Running without injuries
Exercising regularly decreases the chances of obesity which can lead to serious health problems. The most common form of exercise is running. Running looks easy, feels great, but can hurt your joints and muscles.
From your first time attending a fitness center, or exercising outdoors, there are many ways you can injure yourself. This can happen by not wearing the proper footwear, not properly trained or just simply pushing yourself too hard. The most common form of exercise is running.
How do you avoid common injuries?
Cory-Ann Freeman, a certified athletic therapist and a former marathon runner answered an online Q&A discussion, today.
A common injury when running is shin splint. Freeman suggests “Immediately rest and ice (20 mins on, 20 off repeat) following the injury, find out what caused it. Was it your shoes? Was it doing repeats of hills (a frequent factor is the impact from going downhill) Stretch the front of your calves often and make sure you do a proper warm up.”
Runners tend to have IT an issue which is a layer of connective tissue extending from the iliac crest to the knee and links the gluteus maximus to the tibia. This is caused when excessive friction between the Iliotibial Band and knee (or hip) bone.
Freeman comments, “Most surfaces have some sort of curve to them to allow for runoff and we tend to always run in the same direction thus resulting in stress on the outside of our “inside” leg (the one closest to the curb). Stretch your entire lower body, but really focus on stretching the IT band post-run and piriformis.”
When running, should you stretch before or after or both?
Freeman suggests that you it might be a good idea to start with a slow run to build your heart rate and then do a stand up stretch afterwards. However some people could disagree. There are benefits to doing this, but it’s ultimately up to the runner.
To decrease some of your chances of possible injuries, replace your shoes often. Freeman suggests every 800 to 850km. With that being said she suggests that you look at your shoes for wear and tear. Some runners are hard on their shoes and they may need to replace sooner.
Running is a great way to build strength, endurance, and maintaining a healthy body, but there is more to being healthy. Eating right, exercising, and lifting weights will help carry out a healthy lifestyle. If there is any advice to give, it’s listening to your body, and use proper footwear.
