Have you been running for a few months now, increasing your mileage weekly and now wanting to work towards something bigger, your first fun run, City 2 Surf or Sydney Running Festival? Or perhaps you are thinking of just getting off the couch and want to complete your first 5k.
Whatever your situation, many new runners and even those who have been running for years can encounter injuries when they least expect it, hampering your progress and stopping you from reaching your goals.
In the clinic the most common thing we see which leads to running injuries is actually the most preventable – overtraining and lack of recovery. Most new runners have a haphazard approach to their training, trying to squeeze in as many miles as possible every week without any thought to recovery, rest days, unloading weeks or even longer term planning. Running can be hard on the body, overloading the same structures over and over again. This will in the beginning lead to some little niggles which when go unchecked will soon deteriorate into some major injuries.
Common running-related injuries:
- Anterior knee pain
- Shin splints
- ITB pain
- Achilles pain
- Hamstring Tendinopathy
- Low back pain
- Gluteus Medius Tendinopathy
- Plantar Fascitis
To avoid these injuries it is important that you have a well designed training plan which incorporates not only your training days but recovery strategies. Have you found that your progress is stalling or even declining? Have you found that even after taking a day off you are still feeling fatigued? Having a good understanding of your training capacity and where your weaknesses lie will lead to your longevity as a runner. Developing a deeper understanding of your biomechanics and where you lack strength, mobility or stability can prevent you from “running” into injury. As physiotherapists we can conduct a running assessment. We are experts in analysing your movement patterns, assess your running ability, gait pattern and help you design an appropriate program which includes manual therapy, strength, mobility and a long term progressive running plan.
What is involved in a running assessment?
First up, individual joints and body areas are assessed for how much movement you have, as well as how strong the muscles are and how well they do their job. This part is
really important as it gives a detailed view of how joint stiffness and/or weakness may lead to particular running styles associated with certain injuries.
We will then use video analysis of your running style to assess local and global function. Using this video analysis, as well as the information from the first part of your assessment, we will highlight factors that will likely contribute to your running injuries. Prompts and cues are then given to modify your running style in order to overcome the identified biomecha
nics, with the overall goal being to completely eliminate the mechanics that have caused your injury.
Whether you are a marathon runner or someone who does a quick 3km jog on a Sunday morning, it doesn’t matter – give us a call today to get you on the right track to becoming a better runner.
If you have any questions or would like to book in to see one of our physiotherapists, please do not hesitate to contact Get Active Physiotherapy on 1300 8 9 10 11 or email us at admin@getactivephysio.com.au.