Don’t Get Injured Running

Summer is around the corner and we know that a lot of individuals start hitting the pavement to shed the winter kg’s. However, this commonly leads to injuries as many individuals go too hard too soon. Here are some simple tips to help keep you moving and staying injury free this summer.

Check Your Shoes: Unfortunately those old pair of sneakers you purchased from Kmart 10 years ago wont do the trick, and many wonder why they start developing lower limb pain a week into their program. So before you start your running program it is important to get a good pair of running shows, Athlete’s Foot often have really good shoes. I would expect anything from $150 onwards to be a good pair.

Please No Hills: A lot of new injuries do occur because you’ve got a running routine that just has too many hills. It is great for cardiovascular fitness but unfortunately it places significant amount of demand on your lower limb, thus increasing your risk of injury. You put 5x your body weight through your knee as you go down and up stairs, so imagine running. Moral of the story is to stay on a flat surface for the first couple of months then gradually progress your incline as you improve.

Slow And Steady Wins The Race: Unfortunately running a marathon on your first day wont get you fitter in fact it’ll increase your risk of injury. Going from zero to hero is the worst thing you could do. Small gradually increments (5-10%) each week with distance or time is recommended. Rapidly increasing your training volume the greater the risk of injury.

When Was Your Last Service: Do you have a lingering injury from last football, netball season, but haven’t done anything about it? A previous injury and body asymmetry are the number 1 and 2 major causes of injury. Not doing anything about a previous injury will often lead to body asymmetry. As a previous injury can leave scar tissue, reduce your flexibility and decrease your strength, thus increasing your risk of injury.

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