Sports injury clinic: running tips

As many of us are stuck to the confines of our homes, we’ve had to find ways to keep ourselves busy during these unprecedented times. 

Many people have taken to running: it’s free, the weather is perfect for it and you can fit it in around the rest of your day. Plus we all know the physical and mental benefit of a good run, whatever distance you may go.

We have all heard of the expression “no pain, no gain”, and while some pain and muscle soreness can be good for the body as muscles breakdown and rebuild, there are times when too much pain is your body telling you something isn’t quite right. A lot of overuse injuries can happen, especially as we have this mind set of pushing through the pain, and with sports injury clinics closed, the last thing you want is to build up to an injury.

Overuse injuries can be caused by a repeated motion, even possibly with impact, for a long time which can cause joints to become inflamed, knee problems, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, bursitis…you get where I’m going with this. These are just a few common injuries caused by intense or prolonged training. Some people may get a pain that gradually comes on and will carry on training, other people can get sudden onset of pain or intermittent pain. Any overuse injury can definitely take its toll on the body and the brain and can even cause your training to have to stop as well as a visit to a sports injury clinic.

Before doing any form of exercise either in the home or out on the street please follow these simple steps to help avoid injury.

1. Gradually build up your training

If you are going for your first run or haven’t ran for a while, build up the distance gradually - don’t just assume your body can run a marathon. It is important to plan a workout, start small and build up. Listen to your body through this plan, and take an extra days rest or a shorter run if you need to. 

2. Warm up and cool down

No matter what exercise you do it is important that you warm up. Doing a warm up prepares your body for exercise by warming up the muscles and raising your heart rate – this applies to running too. By warming up the muscles it makes them more flexible which helps prevent injuries. By raising your heart rate it increases blood flow.

Doing a cooldown after exercising allows a gradual decrease in heart rate and blood flow. It's good to preform stretches when you are cooling down because your limbs, muscles and joints are still warm. Stretching can help reduce the build-up of lactic acid, which can lead to muscles cramping and stiffness. Those leg muscles will have contracted to be much shorter during your run too, so you need to stretch them back out to their regular length.

3. Mix up your training

Trying different activities or exercises can give your muscles and joints a break from doing the same motions repeatedly. Try mixing in some cardio workouts or a bike ride in order to switch up your routine and build new muscles.

4. Don't ignore pain

It is important that you listen to your body. If you feel pain, you should stop before the problem gets worse. Carrying on with tight calves or a twinged knee will only cause you problems in the long run, and probably a visit or two to a sports injury clinic!

5. Rest

This can be the favourite part of a person’s exercise programme (it definitely is mine!) 

Rest days should be part of any exercise programme as they give the body time to recover.

It is important to take care of injuries as soon as they happen. Many overuse injuries, if caught early, can be healed with rest and time off from exercising. Untreated injuries can result in a longer recovery time.

6. Sleep

Again, another favourite part of my exercise programme!

When you sleep, your body heals. It's important to get 7 to 9 hours sleep each night to allow your body the chance to repair itself naturally. Now, don’t get me wrong, one good night’s sleep isn’t going to solve your chronic shin splints immediately, but all of these points together built with some common sense will all help.

7. Treating injuries at home

Firstly if you have an injury, I would always advise that you seek help from a doctor, trained professional or sports injury clinic. Obviously, in the current climate we are restricted to what we can do and who we can see.

However, most people will have heard of the R.I.C.E treatment and it is something you should stick to if you suffer an injury while training. 

R – Rest

I – Ice the injury 

C – Compression to the injury

E – Elevate the injured area if possible

This will help reducing pain and reducing swelling to an injury.

If you are suffering from an injury which is stopping you from enjoying your exercise please feel free to drop me a message for advice as I am more than happy to help until my sports injury clinic 

can re-open.

Stay safe and hopefully injury free.