March 13, 2015

Running seems like a simple activity. You lace your shoes up, plug-in your iPod, and run until your legs tell you to stop. Running can be a safe and healthy hobby, but if not done properly could result in serious injuries. That’s where Parkway Health & Wellness comes in. The College of Nursing and Health Professions recently opened a new state of the art running lab with the goal of preventing running related injuries and educational resources for runners in the Philadelphia area. 

On January 21, 2015, the College held the first lecture of a series, aimed at providing information to avid runners and helping to maximize their running performance. Over 60 participants attended the event with more than 20 additional participants joining via telecast. Participants learned the benefits and pitfalls of running, how to recognize running injuries, improving training strategies and strength programs, and the role of nutrition in attainting peak performance and proper recovery.

The program also included expert guest speakers like Robert Maschi, DPT, an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, Nyree Dardarian, MS, an instructor in the Department of Nutrition Sciences and the Director at the Center for Integrated Nutrition & Performance, and Ellen Casey, MD, a sports medicine physician at Drexel Medicine. Speakers offered their opinions on how to maximize running performance using a hands-on approach.

“The goal for this program was to provide information regarding how to recognize running injuries, when to seek medical treatment, training strategies to prevent injury and to improve running performance, including strength and plyometric programs and proper nutrition, and nutrition advice to aid race recovery,” said Maschi.

The running assessment program at Parkway Health & Wellness is available for runners and triathletes of all ages and skill levels. If you are looking to improve your running performance and learn how to prevent running injuries, the running assessment program at Parkway Health & Wellness can help. To learn more about the running program, click here.  

The next lecture in this series, “Everything you need to know to stay healthy before, during and after the Blue Cross Broad Street Run,” will take place on April 15^th from 6-7:15pm.  Contact Sheila Plungis at 215.553.7012 for more details.