Top 4 Running Injuries and How You Can Avoid Them?

Running injuries are quite common. Most runners are usually either nursing an injury or are trying to avoid one. If you are a running enthusiast and trying to take care of your body while you go out for a run, here are some injuries that you may experience and ways to avoid them:

Runner’s Knee

Common among runners, this happens when your knee is out of alignment with the socket. The causes of a runner’s knee may be different for everyone. If left untreated, the kneecap can wear out and cause major complications.

How to Avoid Runner’s Knee?

Well, an instant cold ice pack can help you alleviate the pain. Compression and proper rest are also advised for better recovery. However, if you are trying to avoid developing a runner’s knee, here’s what you need to do:

• Avoid running on hard surfaces.
• Keep your thigh muscles strong.
• Ensure that your shoes have proper support.
• Maintain a healthy body and stay at a healthy weight.
• Stretch your hip flexors and quads.
• Use tools to improve recovery. Self-massaging with a lacrosse ball and foam rollers can help reduce the pain and chances of injury.

Shin Splint

Shin Splints are another common form of injury that runners experience. Unlike Runner’s Knee, shin splints are common when you change your workout or exercise routine.

Shin splints cause pain around the front of your lower leg, along your shin bone. These usually cause due to inflammation of the ligaments, tendons, bone tissue and muscles around your shin bone. Usually, the pain is felt around the muscles that are attached to the bone and often felt on the inside edge.

How to Avoid Shin Splint?

If you experience shin splints, remember to take a rest. Running or continuing your exercise routines could cause further damage and lead to stress fractures later. With that said, resting and using instant cold ice packs or ice compression for twenty to thirty minutes. The pain should go away in two to three days. To avoid experiencing shin splints, here’s what you can do:

• Avoid sudden increases in the intensity of your runs or exercises.
• Remember to stretch your hamstrings and calves properly.
• Strengthen your foot, arch of your foot and hip muscles.
• Maintain a healthy body weight to avoid stressing your body.

Achilles Tendinopathy

Achilles tendinopathy is a condition that affects the back of your calf. The pain can be felt in the big chunk of muscle that connects your calf to the heel. These muscles can begin to cause pain after experiencing trauma or muscle fatigue.

With Achilles tendinopathy, you usually don’t feel pain for the next twenty-four hours. Usually, mild Achilles tendinopathy can go away on its own. However, in acute cases, it may take three to six months to fix.

How to Avoid Achilles Tendinopathy?

Treat your pain with instant cold ice packs and rest properly to avoid discomfort. To completely avoid it, you should:

• Stretch your calves properly.
• Increase the intensity of the workout and running gradually.
• Choose good training shoes.

Muscle Pull

Muscle pull is quite common. It is a resting pain on the muscles that were engaged in running or exercise. Usually, muscle pulls are not worrisome and do not hamper your routine.

However, in some cases, they can stay strained over time, which may cause grave discomfort.

How to Avoid Muscle Pulls?

Muscles pulls can be avoided by:

• Taking proper rest after running and exercising.
• Stretching before and after your run.
• Using the right shoes.

With that said, exercises and running can often cause a little discomfort. However, knowing what to do after you begin to experience discomfort will help you out immensely.