Tip 1

Follow your doctor’s and physical therapist’s instructions for rehabilitation and recovery. It can be tempting to push yourself too hard or try to “tough it out,” but this can actually prolong your recovery and increase the risk of re-injury. Trust the professionals who are helping you to heal, and follow their guidance for rest, stretching, and other treatments.

Tip 2

Gradually increase your mileage and intensity to avoid re-injury. It’s important to build up your strength and endurance gradually, especially after a break from running. Start with short, easy runs, and gradually increase your distance and intensity as you feel ready. Remember, it’s better to be safe than sorry – if something doesn’t feel right, don’t hesitate to take a break or back off.

Tip 3

Incorporate cross-training and strength training into your routine to build stability and support muscles. Running is a great workout, but it’s not the only way to stay fit. Cross-training activities such as swimming, cycling, or yoga can help to build strength and balance, while strength training exercises such as squats and lunges can help to support your running muscles. By incorporating these activities into your routine, you can come back stronger and more resistant to injury.

Tip 4

Don’t be afraid to seek professional help, such as a sports medicine doctor or running coach. If you’re struggling to recover from an injury or having trouble getting back into your training routine, don’t hesitate to seek out the help of a professional. A sports medicine doctor or running coach can provide valuable guidance and support to help you get back on your feet.

Tip 5

Take breaks and listen to your body to prevent overtraining and burnout. It’s important to give your body time to rest and recover, especially after an injury. Make sure to include easy days and rest days in your training schedule, and listen to your body if it’s telling you to take it easy. By taking care of yourself and avoiding overtraining, you can come back stronger and more resilient.

Running Injury Conclusion

Coming back from a running injury can be a challenging and frustrating process. With patience though, proper rehabilitation, and these 5 tips, you can come back stronger to tackle your running goals. Remember, it’s better to take the time to properly recover than to rush your return to the road. Your body (and your mind) will thank you in the long run.

The post Running Injury. 5 Tips for Coming Back Stronger appeared first on Run Tall.

Like most runners, I’ve had my fair share of running injuries over the years. These always follow a similar pattern of pushing too hard, not getting my body recover and over-training. In recent years I’ve experienced Achilles pulls, knee pain, plantar fasciitis, sciatic nerve pain and hamstring strain.

You would think I was wise to the signs to look our for now and take adequate measures but No! My mind overrules by body in wanting to push in search of performance gains. That being said, I have learnt to look after myself more through stretching, yoga and foam rolling through daily habits to keep flexible :-).

If any of the above sound familiars then like you are part of the majority every year that gets injured through running. Yale Medicine states that 50% of runners get injured each year although many other sources cite higher up to 80%! Runners are a stubborn bunch so the key is to look for the signs and plan accordingly, you may be best skipping a run if it prevents you needing to take 3 weeks off because you made it worse.

Before I share my advice I want to clarity I’m not a coaching or medical professional. I have gone through this time and time again so if anything if helping myself document the recovery, rehabilitation and rebuild process.

Stages of running injury grief

The stages of grief model can be applied to almost anything in life, from copying with death to being told a deadline will be missed in work. I find it helps put things in context, allowing you to move forward quickly into acceptance and problem solving phases.

I’m not going to talk through each stage as they are self explanatory. Relate the model to the last time you experienced disappointment, can you relate? As I write this, experiencing a hamstring strain I’m at stage 5 to find talking/writing about it helps :-).

What you can do?

Let’s move through stages 3, 4 and 5 quickly. You need to accept your injured and move forwards. This is all in context to the injury, how severe is your strain, pull, etc? Can you walk comfortably? You need to establish what movements aggravate the injury. For example, you may feel an Achilles pull walking up the stairs. Alternatively, you may feel sciatic nerve pain when sitting at a desk.

Be proactive in establishing the specifics of your injury. Research and seek professional advice if you are unsure as this will allow you to plan and move into problem-solving mode. A future plan may include a strengthening programme or a period of cross-training until you can restart running. This is about ensuring you have the right environment and support in place to come back stronger.

Cross-Training

Does your rehabilitation plan include cross-training? This is all in context to your running injury but this can be a great way to refocus your mind. Perhaps use the time to focus on your swimming technique or explore new areas on your bike.

Keep in mind your running injury and avoid aggravating it. Perhaps consider easier forms of exercise such as walking before building up to more intense cardio so you can ease your body back in. You want to cover and come back strong rather than delay your recovery further.

Planning for the future

Have a goal and plan then work against it. Base your day to day decisions on that goal to ensure you’re making the right decisions in your rehabilitation. Be aware of slowing down your recovery by being stubborn, exercise can be a drug it’s hard to step away from.

Before careful of an injury relapse by coming back too soon. 33% off runners who come back too quick and push too soon will relapse, take it easy especially on your first few weeks back. You need to let your body heal.

As I’ve said in this post, look to work with a physio and/or coach who can work with you during your rehabilitation and beyond. They are likely to be more knowledgeable and hold you to account. You know your body best though so know what signs to look out for :-).

One took I recommend, keep a diary. Write down how each run feels so you’re really reflecting on your training and questioning yourself.

The grief of a running injury may not be easy and may take time so surround yourself with knowledge and the best people to bring you back stronger, physically and mentally.

The post Coping with a running injury appeared first on Run Tall.

Whilst I don’t want to be a fun sponge, if you are neglecting self-care between runs you may be asking for a running injury! This is particularly relevant if you’re focused on building up to an event (i.e. marathon) or incorporating faster running into your schedule.

I’ve learnt the hard way after years of neglect, finding myself injured month after month. Making the same mistake of bouncing from one run to the next tight and locked-up. Finishing a long run then sitting for 8 hours at a desk!

Sound familiar? I’m not alone and according to Yale Medicine, 50% of runners get injured each year although many other sources cite higher up to 80%! I believe knowledge is power so keen to share my advice for looking after yourself, preventing injury and possible time on the sidelines.

What do runners get injured so much?

With so many runners getting injured every year surely education and awareness of self-care good practice is key. Despite the advancement in food, drink and technology which promise to prevent illness and injury runners keep getting injured, making the same mistakes as their predecessors. Not surprisingly, the most common injuries relate to your knees, legs, and feet. From my research there are three reasons why runners get injured:

• Structural Imbalances. This includes having one leg shorter than another, biomechanical issues, or having weakness/imbalance in muscles.
• Volume and Speed. When an individual goes too far or too far before their body is ready to handle. I’ve read this best summarised as “Metabolic changes vs. Structural Changes”.
• A Slip, Trip or a Fall. Whilst the other two are primarily the reason for self-care, I didn’t want to neglect that getting injured whilst out running can lead to issues where remedial is required.

What can I do to prevent running injury?

I highly recommend building in daily stretching habits to keep soreness at bay and injury creeping in. It doesn’t take very long to find advice on stretching and yoga for runners. For me though, it’s about finding a hook and building positive self-care habits. If you keeping forgetting to or your days pass by in a blink you may want to do read up on ways to make a habit. I highly recommended Atomic Habits by James Clear and The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg.

By searching YouTube you can easily find an array of stretching, foam rolling and yoga videos. I recommend looking for ‘follow along‘ videos so you can take your time and understand the correct way to hold a stretch. See the bottom of this post for my recommendations.

Remember, if you experience any kind of pain or discomfort when running, it’s best to perform a retrospective. When did you last run? Have you been increasing the distance and speed recently? Have you been stretching regularly? If the injury is preventing you from running I recommend seeing a chiropractor and getting a sports massage. At least to getting a second opinion to better understand remedial action(s).

If you do experience discomfort either during or after a run then I recommend immediately following the RICE protocol (Rest, Ice, Compressions, Elevate). Anti-inflammatory drug (like Ibuprofen) along with targeted exercises can also help you recover from many common running injuries, but take caution depending on the type of injury.

And don’t forget, cutting back on how often and how far you run will help you recover faster.

Minimise your risk of a running injury with these tips

Here are my recommendations for keeping injury free:

1. Warm-up before runs. Before you start running, perform a set of stretches and mobility stretches for 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Watch your running volume. Follow the 10% rule, so don’t increase your long run or weekly volume by more than 10% at a time.
3. Watch out for small niggles. Rest or attend to minor niggles so they don’t develop into a more serious injury. Seek professional advice if you are unsure remedial action.
4. Work on your running form. Poor running technique can increase the amount of stress on your body. Research good running technique and practice. I find filming yourself gives greater awareness of any poor form. In addition, tools such as a heart rate monitor can provide running dynamics feedback (i.e. velocity/balance).
5. Core strengthening. Build stability exercise routines into your week (i.e. planks, glute bridges or single-leg squats).
6. Cross Train. Adding some low impact workouts into your week such as cycling or swimming can help improve your aerobic fitness whilst giving your joints a break!

Can you recommend any stretching videos?

Well, yes I can – this is my go to which I revisit every month or so to check-in on my mobility.

The post How can I prevent getting a running injury? appeared first on Run Tall.