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Last Updated: 2 Apr 2018 - 8:45:17 PM |
Interview with Karen Doyle - Physical Therapist.
By IrishCycling.com / Karen Doyle
16 Mar 2010,
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Karen has been contributing injury articles to IrishCycling.com and works with competitive cyclists at local and national level. Her clinic is based in Booterstown Co Dublin.
IrishCycling.com: So Karen, how did you get involved with working with cyclists?
Karen Doyle: I got involved initially through friends who cycle seriously and who come to me for Physical Therapy when injured or for rubs when the training load increases. In 2008 the Dundrum Orwell team was looking for a therapist to accompany them on the Rás so I offered to join them. From there I ended up accompanying the National team on the Rás last year (2009), which led to me working with them regularly at training camps and other competitions. It’s really enjoyable work. I’ve worked with the Junior, U23, Elite Male and Female squads, and it’s great to meet everyone and to get to know them and their legs! I get asked a lot of questions in clinic or at training camps about cycling related injuries, so I decided to do the articles to create a resource for cyclists out there to help answer questions they might have, or give them an idea how to prevent injury.
IC: What was the highlight of the last year for you?
KD: There’s been a few, with the National team, the Track World Cup in Columbia was great. The atmosphere at the event was brilliant, it was an interesting country to stay in, and the lads were great to work with. On the other hand, working with one of my clients in the clinic who got injured a few weeks out from the Rás, and getting them back on the bike and out racing was really rewarding.
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| Karen Doyle Physical Therapist for the Irish National team on the FBD Insurance Rás 2009 |
IC: Do you cycle yourself?
KD: I’ve been cycling for years, not out racing or with a club but commuting mainly, going for some spins to train for adventure races and doing some mountain biking.
IC: Have you been tempted to get out racing?
KD: Sometimes, I’d love to give the track a go, but the thoughts of the turbo if I were to take cycling seriously would put me off! Seriously though, I'm into rock climbing and mountaineering in a big way so that takes up most of my time, as well as training for hill runs and adventure races.
IC: What sort of treatments do you offer?
KD: I offer two types of treatments; Physical Therapy, which is suitable for treating injuries. It’s a combination of assessment, hands on treatment (soft tissue work, mobilisations), Kinesio taping and rehabilitation exercises. I’ll be doing laser treatment from April, and I also do orthotics.
The second treatment type is sports massage, which is suitable for recovery after training or racing, getting rid of heavy legs, or dealing with niggles such as stiff necks or low back pain from the bike. It’s also brilliant for injury prevention and keeps problems like ITB syndrome at bay. It helps me keep an eye on the athlete and let them know if there are imbalances or problems developing that need to be addressed and I then give them exercises or more specific treatment to address them.
While I work with a lot of competitive cyclists and triathletes, I also work with non sporting clients who have problems such as back pain, DIY shoulders, neck and shoulder pain from working on a computer all day, or working with clients who have arthritic aches and pains.
IC: What topics will your next articles deal with?
KD: I’m not sure, I might do one on Kinesio tape as there‘s a lot of interest in that at the moment, there’s also been a request for an article on stretching, and I still have to cover back pain.
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