Running is one of the most popular physical activities in the world. However, it requires little expertise and equipment and can be very beneficial to our health, but unfortunately it also carries a relatively high risk of injury. In fact, one study found that almost half of all runners experienced injuries and pain. Another study estimates that runners injure nearly 18 people every 1,000 hours of running.
Novice runners are most likely to get injured. The most common injuries they experience are the lower body (Achilles tendon, shins, knees, etc.), often the result of overuse. You’re doing more than you can, or you’re not training with the right skills.
But that doesn’t mean that injuries are inevitable. There are many ways to protect yourself from injury. As long as you ignore long-standing ideas about the best way to do this.
Injury prevention myth
One of the common beliefs in the running community is that static stretching as part of a warm-up or cool-down can reduce the risk of injury. However, recent evidence suggests that stretching does little to prevent injuries. Running performance may even deteriorate in races of less than 60 minutes.
The belief that footwear is an important factor in whether or not it hurt a person may also not be true. Comfortable and well-fitting shoes are important to prevent small problems such as blisters and help with running performance, but there is little evidence that footwear alone reduces the risk of injury.
There is little evidence that shoes formulated based on foot posture reduce injuries. Studies using recruits during basic training have shown that there is little difference in the risk of injury regardless of the type of support a person’s shoes receive.
Evidence-based tips
If you don’t want to get injured, here’s the best evidence-based way:
1. Build strength
A recent study of Brazilian runners found that an eight-week training program focused on foot and ankle strength reduced the risk of injury by nearly 60% compared to the group without strength training. did.
Artem Varnitsin / Shutterstock
Exercise to prevent runner injuries is a relatively new concept, but such programs are also promising in other running-based sports such as soccer and volleyball, where overuse injuries are also common. In general, strength training should be done 3-5 times a week for at least 15 minutes in each session. Exercise should focus on building endurance, coordination and balance of muscles such as rushes and squats.
2. Does not recover between training sessions
Failure to recover between training sessions has been shown to lead to chronic fatigue or overtraining. This can cause poor performance, depressed mood, and muscle aches. These increase the risk of injury from overuse because the muscles and tissues of the body cannot be repaired and adapted between runs. The time it takes for a person’s body to recover during a run varies, but 36-48 hours is common.
Sleep is important for your body to recover and help it recover, so lack of adequate sleep or poor quality sleep can lead to overuse injuries. This is why it is important to get about 7-9 hours of sleep each night with proper nutrition.
3. Avoid being too early
Runners are often advised to follow the “10% rule” when training to avoid injury. This means that you should not increase your training load (running amount and intensity) by more than 10% each week. However, research shows that the 10% rule is less suited to reducing the risk of injury than significantly increasing the training load. Increasing up to 24% each week does not increase the risk of injury for novice runners.
On the other hand, a weekly increase in running volume of about 30% increases the risk of injury for novice runners. In practice, this means increasing your running load from 10km / week to 28.5km / week over a four-week period.
Given that injuries are usually the result of a combination of factors such as age, gender, experience, and injury history, the best way to avoid an injury is to learn how to listen to your body. Evidence is increasing. Recent studies have shown that a relentless passion for running is associated with an increased risk of injury. This may be due to the runner ignoring his body and avoiding the early warning signs of injury.
Being able to hear your body improves with experience. However, two studies show that people suffering from both knee and Achilles injuries could run without significantly exacerbating their pain or injury, as long as they listened to their body and made minor changes to their running style. rice field.
Although it is unlikely that a person will be completely injured, following these strategies may reduce the risk and severity of injury to some extent. If you get injured, it’s best to consult an expert. However, if the pain allows, other types of exercises (cycling, elliptical training, and even the use of strength training) may be available in the meantime to help you recover. And as you become more experienced as a runner, you may actually be less injured than at the beginning.
