HEALTH
Gimme lots of hair… so I can keep running
Here’s a terribly sad tale about my RICHARD BERCUSON
hamstring injury and how the future of regenerative medicine may help. Last spring, while training for Ottawa Race
Weekend’s 10-km, I felt an uncomfortable tug in my right hamstring. It wasn’t the first time. Runners get injuries. Sort of like video game players get carpal tunnel, but minus the 3 am brain-dead part. I didn’t treat it. I ran the race, slowly
because of the injury, then added a 15 km event in June. By July, I knew it needed treatment.
Here we are, in the autumn, and I haven’t
really run much since the summer. I’ve seen three physiotherapists about the frustrating hammy, and I think this last one will do the trick. But I admit having some difficulty
acknowledging age and a decided lack of healthy fibroblasts are keeping me off the road. Frankly, I never even considered my fibroblast deficiency till I read about it. I just figured, as any normal male would, that I had an annoying and sometimes recurring injury and if I just toughened up and sucked it back, I’d get through it. Which is true – if I wasn’t a runner. Truer still if I wasn’t a wuss about it. If you look up fibroblasts, as I did,
you’ll see that these cells assist in the healing process. The science behind it is rather complicated. Without at least a really high mark in grade 10 level biology (not me!), you’re best not to be bothered. Trust me when I say you need healthy, virile fibroblasts to solve issues like muscle pulls or tendon strains. The problem is that aging, the sun’s
ultraviolet rays, and repeated injury can damage these cells. This is an issue for runners. I am older than yesterday (and hopefully will continue in that vein for some time), I run outside, and I have various muscle issues to show for it. No wonder my fibroblasts have taken a beating. I read about a Vancouver company
doing research on this. Solving the fibroblast problem would certainly help those with chronic soft tissue injuries. The repercussions are broad. Less work absenteeism due to minor injuries; a healthier society because of the ability to rejuvenate the fibroblast cells; and of course a happier, less whiny me trundling, injury-free, along pathways.
8 BOUNDER MAGAZINE
continued on page 32
www.bounder.ca
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