Dealing with Injuries

Dealing with Injuries:

For most elite runners training at a high level, running injuries are seemingly inevitable. At best, they are merely annoying; at worst, they prevent us from running. There are, however, ways to minimize the risk of injury and lessen the amount of training time lost to injury.

Most running injuries result from overuse and are exacerbated by such things as running surfaces, structural imbalances, poor form or inadequate equipment(shoes are worn-out or do not have sufficient cushioning and support). Pain/inflammation is the most obvious symptom and can be of great use in helping to diagnose the problem and suggest proper treatment. For this reason, I generally do not recommend taking any kind of pain reliever(aspirin, ibuprofen or acetaminophen) just prior to exercise.

Stiffness, slight tenderness and a variety of dull aches that subside as you exercise are definitely worth paying attention to, but are also just part of hard training. That is why we run easy once in a while and stretch after running.

Soreness that remains as you exercise or lingers for more than a day after a hard workout may require more active rest(cross training) and should be treated aggressively until the pain subsides. Usually making certain your shoes are not too worn and a combination of rest and ice and ibuprofen will fix the problem. Sports massage may also be helpful.

Soreness that intensifies as you run and sharp pains in a localized area are more serious, obviously, and demand immediate attention. The usual treatments along with total rest may be needed. As your coach, I would expect to be contacted if you have such an injury and would also expect you make a visit to a sportsmedicine specialist as soon as possible so a proper diagnosis can be made and effective treatment can begin.

To help prevent injuries, drink lots of fluids, make certain your shoes have adequate cushioning and support, warm-up gradually, run often on soft surfaces, stretch after running and ice tender spots. Also, because higher mileage increases the risk of stress fractures, be sure to drink plenty of milk or consider taking a multivitamin to get enough calcium and other minerals.

Coach Van Arkel