How To Prevent Running Injuries

Running is one of the best exercises you can do to help you clear your mind. There’s a reason they call the after-effects runner’s high, after all. But, unfortunately, while running can be amazing for mental clarity and acuity, it can quickly take its toll on you physically, if you’re not careful and if you don’t take a few precautions to help keep injuries at bay.

Common running injuries include runner’s knee, where the kneecap is pulled out of alignment, shin splints where you experience pain in the front or inside lower leg along your shin bone, achilles tendinitis, muscle strain in the hamstrings, quads and calves, and plantar fasciitis, where the plantar fascia becomes inflamed and manifests itself as severe heel pain.

However, there are ways in which you can go about preventing these injuries from appearing and causing you grief, ensuring that you can keep your running shoes on for as long as you like.

First of all, think about how you train and if there are any improvements you could make. For example, make sure that you’re increasing your mileage safely, that you use a variety of different exercises to help with injury resistance and that you know what proper running form is, so you can reduce the risks.

Strength is also a must for runners who want to avoid injury so, even though you may not enjoy strength training as much as you enjoy pounding the pavement, it’s an essential practice if you do want to remain injury-free.

Single-leg exercises, in particular, could really help with your running technique and ensure you have the strength you need to continue with your running career.

Your post-run practices can also help keep injuries at bay, so make sure that you’re using the foam roller to ease your muscles after you’ve been out for a run. This can help you increase your flexibility and reduce myofascial tension, helping you get back on the road quicker than you might be able to otherwise.

 

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