept that this may impact capacity.

3. If you have had a low impact summer holiday, running volume, sprint exposure, jumping, strength work and sport-specific demands should increase progressively — for example, adding one harder session each week rather than starting at full intensity.

4. Have you eaten enough for what we are doing? Check lunch boxes and provide adequate breaks for refuelling and rehydrating.

5. It's not a race, nor a competition. Successful teams are usually those who have more players available all season and therefore it is not about who is fastest in preseason, it is about building a robust and resilient team that succeeds week in week out.

02/08/2026

Keeping it simple ⬇️

08/07/2026

⭐️⭐️ I was delighted to meet with Tim in clinic today. We discussed the psychological aspects of injury and success, and how developing effective strategies can not only support a successful return to sport, but maximise it.

Tim is a local HCPC-registered sport, exercise and performance psychologist based in Basingstoke.
He works with injured athletes on the psychological demands of recovery and return to sport, the fear of re-injury, the loss of identity, and building back the mental confidence to perform at full capacity. He also supports athletes dealing with the pressures of high training volumes, performance anxiety and setbacks, as well as young athletes developing the mental resilience and confidence they need both in sport and beyond it. Tim offers a free initial consultation and is available for sessions in person and online.

Please contact Tim “Psych to Perform” on ways he might be able to help and maximise performance ⭐️ www.psychtoperform.co.uk ⭐️07915 530500

27/04/2026

Recovery advice from distance events 👇🏼

Recovering from a marathon? Focus on rest, nutrition and active recovery!

A recent Umbrella Review from Li et al. (2024) has found inconsistent results with passive strategies like massage and cryotherapy. Here’s what I would consider instead:

🗓️ Plan recovery into training - don’t rush back to running, rest this week and include active recovery to gently get things moving. Sometimes a ‘reverse taper’ can be useful - this involves gradually building training back toward goal levels over the next 3 to 4 weeks (like tapering but in reverse!). Going forward we might recommend that recovery days are included in the weekly schedule and recovery weeks are planned in roughly every 4 weeks where volume is reduced to address fatigue.

🧘🏻Mental wellbeing - training for a marathon can take over life for 4 to 6 months! Downtime away from the sport to relax and unwind can really help recharge the batteries!

😴 Sleep - 26.2 miles is a huge stress on the body, now is a good time to have some early nights and work on things that might disturb sleep such as stress, sleep environment or night time routine.

🥘 Nutrition - completing a marathon empties the tank, it’s time to re-fuel it! Research on over 1,000 marathon runners found 42.5% of female athletes and 17.6% of male athletes had low energy availability (Whitney et al. 2024). This needs to be addressed as a priority before building training.

Reference:
Li S, Kempe M, Brink M, Lemmink K. Effectiveness of Recovery Strategies After Training and Competition in Endurance Athletes: An Umbrella Review. Sports Med Open. 2024 May 16;10(1):55. doi: 10.1186/s40798-024-00724-6. PMID: 38753045; PMCID: PMC11098991.

22/04/2026

There have been some huge events recently- with the London 🇬🇧 race on Sunday being a standout- but also so many other incredible performances across the board.

I just want to say how proud I am of all my athletes. The consistency, discipline and hard work you have shown to get you where you want to be is seriously impressive.

It’s not just about race date, it’s everything that goes into it.. and you’ve all delivered. Now go enjoy what you have earned! 🙌🏻

10/04/2026

🏃‍♂️ Join like minded people and start your running journey or maybe you fancy some company running? 🏃

Hello!!! Just 2 weeks to go until Beginner’s Running Course kicks off!!! If you know someone who’s been thinking about getting into running, now’s the perfect time to give them that little nudge. Whether they’re starting from scratch or just need a confidence boost, this course is designed to support them every step of the way.

Share this with your friends and family and help them take that first stride in their running journey…we’d love to welcome them! 🏃🏃🏼‍♀️🏃🏻‍♂️

https://clubspark.englandathletics.org/Book/75c9613d-7eb0-42f0-ad71-75e8675f64f5?venue=MuddyRunners