Running Injuries

Running is great fun, and a joy to do, but running injuries are a common byproduct of running.

We run for the benefits of running, for the sense of accomplishment and control over our day and destiny it gives us. But when we run, we risk injury.

Learn how to protect yourself from injuries and long term layoffs by recognizing your body's early warning signs.

Here's the miracle cure for injuries: Don't get injured in the first place!

The best way to cure running injuries is to avoid them in the first place! It's obvious, but that's really the answer! (Don't worry if you're injured now, we'll get to you later!)

Running injuries have three main sources:

1. Worn out footwear
2. Ineffective stretching
3. No cross training

Let's take a look at each one.

Footwear

Shoes are the root cause of many running injuries. Shoes wear out as they age - especially shoes with gel or air cushioning systems. I find that the cushioning in a lot of these shoes is barely acceptable when new and then degrade rapidly. This can lead to a variety of foot, leg and knee injuries.

Keep track of your hours of running per week, at least roughly. We usually settle into a routine of running: mine is about four hours a week. If I've had my shoes for 20 weeks then I know my approximate hours and then I can calculate distance from that. Most shoes claim to be good for 500 miles or 800 kilometers. After that, the pain you may experience after a run might not just be due to age! Shoes wear gradually, so have a plan for periodic replacement!

Make sure your shoes have sufficient room in the toe box. If your toes are squished from side to side this can cause Morton's neuroma or numb foot.

You don't want to get these nasty side-effects from ill fitting shoes!

Heavier runners have more shoe challenges than lighter runners. I ran with a master's runner in his fifties - skinny as a rail - who wore a type of racing flat for all his training runs. He's never felt the need for cushioning. If you're not the "skinny rail" type, however, you may value and need more effective cushioning!

Stretching

Stretching is a key defense in the prevention of running injuries, and yet effective stretching is a real problem for me and for many runners! Stretching seems like such a waste of time, so we have to do some "Zen Trickery" to get in a decent stretch.

What I'm doing now is making stretching part of my workout: in other words a little less running and more stretching. Pre-run stretching is good if we do a few light stretches, but there is a limit to how much we can stretch before a run without risking injury.

The best time to stretch is right after your run. Try to take 20 minutes or so to stretch (this is where the Zen comes in!), and take your time with these key areas: hamstrings, quadriceps, and IT (Iliotibial) band. Strengthening exercises can be part of an effective stretching routine. For instance, working with the IT band is most effective if IT stretches are combined with strengthening exercises that help the IT band function.

Cross Training

Cross Train to prevent running injuries caused by overuse, and know where your limits are. Some people can run every day of the week, week after week. Others may only run a couple of times per week with out experiencing overuse injury. Since we're running for pleasure we can space our running workouts for maximum strength and enjoyment. Some people like a 20 or 30 minute run, others like a 90 minute or 2 hour run! The two hour runners need to be a lot more rested and recovered than the 20 minute runners.

Cross training does three things for us: It strengthens muscles complementary to running, cross training can give upper body muscles workout, and cross training can keep our cardiovascular condition in top shape. See the cross training page for more details!

Strength and Stability

New research results released in July, 2007 from the University of Calgary Running Injury Clinic suggest that hip pains after running can be attributed in many cases to weak hip muscles. What's more surprising is that (again!) in most cases knee injuries and lower leg pains are directly attributable to "weak hips"!

It sounds crazy, doesn't it? How can Iliotibial band (IT band) pains and knee pain be cured by strengthening the hip muscles?

Strong hip muscles keep the lower leg aligned with the upper leg after each footfall. When the hip muscles are weak the lower leg is mis-aligned on impact. Over thousands of strides, the stress adds up and lower leg injuries are the result. The Running Injury Clinic found that 92% of nearly 300 patients complaining of leg pain had weak hip muscles. After doing hip strengthening exercises 89% of patients reported a significant lessening of pain.

These three simple exercises use a medium resistance TheraBand. These stretchy bands are sold in medical supply stores and fitness equipment stores. Follow this link to see the Running Injury Clinic's hip strengthening exercises.

Develop a good sense of hearing - prevent running injuries before they start: listen to your body! One of the most valuable things I've learned as a master runner is to start walking if running is painful or just doesn't feel right. Most of the time when we're running everything just clicks, and we're running pain free. But sometimes we start to run and find we just can't hit a comfortable stride or pace. We may feel pain or discomfort that get worse as we get into the run. If that's the case we need to walk. This will help prevent running injures before they start and get us back to full speed faster!

What to do if you're injured now...

Here's the short answer: Get professional help, and help yourself to the best professional advice by these proactive steps:

1. Write down when the injury occurred, or when you first noticed it occurring. Were you running hills? Hills both up and down can bring out an injury in double time.

2. What about running intensity? Training for a race, stepping up distance?

3. What kind of surfaces do you run on? Where there any changes in that department? Going from paved surfaces to trails causes new stresses on the legs. The same is true if we used to bush trails and we switch to pavement - and that's a typical race day scenario.

4. What's your general physical condition? If you're packing five or ten extra pounds from a recent holiday season that can make a difference!

5. Take you shoes, or at least know the mileage on your shoes. If you were using new shoes when your injury occurred that's a significant clue!

6. If you use a heart rate monitor while running - and you should - has your average workout heart rate been higher or lower than usual. If you think your monitor is on the fritz - reading too high or too low - think again. I thought my Polar heart rate monitor needed a new battery because it was reading way to high. I was wrong. It was my heart that needed a tune up, not the monitor.

While you are documenting this information work your network of friends and runners and get a referral to a professional who likes working with active people. It's not hard to find a running doc!

If you've got a sore tooth you see a dentist, not a brain surgeon. The same holds true for running injuries. See a podiatrist for foot pain before you check in with your GP! Podiatrists, Chiropractors, physical therapists and massage therapists have the time to work with you and the training to know when to kick you up to the next level. They are experts at helping the body heal itself, and they often have more time to help you and give you individual attention.

Document your running injuries, network to find good professionals, and do what the pros suggest. That's the simple plan for a running recovery.

That's a summary of running injuires! And don't forget...