How to Avoiding Injury While Running
Running is a very enjoyable, healthy, and effective form of exercise with many benefits over other forms of exercise. You do not need any specialized equipment to run but you do need to be careful in how you do so in order to avoid injury and the necessary treatment.
Injuries are, unfortunately, a part of running – whether you do so on a competitive level or as a form of physical exercise.
Most running injuries can leave you laying in bed for a relatively long period of time. Therefore, injury prevention and treatment for runners is crucial.
Should you need treatment, physiotherapy is a great form of therapy to correct your injuries and facilitate recovery.
Common Running Injuries
Running injuries are something most people don’t pay attention to since they tend to heal with a little rest. However, these regular looking injuries could gradually progress into a major health issue that will hamper your mobility.
These common injuries occur when you exert too much pressure on your legs. Hence, it should be remembered that there is a fine line between pushing yourself and pushing your luck.
Here are some common injuries you may suffer if you overexert yourself while running:
Blisters
The heels, toes, and balls of your feet are the most commonly affected areas during running. They are caused by prolonged friction that produces a force between layers of skin. If left untreated, blisters can lead to serious medical issues such as ulceration and infection.
Runner’s Knee
Runner’s knee affects up to 10% of all runners. Runner’s knee is also referred to as Ilio Tibial Band Friction Syndrome.
In this condition, you feel pain on the outer side of your knee joint and may radiate up to your thigh. The knee pain caused by runner’s knee is only present during running and settles when you rest.
Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar Fasciitis is a condition in which inflammation of the Plantar Fascia – a fibrous sheath that runs through most of the length of the sole of your foot – causes pain in the heel.
The pain usually radiates inside the sole of your foot and is typically present in the morning.
Achille’s Tendinopathy
Due to rigorous exercise and running, your tendon, which forms the lower part of the calf muscle, will degenerate. Your tendon may lose its normal tensile strength and may be liable to rupture with continued running.
The affected tendon may appear thickened compared to the unaffected side.
Injury Prevention
Running is a high-impact activity that can cause damage to your body, especially your knees, if not done right. As you get older, the mesiscal cartilage in your knees starts to wear down and the bones come in direct contact with each other.
Instead of waiting for an injury to occur and then treating it, you can take certain measures to ensure that those injuries do not happen in the first place. In order to avoid running injuries, follow these prevention tips:
Start Slowly
The first step to avoiding running injuries is to start running slowly. In the first few weeks, it is better that you do not put too much pressure on your body. Start by running slowly and for short distances.
You may experience soreness or pain in your leg muscles or joints. If the pain persists, seek the advice of a physiotherapist.
Run on a Level Surface
Running on level surfaces helps prevent injury in runners. Running on uneven surfaces puts extra pressure on your knees. There is also the possibility of twisting your ankle when running on uneven surfaces.
Strengthen Your Muscles
Another step in injury prevention is to strengthen your leg and hip muscles. For this purpose, you need to do strengthening exercises.
Lifting weights can increase structural fitness which benefits your bones, ligaments, tendons, and muscles. Strengthening also helps you to keep a good balance while you run.
Ensure that you warm-up and stretch yourself before you start strength exercises.
Don’t Overexert
While you want to run as fast as possible, avoid overrunning. If your body is not able to keep up, it is better to stop. Also, make sure you rest at least one day a week.
Pushing yourself beyond what your body can handle is not good for your health. It can lead to a twisted ankle, hamstring or another running injury.
How to Treat Running Injuries
If you do get injured while running, it is important to seek physical therapy treatment. Physiotherapists are specialized in helping people get back on their feet following running injuries.
Should you experience any of the common injuries mentioned above, or any other physical injury related to running, a physiotherapist will aid your recovery with regular exercises designed to heal your legs, ankles, and feet.
A physical therapy treatment ensures that you are able to get back on the running track as quick as possible.
Prevention is key when it comes to avoiding injuries while running. If you have any questions about avoiding running injuries or having them treated, please contact InHome Physical Therapy and Massage for more information.
Our friendly and professional physiotherapists are available to visit you in-home to aid in your recovery. We are proud to serve the Edmonton and Calgary areas.
