seven

Why are there so few duathlon races around?

SAM Some more info will help with a more informed answer: - How old are you? - Why is the knee shot (is it for example from rugby injuries back in the day, previously torn menisci/ligaments, previous surgery, or a recent traumatic event (e.g. MVA))? - What about the other knee, is that fine? - Your weight will play a role, as the prosthetic knee will wear. To answer some of your questions based on the response of "the above average physically active arthroplasty patient": - Should you be able to stand whilst pedaling? - Yes, it will (should) not be limited by the prosthetic, but by the rehab you did post-op, and the strength you have gained in your quads and glutes. - Does it enable perfect cycling? - Based on the points listed above, you should be able to cycle again with little or no problems. Cycling is generally prescribed to active patients (like runners) who had a replacement and should not return to running. Some pertinent questions/comments you should consider: - Should you return to MTB? Yes, you may (should) be able to, but perhaps you should stick to road. Depending on the surgical approach, some of the prostetic parts may become dislodged during a high-inpact crash (and the risk is greater in MTB than Road) - If you do want to return to cycling, ensure that you get your cleat setup 100%. You MUST get something with lots of float (perhaps speedplay) to allow better biomechanics in the replaced knee to minimise wear. The surgical technique (alignment of the new prosthesis with the femur, and the tibia) makes an enormous difference and could prevent you from ever cycling again. Even though this is planned out in advance by the surgical team, it is not always viable in-theatre to do what was planned, so they may need to compromise. This will allow a better functinal knee, but that "function" may not include a large amount of cycling. (Keep in mind this is the exeption rather than the rule). - The prosthetic knee has a limited lifespan, and one can typically have one revision in a knee. If that knee is abused it will wear faster. (abuse is not the same as use). A knee generaly will last 10-15 years. With regards to getting the surgery now or later? Depends on the rest of your body (see all the questions at the beginning of this post), and how much pain you currently have. Will 2 artificial knees last you for the rest of your life? I hope this helps. [if you want I can put you in contact with a surgeon in the Jhb area that plans and performs the surgery based on 3D modeling pre-operatively with completely customised prosthetic replacements based on your MRI findings.] PM me if you want to discuss in private. Good luck!

Jip

I used XT dual control on previous bike, loved it. If it was 10 speed I might have been interested...

Hi Kacourek If the procedure goes according to plan with no complications you should be fine for progressive (almost unrestricted, if you don't have symptoms) training from 6 weeks. With the decreased load on the heart you should also feel a lot better and stronger during training. I know its a scary thing, but you should be much better off afterwards (with regards to your training too!) (PS. I have done post-grad course in cardiac rehab in the UK, and have had a similar pathology myself - but am much younger than you) Good luck!

Yes... I saw that. For R10 per serving there are much better stuff available on the market! If you can manage the taste - PeptoPro is excellent

Sports drinks are classified with all the other "food supplements". There is no legislation regulating this, and you do not need to put the actual ingredients on the label. http://www.drugfreesport.org.za/ might be of interest to some.

I've used it, and prefer it above many of the others. But I think its personal preference. It is expensive though - you need 2 scoops per serving, so there are only 8 servings per container (R7.50 per serving) - you might as well buy Kaspari for that price...

Agree with Wil6. Hydration is very specific, and I think dehydration is blamed for way too many things... General rule - drink to thirst. Guesswork on the pain: 1) neck muscle overworked and too weak for cycling extended periods (especially cause your not used to carry the weight of your helmet). As you get train more and get fitter, neck muscles also get stronger and pain subsides. Lay off for a while, and you start again. 2) buff/helmet pressure 3) sunglass pressure (as mentioned by most posts)

Depends it you want lactate threshold etc. You can contact UJ (Biokinetics department). Ask for Dirk Jordaan Details: 011 559 1299 Biokineticist =true&lightbox[width]=488&lightbox[height]=535"]dirkj@uj.ac.za

Agree with the new formula.. looks like its based on allometric scaling, so it takes out some of the issues with the outer range of the normal population Think it will take some time before this starts being the norm though

Doesn't sound like gout. Gout would usually affect the big toe first [or at least then the distal (furthest joints first)]. It is also usually bilateral (both left and right side of the body] hayleyearth, if I look at the circle in the pic it looks like medial epicondylitis (same as tennis elbow, but on the inside of the elbow, also called golfer's elbow.. if you want to read up on it and see if it matches your pain)

In the US they have to comply with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines. In SA there is nothing like that. They have been trying to get it going, but as it stand currently you can advertise what you want, put whatever you wnat on the labels, and do not need to prove anything. The consumer protection act is supposed to look at this, but can't see that happeing soon. A possible reason for the runs might be an 'overdose' of one of the types of Carbs in the drinks. One typically have an upper limit for absorbtion in the gut, and if you exeed this in your drink, your body will "get rid of it" - either up or down... Some brand put in large concentrations of carbs to supposedly increase endurance, but you cannot absorb the quantities of carbs, leaving you with the trots... Optimal concentration of 6-8% carbs, depending on the type. This concentration can be safely pushed up by combining various types of carbs (glucose/fructose/sucrose/galactose), but generally Fructose is very poorly handled by most GITs during exercise.

It completely depends on what you want to get out of it. Yes, it doesn't account for muscle mass, but that is not what it was developed and validated for. It comes from long-term epidemiological studies "predicting" your risk of heart problems/strokes/diabetes/etc. It is not developed, and have never been intended to be used by the active/sporting population. For these intended purposes it is very accurate, and no - it is not simply a way for the medical aids to charge you more. As with all predictive formula, if you are at the extremes of the population (weight/fitness/activity level/height/age/etc) ALL predictive formula will be out. For the average population (and remember the "average" person in SA, and the rest of the world HATES exercise), the BMI is perfect for PREDICTING RISK. THAT is ALL that is good for, nothing more, nothing less.

Bigger gears/longer crank arm will both lead to overuse, but having the exact same gear/crank arm length but increasing the wheel size (26-29) will have the exact same effect. Would suggest you stay off hard cranking for a while. *PS. The medial plica syndrome Trivium spoke about is really uncommon, but if the knee pain persists, then have an ultrasound done to look for the plica

Reading all the posts I don't think it (posts related to knee pain going from 26 to 29er) is related to bike setup. The effective gearing chages between a 26 and 29" bike because of the bigger wheels. This typically overloads the muscle-tendon system for the Quadriceps... resulting in tendon-related "failure"

We are comparing lots of different things there that do not all have the same aim or mechanisms. 1. Ice baths/Icing an injury/compression socks These all work by decreasing bloodflow. That is the aim. The decreased bloodflow reduces the amount of inflammation and swelling one gets after prolonged/high intensity exercise. You would want to do this in the 1st 24/72hrs (after an injury for example). To allow the cold te penetrate through all the fat under the skin and actually get to the muscle, cold therapy needs to be sustained for a significant period (>15'). 2. Heat/massage (especially deaper massage) should only be applied after 72hrs (once inflammation has subsited) - the idea with this is to increase bloodflow to allow better repair of the damaged muscle. An alternative with this is to use combination clod/heat which will also increase bloodflow. Answer: Ice batch do help - but its probably more psychological, EXCEPT on multi-day/really high intensity stuff where you get a lot of muscle damage (e.g. Epic) - then its probably an absolute must!

I agree - with calcification none of the other stuff will really help... There was abnormal bone growth (calcification, or also called spurs or osteofites) that pokes into the tensons/muscles... Its like stabbing a needle into it. For some stuff surgery is the only viable option - but diagnosis is key

Most of the surgeons listed here are brilliant... Ponky, Vikesh, Vardi, Spike, Furgeson. These surgeons very often assist each other, so they are very similar. Their techniques are very similar (depending in what needs to be done)... There is a bit of differnce in techniques and approaches between the Joburg vs CT/Dbn guys for stuff like ACL recons.

I agree. Surgery is the last option. Surgeons will sometimes do 'investigatory surgery' with a scope to try and find the problem if other tests (MRI etc) are inconclusive. Be careful with too many cortisone injections. Yes, it makes you feel better very quickly (because its an analgesic), but it breaks down connective tissue which could lead to full ruptures. It also completely stops inflammation - great to stop pain, but healing is dependent on normal inflammation, and cannot occur if inflammation is completely blocked. One of the comments mentioned a tendon rupture as a slap lesion. Its not the same thing - the SLAP refers a tear of the Labrum (cartilage cap around the socket of the joint) which provides some stability, etc. I had a severe rotator cuff disruption and some other issues several years ago after a climbing incident. Only thing that keeps me going is specific rehab exercises from Biokineticist. If I stop, pain is back, if I do my exercises, I am fine.. I would suggest you start with a good Physio/Bio with additional training in Sport, or with a Sports Physician. I agree, John is a VERY good start... Good luck.

Sounds like the achilles tendon is a bit inflamed. Is probably a 'normal' response to laying off and then overdoing it.

Jip... Will depend on which 'part' of the nerve impinges - could be sensory, or motor (muscle) part that is affected. You also have different areas of the leg/foot served by different nerves

Don't think the 212-230 is due to coffee Perhaps other electrical interference or battery running low on HRM/Strap

Doesn't sound like "dropped" metatarsal, and don't think its foot related. Could be due to tightness in the nerves running from your back to the leg/foot. Ask a Bio/Physio for some neural streches.

It takes roughly 4-6 weeks to normalise all the blood components. Its basically the reverse of blood doping... The initial 2/3 days that you feel really bad is due to the blood volume (fluid) that is lost. You replace this fairly fast, that is why you feel better after about 2 days. Red blood cells (that carry oxygen) are also lost, and they take several weeks to normalise... So if it is a big event, donating would probably affect you for up to about a month after.