Injuries from Running

Did you know that according to studies, more than 60% of runners have chronic injury problems. Despite significant research into the subject and popularity of the sport that is higher than ever, we still have these high injury numbers. While the medical science doesn’t offer us much in the way of help for standard “how-to’s” when it comes to running, there are some common-sense and easy-to-follow tips for keeping yourself running injury free.

1.  Know your limits: especially if you are a new runner, be careful of your body. Studies suggest that every runner has an “injury threshold” or a mile limit after which point your body no longer holds up as well to the stress that running puts on it. As you are amping up your miles for a race, remember to increase your mileage by no more than 10% each week and you’ll reduce your chance of injury.

2.  Listen to your body: when you get hurt, even if it’s just a minor injury, it is your body speaking to you. Listen to it and make a active decision to work through the pain slowly and carefully or halt your run and take a rest. You should never completely dismiss something that hurts; you’ll end up seriously injuring yourself.

3.  Embrace Strength and Cross Training: keeping your body balanced and strong is one of the best thing you can do to keep yourself in tip-top running shape. Use weight to keep your muscles strong and lean. Conditioning exercises like swimming and yoga will help keep your body strong and aligned.

4.  Supplement Running with RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation as a form of treatment for mild injuries and pain works. Live it, love it, and embrace it as a tactic for keeping your body healthy and injury free.

5.  Get Shoes that Fit: there is a lot of controversy about what shoes are best but it all goes down to a few simple principles. What is your foot shape? Do your shoes offer support for your foot shape? Do your shoes fit properly without any slipping, sliding, or gaping? Do you replace them every 300-500 miles? Just like anything else shoes wear out and you want all the support you can get!