4 Golden Rules to Running Injuries
Golden Rule #1️⃣:⠀
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🏃 You should not be running if you are experiencing pain that causes you to take medication to run⠀
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💉 Medication will mask the severity and symptoms of an injury and allow it to get worse. ⠀
💊 If you can’t run without medication seek out a qualified professional⠀
Golden Rule # 2️⃣: ⠀
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🏃♀️ If you are having any pain that changes the way you walk or run you need to either reduce how much you perform, modify physical qualities, utilize external feedback such as a metronome (try running at 180 bpm to reduce lower body pain) or just stop the activity until you can reduce your pain.⠀
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👨⚕️ Running is an extremely repetitive sport that loads roughly 3X your bodyweight into your tissues (varying depending on which body part you were talking about and what source you were referencing you science nerds), so even the slightest change in loading patterns with your mechanics can have significant repercussions. ⠀
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💥 You will begin to load tissues that aren’t accustomed to being loaded, causing further damage and also promoting inefficient running form or poor running economy.⠀
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Depending on your presentation you may still be able to perform some running at this point but cross-training (🏊♂️ 🚴♀️ 🏋🏽 🧘♀️) to maintain cardiovascular fitness and tissue resiliency is imperative at this stage while also seeking out a qualified professional for guidance. ⠀
Golden Rule # 3️⃣: ⠀
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If you are experiencing mild pain (1-3/10): it is OK to run 👍🏻 ⠀
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If you are experiencing moderate to severe pain (over a 4/10): reduce or modify your activity until your pain level is mild to none (🏊♂️🚴♀️🏋🏽🧘♀️)⠀
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So, let’s talk about this some more:⠀
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🤕 Yes, pain is extremely subjective but your own pain experience is exactly that - your OWN pain experience. ⠀
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👨⚕️ Under the care of a qualified fitness and healthcare professional this experience can be appropriately managed to allow for modifications to your current programming (cross-training and/or running load) while also healing to allow for full return-to-running.⠀
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🧐 This may also be modified based upon your injury history and presentation depending upon your provider’s clinical reasoning.
Golden Rule # 4️⃣ :⠀
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Pain that decreases with activity is OK 👌🏻 🎯⠀⠀
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Pain that increases with activity is NOT OK 👎🏻 Reduce/modify or stop that activity. ⠀⠀
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🏃♀️ Running injuries are caused by a pattern of ill-prepared movement and or tissue overload. This can be a result of any combination of external and/or internal factors⠀⠀
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⏰ Use the “24-hour rule” to monitor your reaction to running load. If the pain does not settle within 24 hours then the running volume should be reduced. ⠀⠀
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🤔 When using these four rules presented, I will always consider all four as a whole and always the individuals presentation must be taken into consideration.
If you need any assistance with running shoes and other training information then Running Wild is a great resource in the Pensacola running community!