Surveys reveal that about 60 percent of runners suffer from chronic problems. Despite advancements in medicine, this rate has remained stable since the 1970s. If you are a runner who wants to prevent running injuries, read on to learn a few useful tips.
Understand Your Limits
Running too much is most likely to cause an injury, as there is an injury threshold for each runner. The threshold may be 10 miles or 100 miles a week. It is up to you find out. But, once you find out, take care to stay with this limit. Do not train too fast, too soon or too much. Your body needs some time to adapt to training changes. So, a sudden increase in intensity or mileage can be too much to handle. It could lead to a breakdown.
Be Mindful of Your Body’s Signals
Listen to your body’s signals. Do not ignore pain, soreness and aches. Do not run through pain if you wish to avoid injuries. Some runners will ignore pain in their eagerness and enthusiasm to train more. This is a recipe for disaster. If you feel pain or discomfort, take a few days off. Switch to bicycling, water training or light walking. When you hit the road again, reduce your training load in the first few days.
Shorten Your Stride
Experts opine that a short stride can reduce the risk of injuries. A recent study reports that runners who reduced their stride, lowered their risk of suffering tibial stress fracture. Overstriding decreases efficiency and increases the risk of injury. On the other hand, a short stride softens each footfall, thereby reducing the force of impact. This reduces the risk of injuries. Recent research has shown that it is possible to change one’s walking and running gait to reduce the risk of suffering pain and injuries.
