How to Avoid Running Injuries this Winter
By incorporating these simple strategies in to your training, you can reduce the risk of running related injuries!
1. Choose your footwear wisely! Not all shoes are made equal so choose a shoe that is right for you! Seek advice here from a Podiatrist if in doubt
2. Stretch!! (Boring I hear you say!!) Maybe join a group class such as yoga if you find doing your own stretches a chore
3. Shorten your stride!! Latest research contradicts previous ideas that lengthening your stride was best!! Over striding is a common mistake that can lead to decreased efficiency and increased injury risk. If you shorten your stride, you’ll land “softer” with each footfall, incurring lower impact forces. Longer strides increase the force at heel strike, however shorter strides encourage landing on the middle of your foot where we naturally have better shock absorption. A shorter stride will usually lower the impact force, which should reduce injuries,”
4. Strength train. You don’t want to “bulk up” and have bulging muscles. You need just enough core, hip, and lower-leg strength training to keep your pelvis and lower-extremity joints properly positioned. You also don’t want to overload individual muscles and joints. “Healthy running should be as symmetrical and fluid as possible,” says Michael Fredericson, M.D., associate professor of sports medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. “If you don’t have muscle balance, then you lose the symmetry, and that’s when you start having problems.” If you don’t like strength training on your own then try a group class such as Pilates, which targets whole body, functional strength.
5. Listen to your body and know your limits!
