Running is one of the most popular sports in the world, with over 50 million runners participating in races in the United States alone. It is estimated that about 25% of runners will sustain a running-related injury (Fredette et al., 2022). This blog post will discuss what you can do to prevent running injuries.

What Causes Running Injuries?

If you are a runner someone has probably told you that running is bad for your knees and causes arthritis. What if I told you that was a complete myth and not supported by science?

This article in JOSPT shows us that recreational running is good for your overall cardiovascular health, and also BENEFITS your knees and hips. Only 3.5% of recreational runners develop hip or knee arthritis vs. a sedentary lifestyle at 10.2%.

The NON runners actually are at higher risk to develop arthritis than recreational runners.

In this systematic review (NIH Article) multiple studies found no significant differences in the prevalence of radiographic knee OA or cartilage thickness on MRI between runners and nonrunners.

Many injuries in running can be traced back to a few different factors such as:

Increasing frequency, duration or intensity too quickly
Not warming up properly (or at all)
Muscles are weak and cannot support your joints
Overuse
Running Form

Proven Strategies to Prevent Running Injuries

Here are some proven ways to reduce injury risk while training for your next race!

1. Correct Warm Up to Prevent Running Injuries

Let’s face it, if you are runner you have skipped a warm up at least a handful of times in your career. (and thought to yourself the first mile counts as a warm up, right?)

While doing this once in a while isn’t “Bad” for you, a solid dynamic warm up can improve your success with running while decreasing your risk for injury.

A dynamic warm up refers to movement through your full range of motion and activation of muscles. It should increase your heart rate, make you sweat a little bit and improve your mobility.

I like to tell our patients to start with muscle activation exercises such as:

Bridges
Sidelying Clams
Standing Clams
Standing Marches

ACTIVATION EXERCISES

Perform about 10-20 repetitions of each of these exercises, taking no more than 3-5 minute to complete.

Next, some dynamic stretching is important to use your muscles through their full range of motion. You want your ankles, knees, and hips to be ready for the impact of your run.

The key with dynamic stretches is to hold them for about 3-5 seconds. You can do these standing in place or moving forward as you stretch. Some stretches to focus on are:

Knee To Chest
Quad Stretch
World’s Greatest Stretch

DYNAMIC STRETCHES

After this, you are ready to start jogging and/or doing running drills. Start slow and then gradually increase your intensity and speed.

Overall this 3 part warm-up should take you about 10-15 minutes and is time well spent to get the most out of your run without getting injured!

2. Post Run Recovery to Prevent Running Injuries

Nutrition/Hydration

When you finish your run or workout, it is not time to neglect your body. This is a crucial time to fuel your body with hydration and nutrition so you can crush your NEXT workout. Make sure you are drinking enough WATER, supplemented with electrolytes if it was a longer session or very hot.

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Skratch Labs

It is also important to nourish your body with proper nutrition. Even if you are not super hungry right after running, a snack with protein and carbohydrates will do the trick.

Sleep

8 hours of restorative sleep after your work out is important! Sleep is a crucial factor to your recovery as a runner. When we sleep our bodies have a chance rebuild muscle tissue, clear inflammation from your body and keep your hormones in check.

Runners are more likely to get injured if they sleep less than 8 hours per night. According to this study, athletes are 1.7x more likely to sustain a musculoskeletal injury if they sleep less than 7 hours per night.

Soft Tissue Work

Muscle soreness is inevitable as a runner, but does not have to lead to injury.

Massage (instrument assisted)

IASTM

Massage Ball
Foam Roller
Percussion (Theragun)

3. Strength Training to Prevent Running Injuries

When you think of runners, strength is not always the first thing that comes to mind. Although running helps improve your lower body strength, dedicated strength training is a great addition to your training plan.

Benefits of Strength Training:

SPEED
- A study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that runners who participated in a strength training program for ONLY 6 weeks improved their 5K time by an average of 1%.
FLEXIBILITY
- Most recreational runners are not known for their incredible Gumby-like flexibility. What if I told you strength training was EQUALLY as effective as stretching to improve your flexibility? Well, its TRUE! (Check it out here. Progressive strength training through full range of motions is an effective way to improve your flexibility.
REDUCE INJURY
- The repetitive nature of running can pose a problem for your joints and tendons. Strength training is a great way to build up your body’s tolerance for this kind of impact.
- The British Journal of Sports Medicine found that runners who participated in a 10 minute strength training program 3 times a week for 12 weeks reduced their risk of injury by 37%

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4. Cross Training to Prevent Running Injuries

Performing activities other than running can help you reduce burn out and reduce your risk for injury. Great alternatives to running that will help your cardiovascular fitness with lower impact include:

Cycling
Swimming
Rowing

Who knows, once you start cross training you might want to become a Tri-Athlete 😂

5. Running Form to Prevent Running Injuries

When you run with proper form, your body can absorb the impact of your feet hitting the ground more efficiently. This can help to reduce the stress on your muscles, tendons, and joints.

Proper running form can also improve your running efficiency. The findings in THIS STUDY, suggest that runners should pay attention to specific aspects of running technique to optimize performance. Specifically, runners should focus on minimizing pelvis vertical oscillation, maximizing knee joint angle at ground contact, and maintaining a forward lean.

Of course, this is not a one-size-fits-all, not a “perfect” way to run but there are changes that can be made to help you run most perfectly for you!

6. What about footwear?

There can be a lot of controversy about what running shoes to wear. Our advice to prevent injury is simple: Wear the shoe that works best for you!

Authors in this study found that there was no clear evidence that a particular running shoe or prescribing a running shoe based on foot type alone helps prevent injury.

If you are local to Long Island, we recommend heading to The Runner’s Edge for their expertise on what works best for you!

By following these tips, you can help reduce your risk of running injuries and stay on track to achieving your running goals.

If you are looking for personalized guidance near Farmingdale, NY the team at In Motion Physical Therapy is here to help! We offer Physical Therapy for Running Injuries as well as Strength Training for performance and injury prevention.

Reach out to us at (516) 659-1087 or admin@inmotionptny.com to learn more!

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