Do you have pain when you run?
Every year, 20-80% of runners are injured due to the repetitive microtraumas that occur to the body while running. 70% of these running injuries are a result from training errors: running too much, too fast, too often, too soon.
Besides training errors, a previous history of running injuries, weakness, stiffness, faulty running mechanics, and improper lower extremity alignment may increase your injury risk.
What can I do to prevent running injuries?
What YOU can do:
- Gradually increase your mileage and intensity. Do not increase mileage > 10% per week
- Perform a proper warm-up, like walking before you run. Stretching doesn’t prevent running injuries
- Make sure to take rest days off of running
- Optimize your overall health with enough sleep and eating right
- Don’t make too many changes in your training at once (environment, mechanics, shoes)
- Listen to your own body!
What PHYSICAL THERAPY can do:
- Identify areas of weakness or inflexibility
- Recognize poor movement patterns that could be contributing to your injury
- Perform a video analysis to identify any mechanical faults
- Calculate your running cadence and determine its relationship to your injury
- Provide exercises and recommendations once the above flaws are identified
Our goal is to let you continue running!
We only make you take time off and cross-train if it is absolutely necessary. If you are asked to cease running, we use a gradual return to running progression that has been shown to decrease risk for re-injury.
All evaluations are performed by a Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Sports Physical Therapy.