Re:
armchairclimber said:
More context... not likely to sway anyone's opinion re. PR but actually, for those interested in coaching and physiology, a fascinating interview.
http://www.runnersworld.com/rt-web-exclusive/gerard-hartmanns-front-row-seat-to-paula-radcliffes-career
First part is going to be a little off-topic, but I want to make this point right away: Who the *** is he to say Paula is "an athlete who wanted it badder and was willing to dig deeper and prepare harder and more meticulously than anyone else." I'll come back to this in a bit...
Some more context: I that I think he is a tool. I don't want to assume that Radcliffe employs him as part of her a media juggernaut, and won't take that arrogance he displays as a reflection of her character. But he is a joke.
So first, here is his
academic background:
The blend of physical talent and intelligence earned him a scholarship to the University of Arkansas, where he studied business. On his return to Ireland he got himself a National Certificate in Exercise and Fitness at the University of Limerick, much to Patrick ' s [his father's] anger.
In 1989 he returned to the United States and completed his post-graduate course at the Florida Institute of Natural Health where he qualified as a physical therapist. He did his practical experience at the University of Florida in Gainesville
And
one perspective on that background:
In this interview this ‘physio’, and I use the term ‘physio’ carefully as I understand that he is not a fully qualified physiotherapist, and has not been trained on any recognised or accredited course.
I fact the best I can find on Mr Hartmann qualifications is a soft tissue masseuse course he did in the USA back in the 90’s. But apparently this doesn’t stop him calling himself a physio due to a legal loop hole in Ireland where he currently works.
Anyway, this ‘Physio’ goes on to describe a daily routine of hours and hours of soft tissue massage for Paula, claiming to realign joints and bones, fix and correct muscle imbalances and imperfections, and a pre race routine of acupuncture and joint adjustments, and how this is “no stress for me, no stress for the athlete”
As I read this article I feel myself becoming more and more agitated. All I think about is how this ill educated poorly trained, so called therapist masquerading as a healthcare professional can and probably does adversely affect this elite level, highly talented and hard working athlete he has the honour and privilege to work with.
The blog is some rando with a type writer, but let's go down that path.
Building dependence is a big marketing strategy, in anything. But a lot of best health and wellness practices are the opposite of marketing:
an effective intervention should decrease dependence. But look at some athlete's testimonials:
She [Radliffe] revelled with very intensive deep tissue massage—three hours a day of very deep tissue work
It was often between three to four hours. Five would be extreme if something was acting up, broken into two treatments, and I can’t think of any other athlete who required that amount. It was driven by Paula saying “this is what I need; this is what works for me,”
I [the journalist] asked Reilly, a former 29:15 10km runner, what Hartmann ' s secret was. Surely he would know? But he merely sighed and said: " You know, I honestly can ' t put my finger on it. "
Douglas Wakiihuri, the Kenyan who won world and London Marathon titles in the late 1980s, once sent a thank you message to his daktari, which read: " I will always run to your healing hands. "
Here's what that blog has to say on building dependance: "Yes healthcare professionals are there to assit and help athletes, but their primary responsibility is to instill a sense of robustness, toughness, and strength, both mentally and physcially with all they they work with. Simply put they should be making these hard working, dedicated, talented people feel invincible, impregnable, indestructible, basically like f**king superheroes,"
I don't know who that blogger is, but the message is still true. It is a very similar situation to Dr. Hans-Muller.
It's not science if no one else can do it..
Hartmann drove me to the airport (the only thing he seems to do at less than 100 miles per hour), and on the plane home I asked myself if I had solved this medical mystery.
The answer was: probably not. Gerard Hartmann remains an enigma
It's not science if no one else can do it.
I'm going to skips the research articles, because those won't be helpful to us (the research doesn't have a full understanding of the mechanisms of why massage works, but of course many findings linking it to improved recovery/performance). A practitioner,
Patrick Ward, is a good resource for distilling science into practice. Here's what he has to say:
http://optimumsportsperformance.com/blog/soft-tissue-techniques-for-athletic-recovery/ said:
Unfortunately, most therapists have a one-size-fits-all approach to therapy and, no matter what your complaint or need is, you are going to come in, lie on the table and get a deep tissue massage
(Sounds like Hartmann)
And his reference chart for different interventions:
Okay, well, the .png won't display, but in he does give specifics:
In the first group, we are dealing with athletes who have a high level of fatigue and exhaustion. This may come from a period of overreaching or overtraining. Additionally, within this bucket are athletes that have a high level of anxiety (and perhaps may show a higher amount of sympathetic dominance). For the athletes with these complaints our treatment options are to help them attain a more relaxed state. For this, I favor longer massage sessions (60-90min) with a lot of slow compression and long holds of skin stretching. These techniques tend to be very relaxing and provide a therapeutic effect. The suggestion of placing the athlete prone is to decrease the amount of visual input (as well as the urge to talk or speak) and to attempt to get them to shut down for a moment and maybe even fall asleep on the table. Additionally, working on the neck and paraspinals in this prone position seems to evoke a sense of relaxation and have a calming effect on the system.
n the second group we see one of the most common reasons why athletes seek out massage – soreness. The massage technique suggestions for this complaint come from some of the research discussed on my last article as well as the research I discussed in an article two years ago from Crane et al. Both articles explained a massage approach for muscle damage dealing with 5-10min of gliding strokes to the affected muscle region. I also put into this section things like contract relax stretching or pin and stretch modalities as method to engage the athlete, get them to move around a little bit, and, in the process of creating movement with human touch, allow them to perceive themselves as “less sore”.
The final group is one of mobility or “tightness” as well as treatments geared towards maintenance of mobility and tissue quality. The aim of dealing with the athletes in this group is to have a good understanding of where their movement system is currently (what is their baseline) and then determining when they are below their norm (oftentimes, following intense competition or training, the individual may tighten up or stiffen up and lose some of their normal movement). Also, knowing what is normal for the athlete in the sense of tissue quality (tone) and what is abnormal, for that individual, can be extremely important and helpful in guiding your treatment approach. Within this group the modalities selected are more active, engaging the athlete to move and be a participant in the treatment. Thus, things like pin and stretch techniques or active stretching/mobility techniques can be very valuable. Additionally, Dr. Andreo Spina’s work, Functional Range Release, can be extremely helpful for engaging the resistance barrier, applying tension to the tissue, and using things such as PAILs and RAILs to actively engage the athlete with movements into and out of their limited range
Hartmann describes a single intervention: digging in. But for a daily routine, it is clear that digging in is the opposite of what an athlete needs. Relaxation would help so much more. Certainly, an injury or cramped muscle needs it, and the injured athletes that fly in for a special session get what they are looking for. But this comment on the first blog post sums up the issue best:
It would seem Paula has unfortunately surrounded herself with a poor pit crew. But on the other hand maybe she chooses them. Smacks a bit of the Tiger Woods displaced sacrum saga and the idiots he had “helping” him. Not having ever met the woman I can’t comment on her personality, nature etc. Paula is obviously a phenomenal athlete. I liken her 2.15 marathon to a male sub 2hr marathon. But her psyche is something I’m not aware of. Even though her treatment protocol is maddening, maybe she wants that safety net even though I’m sure it has a negative impact. I was reading an article yesterday about Paula’s final marathon preparation for London and her pathway back. There was a period it said of training in Kenya where she got some Achilles soreness. Now blind Freddie would have just calmed her down, looked at the current training volume, adjusted things a little, eased her back in. But no, they threw everything bar the kitchen sink at her from all over Europe.
and even better:
Well said Adam and something that needs saying! It’s seems I spend most of my time trying to undo the mess left behind by this so called care. No one seems to be able to see the negative effects this has on athletes, IMO Paula would of won an Olympic medal but her perceived fragility couldn’t handle the pressure and she ‘broke’, her magnets and other voodoo providing no help when things really mattered.
And stemming off the first comment about Paula's pit crew, here it is (From the Hartmann interview):
"working with a dietitian, a homeopath, an exercise physiologist, physical therapist, osteopath, and collaborating all of that with her husband, Gary, and her coach. "
(I'm going to let the homeopathy angle speak for it self...)
That is a dependent athlete. That is a fragile athlete. She is not the toughest personality in the sport, she is the most delicate personality in the sport. She
needs these people. And they couldn't come through for her when it actually mattered. Paula can punish herself, and is willing to suffer, doping or not. Pain tolerance does not fix doubt. Pain tolerance does not fix ineffective supporting personnel. Pain tolerance doesn't keep you healthy. But that this "pain tolerance" somehow translates into an effective athlete is a myth that is repeated over and over and over.
It has to stop.
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