Have your eye on one of the many fall and winter races here in the Valley? Or maybe your running friends have convinced you to participate with them. Whatever it is that motivates you to hit the pavement (or the trail), and whatever level of runner you consider yourself to be, we’re here with some tips for running season related injury prevention and treatment. 

Allison Mackay, PT, DPT, FAFS, works with many runners in the clinic and in the community. The most common running injuries she sees include: 

  • Overuse injuries
  • Shin splints 
  • Iliotibial band syndrome
  • Plantar fasciitis
  • Patellofemoral pain syndrome (pain in front of the knee and around the kneecap)
  • Stress fractures 

From lacing up your running shoes to downing that recovery shake, here’s Allison’s guide to avoiding injury at every step along the way. 

Lacing Up 

Your running shoes should match your body’s running mechanics, style and choice of terrain. 

To make that match, get a free movement screening at Spooner Physical Therapy. Your therapist will use that screening to check your gait, and can help you identify the right type of shoe. For example, do your feet overpronate (roll inward) or supinate (roll outward), or are they neutral when they strike the ground? Knowing how your body moves is an important step in selecting proper footwear. 

Starting Your Run

Never skip a proper warmup in order to avoid injury. “A lot of people, especially the more recreational, weekend warrior-type runner, will literally lace up their shoes and start running. They’re starting to run and their muscles haven’t been stimulated and turned on yet,” Allison says. 

She recommends dynamic stretches, such as side lunges or lateral leg swings, to turn on those muscles before you start your run. 

Picking Your Route

The surface you run on matters. Allison says running frequently on sidewalks can pound the joints too much and lead to injuries. 

“I recommend a variety of surfaces,” Allison says. “I don’t think if you have to run on the sidewalk one day that it’s going to harm you. But you should be balancing that with some of the other surfaces that are available, especially in the Phoenix area. We have so many canals available and they make a good, soft alternative. And roads are generally a little softer than sidewalks.”

Going the Distance

Another area that Allison sees where runners can avoid injury is to properly increase mileage. She says sometimes runners add too many miles too soon. “They think, ‘Oh, I signed up for this race. I need to run six days a week now.’ And it’s just too much, too fast for the body and the body can’t handle it. So it will start breaking down.” 

Allison’s rule of thumb is to increase mileage no more than 10 percent each week.  

Recovering from Your Run

Allison stresses that a proper recovery — nutrition and stretching, in particular — is just as critical as a proper warmup. “The number one thing with recovery is refilling our bodies as soon as we can after an activity, making sure we are getting the carbohydrates and protein that we need, so we can start rebuilding and repairing our muscles,” she says. 

In addition, make sure to get an adequate number of rest days in order to avoid the excessive fatigue that can lead to overuse injuries. 

How a Physical Therapist Can Help You Run Injury-Free

Allison explains that when we run, we’re either putting our bodies in a floating position or a single-leg position — and the body needs to be trained to do that properly. 

“One of the ways that we differ from a lot of therapy places is that we try to train the body in the activity that it’s going to be doing versus doing a lot of table exercises,” Allison explains. “We do a lot more standing exercises and single-leg strengthening, so that when someone starts running, their body is prepared to take the force of being on one leg or floating.”

She recommends a free movement screening to pick up on gait issues and any other mechanical problems, as well as coming in to see a therapist at the onset of pain. “If we can have someone come in and watch how they move, we can identify issues and fix them. We can catch things when they’re minor aches and pains verses major injuries.”

Having access to equipment that allows you to train at a modified body weight without losing fitness is also a perk of PT. At Spooner, your therapist might incorporate the AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill, or an elliptical machine or even aqua jogging, into your treatment. 

 

Do you have a running goal, but want some help overcoming pain or injury? Contact us for a free movement screening today.