Whether you’re a fan of running through parks or firing up a sweat on a treadmill in the gym, incurring an injury can happen anywhere at any time, especially if you haven’t warmed up properly, and if you aren’t using the correct form.
In the most simplest terms, running is a series of jumps from one leg to the other.
What are the benefits of running?
- It will boost your mood
- Lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels
- Improve your brain function
- Aid weight loss
- Reduce your risk of developing several types of cancers
- Increase your self-esteem and self-confidence.
Whilst there are a great deal of benefits associated with running, it doesn’t come without its potential to cause injury to you as a runner. 50-70% of running injuries are actually caused by overuse.
What are other common causes of running injuries?
Inadequate fitness
With many people often overwhelmed by work or by life itself, it’s easy to let your desire to run, as a way to let off steam, take control of you. This is a fast-track way to incur an injury. We’ve all heard the saying ‘slow and steady wins the race,’ this is a key motto when it comes to your running journey. You must ensure you’re taking it at a pace that suits you, especially if you’re new to this type of exercise. Map out your running route and your long-term running goals, and ensure they are achievable to your current level of fitness. Though you might feel like a ten minute light jog isn’t going to fire up enough endorphins, or get you the physical or emotional results you’re seeking, it certainly will, and it will also help to prepare your mind and body for those longer runs you will eventually be able to endure.
Incorrect Technique
A poor running style can increase your risk of injury. If you’re running flat-footed you could be pulling on your shin muscles which may cause small tears.
What does the correct running technique look like?
- Keep your head parallel to the ground
- Your shoulders relaxed
- Gently allow your arms to swing back and forth
- Ensure your hips are stable and even
- Engage your core muscles and your legs
- Avoid slamming your feet to the ground. Be mindful to lightly tap the ground with your feet.
Warm up and cool down
It is highly inadvisable to go full steam into a run without taking the time to fully warm up and cool down. Warming up and cooling down will help you prepare your muscles to perform optimally, and will also help you to recover at the end of your workout.
How can you prepare your body for a run in the gym environment?
About 5-10 minutes of light aerobic exercise will be enough to loosen up your muscles and warm you up. A brisk walk, marching, jogging slowly, or cycling on a stationary bike are all fantastic ways to get your blood flowing. If you’re a fan of dynamic exercises, walking lunges, jumping jacks or toe touches are also a great way to warm up your body.
How can you prepare your body for an outdoor run?
Performing 30 seconds of the following stretch will help to limber you up.
Hip openers
- Kneel down on your left knee
- Place your right foot flat on the floor in front of you
- Bend your right knee to 90 degrees
- Place your hands on your hips
- Gently push into your right hip
- Switch legs and repeat.
Don’t forget, when you’re running, you aren’t just using your legs. The following exercise will target your chest, deltoids, upper back, and will help to improve your mechanics and posture.
Arm circles
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and lift your arms out to shoulder height
- Keep your palms down
- Make small circles. After 30 seconds, switch direction and continue for another 30 seconds.
After you have completed your run, a slow 5-10 minute walk is a good way to help your breathing and heart rate return to normal.
How can osteopathy benefit runners?
It is a common misconception that osteopathic therapy is for older people suffering with chronic conditions like arthritis. However, osteopathy is actually so much more than this. Being a holistic therapy means it can also support women through their pregnancy, it can aid the affects mental health issues like anxiety and depression have on the body, and it can also enhance your gym performance as well as your performance as a runner.
Holistic practices like osteopathy work to treat the entire body and the whole person, rather than curing isolated ailments the way modern medicine does.
Osteopathy is an established system of diagnosis and treatment that lays emphasis on the structural integrity of the body. What sets this type of therapy apart from others is the way it recognises much of the pain and disability we suffer stems from abnormalities in the function of the body structure as well as damage caused to it by disease.
How can osteopathic treatment support you as a runner?
- It can reduce pain you’re facing
- It can increase your mobility
- It can help to prevent you from incurring an injury.
Osteopaths are trained to use our understanding of biomechanics to locate areas of your body that are not functioning optimally. We are able to assess your body and provide you with exercises you can incorporate into your everyday life in order to improve both your health and your performance.
If you do incur an injury whilst you are running, or if you’re ready to level-up your current running ability, please get in touch to book in your complimentary consultation at the Enfield Osteopathic Clinic.
We will work together to ensure you are working towards becoming the most dynamic runner you can be.
