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You’ve embarked on a running program and you’re starting to reap the
benefits—reduced body fat, increased energy, a stronger cardiovascular system.
To make sure you stay on track, just follow a few simple guidelines to help keep
your running problem-free.
Like any strenuous athletic endeavor, running opens you to the possibility of injury.
Injuries associated with running typically involve overuse; the same body parts are
used over and over in the same motion until the repetition breaks down a weak point,
and an injury results.
Some runners are more prone to injury than others. The more biomechanically sound a
runner is, the less of a chance of overuse injuries. The more weight the runner is
carrying, the greater the chance of overuse injuries; repeated impacts on the feet
and legs are made more serious by the additional pounds being supported. Age and sex
can also be a factor in running injuries. Older runners are more prone to injuries
because bones gradually become more brittle and the joints and connecting tissues
less flexible. A woman’s wider pelvis causes a more radical angle of impact to the
ground when running; as a result women are more susceptible to certain leg and hip
problems than men are.
Here are some steps you can take to minimize overuse injuries:
- Buy good running shoes and keep them in good repair.
- Alternate your running shoes: Do not use the same pair every day. Remember,
a new pair of running shoes costs less than a visit to a podiatrist or orthopedist.
- If you can avoid it, do not run on concrete sidewalks. If you are running a
course where you have a choice between concrete sidewalks and an asphalt bike path
or roadside, always choose the asphalt. When you can manage it, do some of your
workouts each week on dirt or gravel roads to give your legs a rest.
- When you finish your run, walk for at least a quarter of a mile. When you complete
a race, walk one-quarter to one-half a mile for each five miles raced.
- After your run, while your leg muscles are still warm, gently stretch them. If you
have a particularly troublesome area (a weak left ankle, for instance), take a little
extra time to work on that area. While you are reading or watching television in the
evening, flex and unflex your legs and ankles at different angles in order to keep
them flexible.
- If you feel you are on the verge of an overuse injury (an Achilles tendon that
becomes progressively more stiff, for example), take a day off and treat the potential
injury. The rule of thumb is to apply ice for the first two to three days, and after
that, heat. Ice reduces the inflammation; heat increases the blood supply to the
affected part and thereby speeds healing.
- If you become injured to the point that it is painful to continue working out,
stop immediately and give the injured area time to heal, then come back gently.
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