Running is a brilliant hobby! It’s fantastic for our heart and lung health, maintaining a healthy weight and (even more so through this lockdown period) our mental health. But whether you’re a 2 hour marathon runner, or running is a new healthy hobby since the new year, injuries are a common problem and individuals should respect the fact that they will need to condition their body to remain injury free. A recent review of literature demonstrated that regardless of running ability, injury rate ranged from 30% in novice runners to more than 50% in marathon runners. And although some of this can be put down to the volume of running, a further review has shown injury rates in novice runners can be up to double that of recreational runners.
But don’t let these stats put you off running as a hobby, or, as a way to get fit. At fairway Physio, our therapists can provide you with knowledge of running injuries and advice on how to stay injury free to help you progress toward your running goals, whatever they may be and at whatever level of running you participate at.
A recent literature review found that the most common site of injury in runners occurs at the knee, accounting for 28% of injury. The main culprit being Patellofemoral pain syndrome (pain at the knee cap), closely followed by Achilles tendinopathy (pain associated with the Achilles tendon at the back of the heel) and medial tibial stress syndrome (otherwise known as shin splints).
We believe that rather than getting too familiar with such common injuries, runners should take steps to help prevent these injuries from occurring in the first place. Your Physiotherapist should be able to assess you functionally, even in the absence of injury, to highlight areas of your body that are restricted or in need of strengthening. A prehab programme can be constructed to reduce the possibility of these predisposing risk factors of injury, allowing you to achieve your running goals injury free! So, what are you waiting for. Give your physio a call and be proactive with your running injury prehabilitation.
