With at least 50 million people (about twice the population of Texas) that run or jog every year in the United States each year, according to 2022 Statistic research, the odds that you, or someone you know, has ran for exercise at some point in your life is high.
When thinking about it, running is just falling and catching yourself repeatedly, and during warmer times of the year, you will see that people vary in how they accomplish this. Running requires leg strength, core stability, and cardiovascular endurance to keep up with the body’s demands when repetitively hitting the ground.
Given this demand that running places on our bodies, it may come as no surprise that over 50% of runners report some kind of injury each year. This may raise a few questions. First, “Are we as runners doing everything we can to set ourselves up for success?” Second, “Are injuries while running an inevitable part of this exercise?” Lastly, “Is there anything that can be done to help us avoid injuries while running?”
“Are we as runners doing everything we can to set ourselves up for success?”
In short, the answer to this question would be “No.” Runners, however, should not have this goal in mind either. It would be extremely hard to find someone who is doing everything they could and should do. That does not mean we can’t improve and strive to be better!
Thankfully, there are two remarkably simple additions we can make to our workout routine that will pay dividends throughout a runner’s journey: Stretching and Strength Training.
Stretching
If a list titled “What I Know I Should Do, But Don’t,” were to be made, stretching would likely be close to the top of most everyone’s. Please note, stretching every day for hours and hours is not what is being recommended. However, you may be surprised at how much better you feel if 2-3 times a week you took 20 minutes of intentional time to work through some simple stretches.
Strength Training
If a physical therapist was asked to pick one thing that all runners had in common when seeing them in a clinic due to an injury, most physical therapists would likely pick a lack of strength training. As mentioned, running is a very repetitive activity. This means that if there are any muscle weaknesses or postural imbalances, injuries are likely to follow.
The great news is that, like stretching, it can only take 20 minutes of intentional strength training a couple times a week to ensure runners stay injury free and feel their best. It is important to clarify that every person requires different amounts of strength training. This is especially true when a runner dealing with an injury first walks into a clinic. Someone who is dealing with a very bothersome injury will not be able to tolerate as much strength training as someone who is running injury free.
“Are injuries while running an inevitable part of this exercise?”
Like the first question, the answer to this one is, “No.” While it is hard to guarantee that adding strength training and stretching to your weekly routine will help you avoid an injury 100% of the time, it is one of the best preventative measures physical therapists have. There is one last running strategy that can be the biggest help while trying to avoid running injuries.
“Is there anything that can be done to help runners avoid injuries while running?”
The answer to this would be, “Absolutely!” In addition to the previously mentioned strategies, the last strategy that also goes a long way in the effort to reduce injuries while running is to avoid increasing miles too quickly.
This may seem obvious, but if right now you run once a week for a couple of miles, that is what your muscles, joints, and ligaments are used to. If next week you decide to increase your runs to five times a week and go five to six miles each time, your body will let you know you were not prepared for that drastic increase!
Finding the optimal progression to increase running frequency can require some trial and error. Some say that runners should never increase by more than 10% each week, but this can be too conservative for some people depending on one’s running background.
It’s important for you to go slow and listen to your body. If you’re not in a hurry to train for a scheduled race, then erring on the side of caution by only increasing by 10-15% each week might be a good idea. If you have been consistent with running the past few years and feel like your body is in decent running shape, then you can be more aggressive with your progression!
“I am currently dealing with an ache, pain, or injury…now what?”
There are many different treatment strategies used to get patients pain free and back to 100%. At Optimum Therapies, we’re unique in that we use Pilates movement retraining, which is incredible for runners to find the deeper issues that contribute to their pain. Strength Training comes easier once we learn how to stabilize our core while we move our arms and legs. Our physical therapists also work with runners every week to clean up form, decrease future injury impact, and help patients run faster or more efficiently.
Did you know that you can access any of our licensed physical therapists without a doctor’s referral? Direct access to a physical therapist gives you the right treatment, at the right time, in the right place. Always check with your insurance provider regarding insurance policy requirements. See your movement expert today!