The most common running injuries which athletes and ordinary runners encounter are Iliotibial band friction syndrome, Achilles tendonitis, runner’s knee, plantar fasciitis, ankle sprain, athlete’s foot, shin splints, bursitis, groin pull, stress fracture, and heel spurs.
Stretching and Exercises
This is the most important rule when it comes to avoiding running injuries. Runners usually develop and experience extreme tightness in their muscles such as the calf muscles, shin muscles, hamstrings and quadriceps. Thus these areas should be stretched before and after the activity.
Tips for Beginners
In case you are new to the concept of running as an exercise, you are advised not to run too far and too soon. You should start with shorter distances and for a shorter time period and then you can increase the workload as you get more experienced. It is very important that apt running form is maintained. As a beginner you should try and avoid hard and difficult runs initially.
Get the Routine Right
Majority of injuries related to running actually happen due to the fact that athletes tend to over train. In order to eschew these unwanted occurrences, you should avoid overworking too fast too soon. You are advised to allow your body getting used to your routine. You should try and increase the speed and mileage but it must be increased gradually and not in a haste. Note that a sudden surge in mileage will surely result in you to end up in a break down. Instead you should remember that mileage is best increased by about 10 percentages per week. Devote a day or couple of them every week for resting your body and avoid getting engaged in any form of running activities. Give the body some time when it can recover and strengthen itself.
The Running Gear
Wearing suitable running shoes is very important. Bear in mind that your running shoes need to undergo regular and timely replacements as its ability of shock absorbing will diminish over time as you continue using them. Usage of running shoes without replacement at regular intervals is unadvised. It is inappropriate to use the same shoes beyond 350 miles. You won’t be noticing as much wear and tear on the shoe’s upper part but rest assured that its shock absorption capabilities will be gone. If you are running for 20 miles every week your running shoes need to be replaced after every four to eight months based on the stock shock absorption capabilities that your shoe had.
Running can be an amazing experience for both the body and the mind and is thus heavily encouraged by experts all over the world. It allows you to exercise almost all the parts of your body at the same time. Making running injury free is the best addition to your running experience and far less cheaper than paying a visit to the doctor every now and then.