How can runners prevent injury? Five tricks to try
Don’t let runner’s knee and shin splints slow you down – try these easy exercises to keep you speeding ahead.
January is paved with ambition. Suddenly, parks are full of runners doing everything from Couch to 5K to marathon training. However, it’s easy to overdo things.
“People tend to jump into training, often doing too much too soon,” warns Lewis Moses, an ultrarunner and founder of New Levels Coaching.
“Instead of going all out, I recommend a gradual progression.”
If you’re training for a race, building up your mileage sensibly will mean your body hits its peak at the correct time. “A proper warm-up is a must,” Moses adds.
Strength exercises can head off the most common running complaints. This is how to stay fit as you ramp up the mileage.
Plantar fasciitis
This is “the bane of many a runner”, says Shaq Lampier, a physiotherapist at Marylebone Health. If you have it, you’ll know about it: a sharp pain in the bottom of the foot that is often at its worst when you take your first step out of bed in the morning.
“This problem stems from inflammation of the plantar fascia, the thick band of tissue that runs along the bottom of your foot from your heel to your toes,” Lampier says, adding that in addition to unsuitable footwear, factors such as tight or weak calves can be to blame, especially if you’ve run too far too quickly.
If you do one thing, try bent-knee calf raises. Push up onto your tiptoes by activating your calf muscles. “Doing it with a slight bend in the knee helps target your soleus – arguably the most important running muscle,” Lampier says. “This is the flatter muscle of the calf, which helps you push off when you run and provides key support for the foot and ankle.” Doing these on a step gives you a better range of motion.
Hamstring strain
A common injury for runners trying to add speed, caused by underdeveloped hamstrings and hip flexors. “Both are important for running faster,” says Lampier, “and the faster we go, the more work they do.”
If you do one thing, do Nordic hamstring curls. “Kneel with your heels hooked under a bench – or even the edge of your sofa – for stability, then lower your upper body forwards towards the floor, resisting gravity with your hamstrings,” Lampier says. If you struggle at first, tie a resistance band to a pole behind you and hold on to the ends for support as you lean forward.
Runner’s knee
This is the most common running injury, which presents as a dull ache around the kneecap and often flares up after long runs. It’s often to do with the knee not staying in line with the leg when you run, and Lampier says weak glutes are probably to blame. If these powerful muscles are underperforming, your knee will pick up the slack.
If you do one thing, try single leg squats to stop the knee moving out of line. “This exercise is great as it challenges your stability more than the traditional squat,” Moses says.
Squat as you usually would, getting as low as you can and keeping one leg extended in front of you for balance.
Hip pain
“Runners often experience discomfort in the hips, be it from tight hip flexors, insufficient strength, or poor running mechanics,” Lampier says. With so many muscles, tendons and ligaments around the hip, pain can appear in several places. Increasing your mileage too fast can also put stress on the pubic bone.
If you do one thing, try crab walks. Wrap a resistance band around your knees, go into a half squat and step sideways against the resistance of the band. This fires up the glutes.
Shin splints
This is a recurring pain down the front or side of the shins, which often stems from repeating the same motion over and over, causing tissues and joints to degrade. If you’re getting shin splints, you could be overworking your calves. “Regular foam rolling and stretching will keep calves looser,” Moses says.
If you do one thing, do single leg “eccentric” calf raises. Stand on a step, do a calf raise with both legs, then take one foot off the step. Next, lower the heel of the foot still on the step until the foot is flat. Eccentric work involves lengthening a muscle as it contracts. It builds the capacity of the muscle and tendon, which means they are better able to absorb force.
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