Running Injury Prevention and Recovery Tips

1. HEALTHY RUNNING

2. YOU CAN’T BUILD A HOUSE ON POOR FOUNDATIONS!

3. INJURY PREVENTION • Training • What are you doing? • Is it balanced? • Gradual loading • Weights • Drills • Flexibility • Core stability • Recovery / rest • Individual thresholds

4. Cause of injuries • Body type • Training factors • Fatigue • Surfaces • Shoes • Biomechanics

5. Biomechanics • Look at your trainers, have they collapsed. • Cushioning goes way before the outer • Pronation • Supination • Orthotics

6. What injuries do we get? • Lower back pain • Hamstring strains • Knee pain • Calf strains • Achilles tendinitis • Stress fractures • Shin splints • Plantar fasciitis

7. Lower back pain • Young – stress fracture • Disc • Facet joint • Non- specific • Biomechanical overuse

8. What to do? • Gentle lower back mobilisation exercises • Hip flexor stretch • Hamstring stretch • Core exercises

9. Hamstring strain • Due to lower back pain • Weakness of muscle • Poor core/ gluteal muscles • Poor posture • Tightness of muscle • Acute tear due to overload

10. What to do? • Acute tear RICE • Check lower back • Start gentle stretching • Posture • Strength • Core

11. Knee pain • Anterior knee pain • Iliotibial band friction syndrome • Patella tendonitis • Meniscus tears • Ligament tears • Articular cartilage damage • OA

12. What to do? • Asses biomechanics • Look at shoes • Muscle imbalance • Quad strength / range • Calf range • Decline squats if tendonitis

13. Calf strains • Overuse or acute • Due to lower back / nerve tightness • Biomechanics • Weak muscle • Achilles tendonitis

14. What to do? • RICE • Stretch strengthen • Assess biomechanics • Spikes! • Eccentric calf raises

15. Stress fractures • Lower back pars • Pelvis • Femur • Medial shin • metatarsals

16. What to do? • Rest • Cross train • Look at cause • Biomechanics • Overload/too much too soon • Bone density

17. Achilles tendinitis • Inflammation of the sheath of the tendon • Inflammation of the tendon increases with age • Biomechanics • Shoe tab • Overuse • Spikes and track work

18. What to do? • Look at biomechanics • Loot at calf strength 3x40 single leg raise on step before add speed work • Rest • Get treatment early • Warning signs are early am stiffness • Normally eases off when run • Gets worse and then hard to treat!

19. Plantar Fasciitis • Pain in the arch or heel of the foot • Look at biomechanics • Stretch the deep muscles that run under the foot • Back off

20. Stretching • If an area is tight it will only get more tight with running • Hip flexors • Hamstrings • Gluteal muscles • Calf 3 layers • Hold each stretch 30 secs

21. Nerve mobilisations • Comes form the spine • Can be tethered • Can cause tight muscles • Can cause pain • Sciatic nerve • Femoral nerve • Can be inflammed and form adhesions • flossing

22. Core stability • Strengthens the bits in the middle • Maintains neutral posture • Stops sitting when running • Allows the power muscles to do their job • Prevents injury especially of the spine

23. Weights • Like adding another cylinder to your car • If you don’t use it you loose it! • Study showed 8% improvement in running economy • More efficient neuromuscular pathways • Hills become easier • Fade less at the end of a race • Increased bone density • Redress muscular imbalances • Strengthens all the connective tissue as well as muscles

24. Recovery • Massage • Ice baths • Nutritional replacement • Warm down

25. Diet / Hydration • Replenish the body fluid immediately with an isotonic sports drink • Rapidly absorbed carbs e.g jelly babies, malt loaf, scotch pancakes • Have a sandwich with some protein e.g. tuna or cheese • Skimmed milk drink and a banana

26. Kit bag • Water • Isotonic sports drink • Dioralyte incase of dehydration • Packet of jelly babies • Sandwich • Banana • Ice pack • bandage