Running is more popular than ever before. In fact the latest figures outline that there is 49.43% worldwide growth in Marathon running between 2008 and 2018. We are all aware of the various health benefits from running, including lower resting heart rates, decreased blood pressure and improved mood. However, like any sport there is a downside with the risk of injury. More specifically due to the repetitive component and higher volume of training loads, 17.8% of novice runners and 7.7% of recreational runners were injured per 1000 hours of running – Videbaek et al (2015) Incidence of Running-Related Injuries per 1000h of running in Different Types of Runners: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
– Calf pain
– Achilles tendon pain
– Heel pain (Plantar Fasciitis)
– Shin pain (Shin Splints)
– Knee pain (Runners Knee)
– Hip pain
– Lower back pain or stiffness
Certainly we see running related injuries in our clinics at ESP, and the one thing that they all have in common is that the runner is frustrated that they can’t run like they want to! So what can you do to reduce them from happening?
The immediate answer to this is that we can’t prevent all injuries from happening. Instead we must accept that if we are pushing to increase our running distances or break our previous times then the risk of encountering an injury is always going to be there.
Most musculoskeletal injuries are self-limiting by nature which means that they will get better in time if you are sensible with your recovery. However in those cases where you want to get better quicker or you are concerned that an injury is deteriorating or not getting better then why not come and see us for a physiotherapy screening.
At ESP we screen all our runners to assess what’s tight, stiff or weak. Because when you increase your training mileage or “load” slight problems or niggles can turn into bigger injuries which could stop you from running for a sustained period.
Once we establish the source of the pain then we work with you to design a treatment and conditioning program to help reduce pain and improve your performance. Commonly runners can be quite weak around the hips and feet so we strength test to establish weakness in the chain. Common areas for us to work on with runners are hip strength, foot mobility, hamstring strength, foot strength/control and calf endurance.
If you want to identify some of the issues you have and resolve them to become a better runner then call us on 01324 227 370 and book your own running screening and personalised program design.
