Race Medical Coverage for the Toronto Waterfront Marathon
The Toronto Marathon brought together runners and running enthusiasts from across the country. Over 10,000 runners participated at the 46th Toronto Marathon on Sunday May 7th, 2023 and is an incredible race and contributor to many charities in Canada. The event started from Yonge Street and Sheppard Avenue for the full marathon with shorter routes along the way for the half marathon, 10 K, and 5 K run and walk towards the Queen Elizabeth Building near Lakeshore. Runners and running enthusiasts with diverse level of physical literacy and experience celebrated the passion for active living in the culturally diverse
city of Toronto.
The Role of LiveActive Sport Medicine at the Marathon
The LiveActive Sport Medicine team had the pleasure in assisting medical coverage for the participants experiencing musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries. Running can be physically demanding even for the most elite athletes. Running imposes significant amount of force to the muscles and joints in the body with greater distribution in the lower limb. Thus, providing sideline assessment and treatment of the MSK injuries are crucial in providing a safe marathon
experience.
Our team used a multi-disciplinary model of care by providing healthcare professionals from physiotherapy, chiropractic, and chiropody to help address MSK injuries at the event. The staff who participated at the event include; Laura Desjardin (Chiropodist), Katelynn McPherson (Physiotherapist), Dr. Ashkan Malekdanesh (Chiropractor), and Malia Rimrott (Physiotherapist).
Common Running Injuries LiveActive Treated at the Race
The clinicians and therapists treated various MSK injuries at the event. Located at the finish line, the LiveActive team was in place after athletes were triaged in case of emergency. Paramedics, emergency nurses, and many other medical services were all in place to handle any emergencies and did a fantastic job providing first aid and helping athletes get home safely.
Injuries particularly in the lower limb were undeniably a common cause of pain and discomfort particularly among the novice runners.
The most common injuries include the following:
- Patellofemoral pain syndrome
- Inversion ankle sprains
- Quadriceps and hamstrings tendonitis
- Medial tibial stress syndrome
- Patellar tendinitis
- Stress fractures
- Muscle spasms/cramps
Injury Prevention of Common Running Injuries
Many of the non-traumatic injuries treated at the event could have been prevented or minimized with individualized program of care consisting of strength and conditioning, manual therapy, and patient education. The runner’s program at LiveActive Sport Medicine Clinic is not only designed to address various injuries associated with running, but to also help runners maintain their health and performance via injury prevention strategies. Whether you are an elite runner, or planning to run your first marathon, the runner’s program at LiveActive will help get you there.
For more information on LiveActive’s Running Program, you can sign up here for Pre-Launch information.
We thank and appreciate the tremendous effort of all volunteers and staff who took part in facilitating the 2023 Toronto Marathon. We at LiveActive Sport Medicine Clinic continue to provide our support within our communities across the GTA. We look forward to see you at the next run.
