How do I prevent injury when getting back into running?
1. Patience is a Virtue!
It's easy to get into the trap of wanting to get back to 'where you used to be' or to want to hit your target distance really quickly. The problem is that this is where MOST injuries occur.
The number one thing you can do when you are getting back into running is manage your 'training load'.
Training Load is the amount of time, the frequency, intensity and the duration of physical activity you do over a period of time. Studies have shown that to prevent injury you should aim to only increase your training load each week by 10 - 15%.
Often people get into the trap of doing a few weeks where they increase their training load quickly, especially when motivation is high. Initially they manage and it feels like their body is coping. However the problem is that over time injuries build up, muscles, joints and bones don't have enough time to recover and repair between sessions. By this time, the damage might have already been done and to get better, you have to take time off.
2. Be Pragmatic and Methodical
Take the time to plan out how you are going to achieve your goal and stick to it! Work backwards from how far you want to run or the event you plan on entering. Calculate what a 10 - 15% increase looks like from one week to the next and plan your sessions out based on achieving this goals.
We can't stress enough the power of bringing on a sport specific physio, running coach or exercise physiologist to help at this point. Getting the right people on your team early can set you up to avoid injury and make sure you are managing your training load.
The key here is to make sure you stick to the plan!
3. Make the Time
Make self-care part of your training program. Making sure you have good range of motion, you are looking after you feet and the soft tissue of your body is essential to prevent injury but also improve performance.
Remedial massage is great for improving muscle tone and maintaining joint range of motion. Research also shows it can help improve recovery time from training and perceived exertion.
To work out how often you should be getting a massage head over to our blog.
Below are a group of stretches and triggers that we recommend to help prevent injury and improve performance. This is not an exhaustive list and we recommend getting some help from your friendly and experienced Knots therapist to create a program that is specific to you. There is limited research into how long ist best to stay on the foam roller. We recommend holding each stretch or foam rolling for 1 - 2 mins based on the evidence we have found.
a) Hip Flexor Stretch
Duration: 1:30min
Description: You should feel this stretch in the front of the leg with the knee on the ground. Bend one leg so that your knee is at a right angle in front of you. Position the other with your knee on the ground. (You might need to do this on a soft mat), Slowly lean forward until you start to feel a stretch in your back leg. Lift your arm over your head and lean towards the opposite side to increase the stretch. Make sure that as you hold this position for the 1:30 you keep leaning further into the stretch.
b) Calf Foam Rolling
Duration: 1:30min
Description: We like this way of self massage through your calves because you have more control of how much pressure you apply to the foam roller. Place your calf on top of the foam roller and your other foot off to the side. With your hand behind you, start to lift your hips off the ground so you can roll all the way up and down your leg. Avoid directly behind your knee and be mindful of your achilles tendon, however it can be good to work through the tissue on either side of it. Roll your foot in and out to hit both sides of your calf. If this is not enough pressure cross one leg over the other and use the top leg to push down harder on the foam roller.
c) Hamstring Triggering
Duration: 1:30min
Description: Hamstrings are a tricky muscle to loosen up and we will go into depth as to how best to release these in future blogs. However, this is a good place to start. Find a firm chair (preferably a little larger than the one shown!)
Place the massage ball between the chair and your hamstring. Slowly lean forward until you feel a firm pressure where the ball is located. To increase the pressure try bending and straightening your knee as this moves your hamstring over the ball.
Aim to repeat this process in a number of spots along your hamstring, remembering that it is a very large muscle that covers most of the back of your upper leg. The only thing to note is that your sciatic nerve tracks along a similar path to your hamstring. If you feel an electric pain, numbness or pins and needles more off that spot immediately and find another close by that doesn't give you this sensation.
d) Glut Triggering
Duration: 1:30min
Description: If you could give one instruction as to how to self massage your gluts it would be to just sit on the ball and find the spots that hurt! If you are one of those people who needs a little more instruction here goes! Begin by putting your arms behind you for support. Place the trigger ball under your gluts and slowly lower yourself down onto it. Begin to lift the leg that corresponds to the glut you are trying to trigger and cross one leg over the other. This puts your glut muscle on stretch as you self massage it. Hang out here for 1:30min. As you find the pain in one spot starts to settle more onto another. Again, your gluts like your hammies are a very large muscle group.
e) Foam Rolling Your Quads
Duration: 1:30min
Description: Your quads are an often forgotten muscle-group when people think of what they should be self massaging in order to prevent injury and improve performance in running. Like your hip flexors if your quads are too tight that won't allow your leg to move into extension (behind you) when you run. This decreases your running efficiency and can cause injuries like lower back pain. Keep one leg off the side of the foam roller while you place the other leg on top of the roller. Drop down onto your elbows and start to relax into the position. (We know! Its not often easy to do that!) Start to roll up and down your leg making sure you hit both the inside and outside of your quad.
Final Thoughts
Good luck! The key take homes are to be systematic with what you are doing in training and look after your body through massage, self massage and stretching. If you need any help or are finding that you are already starting to tighten up after training feel free to book in with one of our friendly team.
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