How to Prevent Running Injuries – Part 1

What we see in clinic all the time, is people coming in with running or training injuries that have blindsided them, they have no idea how it happened.  Its like the injury came out of nowhere.

Injuries don’t come out of nowhere.  Most running injuries produce signals

  • aches
  • soreness
  • persistent pain

Its up to you not to ignore the signal and to take appropriate action.  That doesn’t mean keep on running as you set yourself a goal and want to achieve it.  I consider it crazy to run through pain – all you are doing in injuring yourself further.  If you do push on regardless you will invariably end up with with more enforced rest needing more rehab than if you took immediate action.  Any problems are just amplified the more miles you run.

One of they key factors that determines an athletes success is there ability to avoid injuries.  If you look at Kenyan distance runners they are experts at listening to their bodies and knowing when to skip training if they are tired and how to nip injuries in the bud.

So if you get any of the above signals book a sports massage.

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  • How can Sports Massage help Runners?

    I may be biased but I believe sports massage should be part of every runner's training program.  Sports massage offers runners three benefits

    • Performance enhancement
    • Injury Prevention
    • Injury Rehabilitation
    Performance enhancement Tight muscles can have poor circulation and get inhibited.  Inflexibility linked to muscle tightness can problems with movement patters and/or lack of strength, which can prohibit efficient training and performance. Injury Prevention Tightness can be a cause of muscle strains.  Chronic tightness can cause inflammation resulting in
    • Back and shoulder problems
    • ITB syndrome
    • Shin splints
    • Achilles problems
    • Plantar fasciitis
    Injury Rehabilitation Scar tissue which will develop as the injured muscle heals.  Scar tissue causes pain and limits a runners range for motion.  When sports massage is teamed with other medical intervention, it provides a faster recovery by breaking down scar tissue.