UAN:229 Article type:--The knee is basically a hinge joint, allowing backwards and forwards motion, but it is also able to rotate slightly in on itself. The bending and straightening is controlled by the hamstring and quadriceps muscles at the back

UAN:234 Article type:--Shinsplints are one of the most common running injuries. They result from tired or inflexible calf muscles putting too much stress on tendons, which become strained and torn. Overpronation aggravates this problem, as can

of exercises can have a dramatic effect on gait. It strengthens weak supporting muscles, corrects imbalanced muscle tightness and improves posture, all of which frees the lower body to work as it was designed to. No one would argue that a conditioning programme

your pancreas to release insulin. Insulin’s main function is to reduce your blood-sugar level by helping to transport glucose to your muscles. This is all good because we need glucose to fuel the muscle contractions involved in running. However, our

where a vertebra that is out of position is causing nerve irritation, the brain (via the nervous system) will not be able to successfully send vital messages to the joints and muscles, in Mills’s case her hip. The result is reduced strength and reflexes

This eight-stretch routine will keep you flexible in all your main running muscles. Follow it after every run, or once or twice a week – it depends how naturally flexible you are. If you’re pushed for time, try the three-minute alternatives

excessive uphill running, in which the tibialis anterior muscle expands and may produce fluid which stretches the compartment sheath. Signs An experienced sports physician will locate the pain between the tibia and fibula and may sense increased pressure

exists mainly inside the cells of muscles and bones, where it assists with muscle contractions and energy metabolism. Studies with lab animals and people show that magnesium deficiency reduces endurance, and that low blood levels of magnesium

?A This is actually a surprisingly common question, and while abdominal surgery sounds quite nasty – getting into the abdominal cavity requires an incision through skin, fat, muscle layers and the peritoneum (the membrane that covers the internal organs) – recovery

the ankle, and should I run in a support?A Once you have been in plaster, your calf muscles – and leg muscles generally – will waste. If specific work is not performed to rectify this, there is a chance that, sooner or later, further injury will occur. So