Working with a gold medallist

Abi — 2010-03-10T16:01:23.1127836Z

Jenny Jones won gold again and had her highest tour ranking (2^nd) despite a severely swollen knee. She had a major ligament reconstruction in 2003 and since then has had some minor procedures to ‘clean out’ the joint and repair the cartilage. As a result her knee has lost some of its shock absorbing ability – not ideal when you are landing so heavily all the time! In addition Jenny has to look to the future in terms of prolonging her career and what happens beyond.

So the challenge has been to get Jenny in the best shape possible without further compromising the knee. This has involved regular manual treatment to the spine, pelvis, hips and the knee itself to optimise function allowing her to train as effectively as possible.

It has also involved managing swelling and joint pain as a result of bony bruising due to mistimed landings and training ‘crashes’ whilst honing her repertoire of tricks. Jenny now has a pretty good idea about do’s and don’ts when managing any swelling though she has an ‘open’ line to me for any advice, which was put to good use right up until her ‘Gold run’ in the X-games.

Her training incorporates a balance between strength and stability work, much of the time ‘off-loaded’ on soft crash mats or in sand. This allows her to keep maximal intensity without compressing the joint. She has developed ‘super strong’ quads and hamstrings, and fantastic global and local control of the knee, through strength and proprioceptive training which has allowed her to control her board more effectively.

Jenny has been able to increase the intensity of her training over the last 2 years and with this she has been far stricter on controlling her diet and rest time. All of these equally important factors have culminated in her most successful season ever. Jenny is a fantastic example of someone who has been able to improve her performance despite having injuries and a far from perfect joint because she has managed her training and physical condition appropriately.

Physio Tips

Working with a gold medallist