"On your mark," said the master of ceremonies at the race. As I stood among hundreds of eager 5K participants, I could feel that the collective energy of the group reflected our excitement and adrenaline. All around me were different people from different backgrounds and ages, and although we each brought different reasons as to why we were participating in the race, we had a shared sense of unity, and in our minds, we all had one common thought—to finish the race, whether we beat our personal best record or just made sure we came through the finish line ahead of at least one person.

As the gun went off to mark the start of the race, I remembered something that I recently read in a book. Western society views the mind and body as separate entities, even adversaries.¹ Westerners tend to think of the body as a slave that can be pushed at will. In contrast, Eastern philosophers stress the unity of mind and body, stating that body and mind are a team, communicating and working toward the same goal.¹ As I ran, I repeated a mantra in my head that both my body and mind were in sync to push myself to achieve my goal of running the entire 5 kilometers no matter how long it took. I've heard many times from runners that after a certain point of training, "it's all in the mind." On my way through the first half of the 5K, I noticed a few marathoners already heading toward the finish line. They had started their race 21¼ hours earlier than the 5K participants, and it was extremely motivating to realize that they had been dedicated and disciplined to run 26 miles that day. Needless to say, the evidence was all around me that day—it truly is all in the mind.

Oscar Pistorius exemplifies the concept of unifying the body and mind. Pistorius is a South African double-amputee athlete who began running 4 years ago. He has battled adversity all of his life but learned not to consider his artificial legs a hindrance (he even refuses to park his car in a spot for the disabled). He has set world records in the 100, 200, and 400 meters in Paralympic events. One of his life's dreams is to compete in the Olympics. However, track and field's governing body had ruled that he was ineligible to compete this summer in Beijing because of his "Cheetah" racing blades. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) stated that these particular prosthetic blades had a "demonstrable mechanical advantage (more than 30%) when compared to someone not using the blade."²

The IAAF based its decision on a study in Germany by professor Gert-Peter Brueggemann. Brueggemann found that Pistorius was able to run at the same speed as able-bodied runners on about a quarter less energy. The professor said that once the runners hit a certain stride, athletes with artificial limbs needed less additional energy than other athletes. He determined that the returned energy from the prosthetic blade is "close to three times higher than with the human ankle joint in maximum sprinting."²

In an unprecedented decision mid-May, the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned the international track and field federation's ban, stating that the carbon-fiber Cheetah Flex-foot prostheses did not provide Pistorius with an unfair advantage over able-bodied runners. Pistorius' case was supported by a study submitted by biomechanics and physiology experts from six universities. Now, the only thing left for Pistorius to do is qualify for a spot in the 400 meters race—no doubt he'll put his mind to giving his best effort.

How much of your patients' recovery is about the body and mind working together? I'd love to hear stories of how your patients overcame extreme rehabilitative challenges by unifying their recovery goals in both body and mind.

Arati Murti

References

1. Galloway J. Galloway's Book on Running. 2nd ed. Bolinas, Calif: Shelter Publications Inc; 2002.
2. Associated Press. Amputee sprinter ruled ineligible for Olympics. msn.foxsports.com/olympics/story/7658380. Accessed January 15, 2008.