Originally from Fairbanks, Alaska; Amy has a Bachelors of Science from Haverford College. Amy sees teaching a vital aspect of physical therapy, so prior to earning her Doctorate she gained experience working at the Chigwell School, outside London, as a soccer coach and science teacher. Completing her Doctor of Physical Therapy at Duke University, Amy had the chance to gain clinical experience at Proaxis Physical Therapy and The Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Greenville, SC as well as Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, Norway.

Amy’s interests are in sports, particularly soccer. She has played throughout her life, including three years collegiately as well as in the Women’s Scottish Premier League. She has over 8 years of coaching experience and has worked in the training rooms of the Atlanta Silverbacks F.C., SK Brann (in Bergen, Norway), and is completing her third season with the Carolina Railhawks F.C.

Amy particularly enjoys working with young athletes, helping them prevent or recover from injury and return to their sport stronger and more skilled than before.

1. Author Bias

First off, always be wary of author bias: the actual conclusion of the article as I read it is that there is really no appreciable difference between surface and injury rate. But this doesn’t make for a good headline, so the story gets a spin put to it. As I read the story and the research, it is simply that different surfaces create different demands. The headline could have just as easily been “For runners, different surfaces are different”, but that really doesn’t attract one to read the article does it? I have to admit a bias; personally I prefer trails. Professionally, I believe that variability of physical task demand results in the end product of a more robust system and is therefore a desirable trait in any physical or mental training program. Soft or uneven surface will create more variability in the demands on the system. That being said, the most important take home point is probably that if you are going to make a change, you need to do it slowly and prepare for it. Interestingly, that is also a take home point of a similar ‘myth buster’ article, Skip the Pre-Run Stretch, it Doesn’t Prevent Injuries

2. Biomechanical Demands

Secondly, softer or uneven surfaces (trails) do present different biomechanical demands. This must be recognized and trained for. In running, generally softer surfaces will correlate with more uneven terrain. Even if a softer terrain is not uneven, the body still has to find minimum amount of stability in order to maintain balance. So, in either case, the dynamic balance demand is increased. Theoretically softer surfaces would require more mobility, neurological awareness and strength in the foot and ankle as well as increased strength at the hip in all ranges of motion. Harder surfaces will require more strength in the knee and hip muscles that cushion landing. Based on these assumptions, soft surfaces may yield more injuries to the ankle joint, knee joint ligaments or hip soft tissues. Hard surfaces may yield more injuries to the foot structures, knee joint and tendons, knee & hip cartilage and spinal discs. All of these are structures that could receive excessive pressure if sufficient dampening of ground impact shock is not achieved. I am not aware of studies that have looked for these long term correlations; this is just based on biomechanical theory.

3. Adaptation

A final thought, we do know from research that the body will adapt running mechanics around impact force, and this article references that concept. The research into barefoot running and minimalist shoe design supports this theory. It forms one of the underlying tenants of why minimalist shoes can prove beneficial to some individuals. We do not know what the ‘optimal force’ is for an individual, but we do know that people adjust to find what their body ‘needs’. As people go to less cushioning in a shoe, they generally adapt their running form to absorb more impact. Some people adapt well, others not so well. There is a lot of information about what the variables are that determine these adaptations and why the adaptations are needed. To fully explain would take a small book, not a short article. However, I take all of this information and reach a different conclusion than “But with no evidence that softer surfaces prevent injuries, there is no reason to run on softer ground unless you like to” I think there are many valid reasons; they just have to be done strategically with proper preparation.

Saturday, July 9th
9-11:30AM

Balanced Physical Therapy will join Team Luna Chix for a hands-on cycling clinic designed to improve cycling body position, core stability and pedaling form and efficiency. Learn how proper body position and stroke form can not only make you a better cyclist but also help you avoid pain, numbness and common cycling injuries.

Brian Beatty, an avid cyclist and runner and the owner of Balanced Physical Therapy, will teach the course. Please bring your bike and cycling shoes with you to the clinic. And, if you have a trainer, bring that too.

This clinic is designed for women of all levels of cycling ability. Those who can are welcome to stay for a ride after the clinic so that they can put what they learn into practice immediately.

In lieu of a fee for the clinic, a suggested donation of $25 to the Breast Cancer Fund is requested and will be collected at the door, in cash or by check made out to the Breast Cancer Fund.

Clinic space is limited to Team Luna Chix members and will fill at 20 participants. Visit the Team Luna Chix website for more information about the team!

For the past 10 years, Jacquie has worked extensively with WVU, high school athletes, and coal miners in Morgantown, WV. She was the director of a clinic outside of Morgantown before she left to pursue intensive training in Osteopathic manual therapy and work for a manual therapy based physical therapy clinic in Ann Arbor, MI. She has since worked in private practice and a Spine Specialty clinic in North Carolina before joining the BPT family. She is trained in a variety of manual techniques including Maitland, Mulligan, and osteopathic methods and has completed all of her course work for McKenzie certification. Outside of work, Jacquie has been a Figure/Physique Competitor and has enjoyed participating in running and triathlon races.

We are excited to welcome Jacquie to the BPT family!

“I’m looking for a little advice about how to manage a driving trip this weekend. I’ll be in the car (driving) for 4-5 hours, depending on traffic. Any suggestions?”

This question was from a person recovering from lumbar disc surgery, but the answer is applicable to anyone with back pain aggravated by sitting.

There is a simple answer, but it is often harder discipline oneself to implement than it should be.

Are you driver or passenger? Either way, the answer is to not be in any one position for very long. Ideally move every 20-30 minutes. If passenger, it is easy, adjust the seat back to multiple angles so you are in many positions. If driver, it is more challenging. Ideally you would stop every hour, get out and move. It can be as simple as pulling off of an exit ramp, getting out and walking around the car a couple of times. The simple act of standing, walking, moving the spine through a comfortable, gentle range of motion will restore circulation, relieve pressure to the spinal discs and joints, and help a lot.

20-30 minutes extra on a trip beats the heck out of 2-3 days of discomfort and needless suffering.

Also congrats to Suzanna Dupee for being voted “Best Massage Therapist” in Orange County!

Let’s you know how long you have been on the computer and gently reminds you each hour with a Tibetan bell…get up!

How many of us need this?

Features for an Ergonomic Seated Office Task chair:

• Adjustable seat height
• Adjustable seat pan depth, seat pan with a waterfall front edge
• Adjustable back support, either adjustable via the entire seat back or adjustable lumbar support within the existing seat back
• Arm rests adjustable in height and width.
• Seat pan should have forward and backward tilt capabilities with the ability to lock in position and free float.
• Seat pan and seat back should tilt as one unit so that the relationship of the pelvis to the spine is maintained.
• Tilt tension should be adjustable.
• Headrest (if desired) should adjust in both height and forward and back. Headrest height adjustment should be independent of seat back height adjustment

General chair adjustment and work positioning considerations:

• Armrests should be adjusted so that when you rest your arms the weight of your arms is unloaded from your shoulders and neck. Armrests are rests, not works. When you are working on a keyboard or with a mouse your arms should hang freely, not supported on the arm rests.
• Seat pan height should be slightly higher than knees when feet are flat on the floor
• Seat pan depth should reach to within 3-4 finger widths of the back of your knee when your pelvis is firm against the backrest of the chair.
• Keyboard tray should be adjusted so that your elbows are bent slightly greater than 90 degrees, forearms angled downward toward the hands. Wrists should be just slightly bent so that the back of the hand is inclined a little relative to the forearm.
• Monitor placement so that the center of the screen is resting focal distance (28-32”) from the eyes at a declining angle of 10-20 degrees from the eye height.
• Prolonged forward reaching work should ideally be performed with the chair seat inclined forward and weight placed through the feet on the floor.
• When work allows, reclined positioning of the chair should be used for ‘relative rest’ breaks. Having easily adjustable tilt is necessary for this.
• If you are able to work in a reclined position, a headrest is recommended.
• A keyboard and mouse tray that is easily adjustable to multiple positions allows for the maximum utilization of multiple chair positions.

Editorial opinion: Spend as much money as you need to buy what feels absolutely best. It can be your throne, treat it as such. Most office workers will spend more hours in a week with their body in the office chair than anywhere else, except the bed. Some people spend more time in the chair than the bed, but that is another problem. The office chair and the bed can have a greater impact on the body than all the gym memberships, exercise equipment and therapies. Invest wisely in yourself in those areas.