Running Injury Prevention and Training Strategies

—From Dr. Tristan Malin, PT, DPT at Langford Sports & Physical Therapy

Running is one of the simplest ways to get cardiovascular exercise; it requires no equipment other than shoes; you can do it just about anywhere, just about any time, and it doesn’t require a tremendous amount of innate athletic ability. All of these factors, combined with an enjoyment of the act, and an appreciation for what it instills in me, is what first drew me to running.

As beautiful an act as running is, it is not without its downside: incidence of running related injury is high, especially with those who are new to running, those training for a race or event, or those who have had injuries in the past. Often, these injuries are due to training errors (increasing weekly mileage too quickly), but they can also be due to underlying impairments (i.e. weak or tight muscles, poor posture or running gait).

Back in February, I put together a community presentation through our MoveTru series, about training strategies to help prevent running related injuries. I wanted to take this opportunity to recap some of the big takeaways and post some (hopefully) helpful information here for runners who are interested in increasing their running volume or improving their training regimen, or even people looking to start running for the first time.

First, addressing basic running training principles: The human body is a very adaptable machine and capable of achieving amazing feats of strength and endurance, but if you ask any power lifter, triathlete, or ultramarathon runner, they will tell you that getting to that level of physical performance does not happen overnight; it happens over months or years of disciplined and dedicated training. Gains (in strength, cardiovascular fitness) are made through stressing tissues or physiological processes, causing them to get stronger or better as a response. Too much stress, or not enough recovery time between performances can cause progressive irritation, injury and eventually weakening of those same tissues – we’ll call this overuse or overtraining.

For this reason, it is important not to increase your volume or intensity of exercise too quickly, and to allow for adequate recovery time between sessions. There are no hard and fast rules about how much of an increase in weekly mileage is safe – the traditional belief is that increasing your weekly mileage by 10% is a safe way to go, although this is likely conservative side. As for recovery time, the principle should be that you are not running through discomfort or consistently experiencing discomfort (more than muscle soreness) after a run, or increasing discomfort with successive runs. It is often helpful for people to engage in active recovery, which can include yoga or stretching, foam rolling, using a percussion gun, etc., as a means to speed recovery and improve comfort.

Second, for the individual who loves to run, but doesn’t love going to the gym or doing resistance training, sorry, but it is paramount to have some form additional exercise in your routine, even if for no other reason than to support your running. In most cases this could be a short condensed program of a few strengthening exercises, some plyometrics, and balance or flexibility work done just 2 days per week on off days from running, or on shorter run days. These exercises should promote strength and stability of the legs, hips, and core, as well as train the body to absorb impact efficiently. These should ideally involve some form of squats (preferably single leg), deadlifts (preferably single leg), heel raises (preferably single leg), and plyometrics (preferably single leg). See a pattern? For any program designed to support running, there should be an emphasis on training single-leg strength and stability as that is the essence of running.

The exact exercises that are right for any person will depend on that individual’s strengths/weaknesses, history, and natural ability. A Physical Therapist can help you identify your specific needs and develop a program that is tailored to you.

Lastly, for those who have had injuries in the past, there are often subtle (sometimes not so subtle) changes in running gait or posture that can develop as a means to avoid pain, but can persist even after the original pain has subsided. Running gait assessment can help identify deficits here and often time, making small changes to running gait can drastically change the way the running feels.

If you are currently running, or considering starting running, there are additional things you should be doing to compliment running, and that will likely make you a better, more successful runner.

If you currently have an injury, or have stopped running in the past due to an injury, just resting is often not enough to fix the issue; oftentimes there are underlying impairments, which will need to be addressed before/as you return to running. It is recommended that you see a PT who can assist you in your return to activity.

There are many different injuries that affect runners, but even with a solid diagnosis, most people will benefit from a PT evaluation and assistance with creating a home program to address any weaknesses or impairments. If you struggle with pain that is preventing you from achieving your running goals, please don’t hesitate to call us, (505)-266-3655 and set up an evaluation, so we can start working toward those goals.

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Dr. Tristan Malin, PT, DPT is a caring, talented physical therapist at Langford Sports & Physical Therapy. Dr. Malin enjoys working with "patients of all ages and from all backgrounds, from youthful amateurs to seasoned veterans."

Tristan's tip for success in physical therapy is to remember how important positive thinking can be. Tristan says, "I believe that to heal the body, you must be in the appropriate mental state, and that negative emotions and stress can be major barriers to recovery."

Tristan enjoys running as well as cooking and eating healthy meals. He splits his time between work, trying to stay in shape, and his true passion: his family.

What if you’re hurt, or can’t do these movements well or without pain?

Let us know. We would be happy to help you, through individualized physical therapy with our experienced physical therapists. Contact us today to get started! Remember, you might not need a referral to see a physical therapist, so call our office today and see how you can get started. Have a wonderful ski season!

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In case you were overwhelmed by the amount of information that was presented, follow our blog online or find us on Apple News for regular updates. Our next article will have some exericises you should include in your training program to reduce your risk of injury.

Thank you again, and please be sure to swing back in, either to see a PT for an injury, work with Julie for an injury risk screening, or to try a MovNat class or run on the AlterG.