Running is a popular and accessible way to burn calories and get fit! You don’t need a gym membership or equipment—just step out your door and start running.
However, running is notorious for injuries. Approximately 70% of people who take up running will eventually experience injuries, mainly due to repetitive overuse. These injuries develop slowly over time and may not cause pain until they become serious.
Common overuse injuries include:
- Shin splints
- Knee pain
- Foot pain
- Tendonitis
- Hip pain
- Iliotibial band syndrome (pain on the outside of the leg)
- Plantar fasciitis
The good news? These injuries are preventable if you address them early. Waiting until you feel pain or can’t run anymore is too late. If you’re already injured, it’s crucial to consult with a specialist like the chiropractors at Hosmer Chiropractic Health who understand running injuries and can help you recover quickly.
To achieve your fitness goals without getting hurt, avoid common mistakes like poor stride technique or overtraining. Start by ensuring your body moves well and is free from stiffness that can affect your running efficiency and biomechanics. A sports chiropractor, such as those at Hosmer Chiropractic Health, can assess your muscle and joint health before you start training.
Once you’re confident your body is in good shape, follow these guidelines for footwear, training frequency, distance, technique, and running speed to enjoy a long and injury-free running journey.
Footwear
Zero drop shoes (the heel height and ball of foot height are equal) allow natural motion of your foot and lower leg. While some conditions require different footwear, for most runners zero drop shoes are best. The shoe should be wide enough that your toes can spread and not be squished together with each step. You can check this if you take the insole out of your shoe and stand on it bare-footed. Your toes should not hang over the edges. If they do hang over, this means your foot is being squished against the sides of your shoes with each step. This can cause many kinds of foot pain, including plantar fasciitis and neuromas.
Altra and Merrel brand shoes offer zero drop and wide running shoes.
Another topic, barefoot running, continues to grow in popularity. Learn about the pro’s and con’s of barefoot running.
Warm up
Always start with a warm-up that involves full-body-movement, balance and flexibility motions. A good warm up makes the body more supple, so it is less likely to suffer a strain or sprain. Try this dynamic warm up routine.
Frequency
Your body needs time to recover, so run every 3rd or 4th day giving yourself 2 or 3 days of recovery in between running days, especially when you are first starting to train. You may want to cross train with pilates, yoga, or strength training on the days you are not running.
Technique
Perhaps the most difficult part of training, and yet one of the most significant is running technique. Proper running technique requires strength and balance throughout the body (part of the reason cross training on off-days is important). Some key techniques to take into consideration are:
- The legs. As you begin the run, start with butt kicks, running in place and kicking your heel up to your butt. Maintain a similar motion with your legs as you start to propel yourself forward by tilting your body forward,
- The Body. Tilting the body slightly forward from the ankles, not from the hips, propels the runner on. An ideal lean is approximately 12 degrees. Start from the butt kicks and then tilt forward. You may feel like you are falling forward. This means you are doing it right!
- The Feet. Initial landing should be in your mid-foot, behind your toes on the ball of your foot. The muscles in your legs will absorb the impact of landing this way. If you were to land on your heel, the muscles cannot absorb the shock and more of the impact goes through the ankle, knee, hip and low back joints.
Distance
Start with running 20 second intervals at an 80% sprint with a minute of walking in between. Repeat this process 10 times, slowly increasing the running time over the course of several weeks. Focus on running technique and quality rather than miles. Good running technique requires more muscle than shuffling along with an exhausted gait. Using correct technique and form will prove to be an efficient calorie burner, even though you may not run as many miles. This is a good way to start or re-start running. Even if you are a conditioned runner, taking time to focus on technique will benefit in the long run – literally.
Speed
Taking 90+ strides per minute (called leg turnover) maximizes the use of the energy already generated. With fewer strides per minute the spring-like energy created with a faster leg turnover is dampened and lost, leading to inefficient use of energy and more impact through the joints. Focus on leg turnover and form rather than time spent running.
Cool down
Low intensity motion after working out helps your body pump the extra blood sent out to your muscles during your workout back through your system. Stretching is a good method of cooling down. Stretching muscles that are predisposed to getting stiff and tight with running is a good idea for injury prevention. The quads, hamstrings and calves and glutes are a good place to start (for stretching videos visit our blog).
Depending on your lifestyle and other hobbies you may need specific stretches and self-care methods. The doctors at Hosmer Chiropractic Health can help you find specific routines that will help you. Hosmer Chiropractic Health also offers weekly mobility classes with valuable information on stretching and foam rolling (a useful tool that pairs well with stretching).
In summary
1) Wear zero drop shoes wide enough for your toes to spread out.
2) Warm up.
3) Give yourself 2 or 3 days between runs.
4) Land on the ball of the foot and tilt forward.
5) Begin running in 20 second intervals with a minute of walking between and transition to more running and less walking.
6) Take at least 90 strides per minute.
7) Cool down with proper stretching and foam rolling.
With proper care, running technique, good footwear and balanced training most injuries are preventable!
More reading
Gretchen Reynolds (June 26th 2013). A popular Myth About Running Injuries: Retrieved from: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/the-myth-of-pronation-and-running-injuries/?_r=1