It s not unusual for people to experience injuries from running, but they need to be avoided if you are training for a large event as you do not want anything to affect your progress or interrupt your training.
As runners are prone to injuries, you want to make sure that you prevent yourself from experiencing one.
Is there anything that you can do to prevent yourself from becoming injured from running, and if so, how can you take care of your body?
This article will explain more about what you can do to prevent running injuries to keep yourself in the best shape possible when you are training.
You can find out more below to make sure that you do not experience any running injuries.
What Are Common Running Injuries?
Runners are prone to experiencing lots of different injuries, but common ones include muscle strains, stress fractures, blisters, shin splints, and Achilles tendinitis.
All of these injuries can be very painful for runners, so it is important to make sure that they are prevented to ensure that they can continue to train as normal.
Although running is mostly a sport that involves your legs, that does not mean that it is impossible for other parts of your body to also be affected.
You can injure your ribs, arms, or back from running, but leg, knee, and foot injuries are very common. It is important to remember that any part of your body can be affected.
How To Prevent Running Injuries
It is important to recognize that these methods may not prevent all running injuries, but they can help to reduce your risk of experiencing them.
You will find that these methods can help you to feel more comfortable when you run, but what are they?
Stretch Well
If you begin running without stretching, you will experience tight muscles that will then become strained, resulting in an injury.
This can also affect your other joints as your body will not be as flexible, so there will be more of a strain on certain joints and muscles that will affect your performance.
Stretching your muscles can help to increase the movement of your muscles, which will help you to see an improvement in your performance.
Your muscles will be more flexible, so there will be less strain on them. This will reduce your risk of experiencing injuries as your muscles will be more relaxed.
Listen To Your Body
If your body doesn’t feel right when you run, this can be an indication that you need to take time out to rest.
Persisting when your body is telling you to stop will cause an injury, so it is important to let your body rest and recover properly.
If you continue to train with an injury, the injury will become worse and will take longer to heal.
Even if you do not have an injury, your body may still need to rest. This will make sure that your body is well prepared for more training and that it will not be overworked.
Constantly pushing your body will lead it to become overtired, exhausted, and prone to injuries.
Focus On Your Form
Focusing on your running form can help you to avoid putting strain on your muscles.
If you are not aligned properly when you are running, you can risk pulling a muscle or running at an imbalance, which can increase your risk of experiencing an injury.
Making sure that your form is correct can be difficult as you might need to adjust your running style, but it is important and will help you to prevent injuries.
Check The Surfaces That You Run On
If you want to prevent injuries when running, checking the surfaces is important.
If the trail that you choose to run on is hard, it will add a lot of strain and pressure to your legs.
This can cause injuries to occur as the pressure can also affect your hips.
If the roads are slanted, one of your hips may tilt more than the other when you are running. This issue may not cause an injury straight away, but it can develop over time.
Trail running also comes with hazards as there can be objects like sticks and rocks that you can trip over.
This can cause ankle injuries as you can twist them, or you can completely fall over.
Improve Your Strength
When you become stronger, you will reduce your risk of injuries as you will be able to run faster for longer.
This will prevent your muscles from becoming tight and they will be stronger to cope with more pressure.
You will notice that you will be able to perform a more powerful run.
To build up your strength, there are lots of different strength training exercises.
You can either use your body weight and perform exercises like squat jumps, jump lunges, and core exercises or you can use weights.
You can then perform deadlifts, weighted squats, and weighted lunges. This will help you to build strong muscles and prevent injuries.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, there are several things that you can do to prevent running injuries.
It is important to remember that you will not be able to prevent all running injuries, but you can reduce your chances of experiencing them.
Stretching is important before any exercise as this helps your muscles to feel flexible. If your muscles are tight, you are more at risk of experiencing an injury as they are likely to become pulled or strained.
Making sure that your form is correct will make sure that you are running correctly, preventing you from pulling other muscles in your back or arms.
Although it is impossible to prevent all running injuries, these methods are worthwhile as they take care of your body.
If your muscles are tight or weak, you are more likely to experience an injury compared to someone who has stretched and strengthened them, so it is important to look after yourself.
Hi, I’m Richard Harris and I have been running for almost 20 years now. Since a young teenager with a little baby fat still clinging on for dear life, I have been obsessed with this simple form of cardio.
Not only have I enjoyed running every single day for two decades, but I have also been fascinated by the countless marathons and races offered around the USA. I love watching these races, and I’ve even participated in some of them too!
