I’ve been a physiotherapist for 28 years now and have been very interested, since high school, in how the body repairs and improves with exercise.
After all these years I still get goose bumps when I see a patient come into our clinic and then successfully complete their journey. They start somewhat broken, undergo an assessment, together with their therapist develop a treatment plan and in the end are successful getting back to the things they love.
There are many cases that stand out because of the amazing capacity that the body has to restore and develop. The back patient with severe leg pain who could only be on their feet for 5 mins at a time who is now training for a triathlon. The newly wed who broke her ankle eight weeks before her wedding, who was able to wear her fancy shoes and walk down the aisle without limping. I could go on and on but I want to finish with a story that 10 years ago I would not have believed possible.
As an endurance athlete myself I see a lot of runners. Over the last few years I’ve treated a few runners who have competed in ultramarathons. An ultramarathon is an event that is longer than the standard marathon of 42KM. It is usually done on trails and often in extreme conditions (lots of mountain climbs, high heat or extreme cold, through the night, etc.) This past weekend I attended the “Conquer the Canuck” in Cambridge ON to watch my son Reid compete in a 12 hour event. The format is basically run as many 8KM loops as you can in 12 hours.
Reid is a very good athlete who has competed at an international elite level and as such has had his share of injuries. His most recent was a knee issue from a fall on an ice trail in the spring. The longest race prior to the weekend was under 2 hours in an Olympic distance triathlon. I am very pleased and amazed to say that he ran for 11 hours and 48 minutes covering 125 KM and won the event!! Amazing capacity of the body to restore and develop.
If you need some help tapping into your body’s amazing capacity to heal give us a call. Between the four of us (Trevor, Geoff, Trish and myself) we have over 65 years experience and we would love to help “achieve your best”!
Earle is a physiotherapist and CEO of the Human Performance Centre. You can contact him at 738-8299.