Spend more time running outside this spring and less time being treated inside

BURLINGTON, Ontario - April 23, 2015 - PRLog -- Running injuries are quite common, yet easily avoided when runners give their bodies time to adapt to their new running schedule. There are several reasons behind incurred injuries. Whether it be gender, age, running style, shoes worn or path chosen, following these tips from our staff at PhysioMAX Wellness will greatly decrease your chance of injury - allowing you more time in the sun enjoying a good run.

STRETCH
Stretching before a workout is a crucial step that is often disregarded and can drastically increase the risk of injury.  Both the front (quads) and back (hamstrings and calf muscles) need to be stretched. Stretching provides better flexibility which may improve one’s performance.  Stretching helps your joints move through their full range of motion and enables muscles to work most efficiently.

DISCOVER YOUR THRESHOLD
This is especially important for new runners.  It’s always a good idea to pace yourself and listen to queues from your body.  Often caught up in the excitement of being back outside and running, runners want to dive right back into what they were doing before the winter hit, and end up getting injured from day one.  The idea is to aim for a gradual build up.  Start by taking a few walks in between runs (good for muscles and heart rate), to ease up on speed training and to not run through any sort of pain.  Runners can slowly build up their training schedule over days or weeks and avoid injuries that will set them back weeks or even months.

STRENGTH TRAINING AND VARIATIONS
Strength training alongside running is highly recommended as it strengthens your hip muscles (abductors, adductors and the gluteus maximus) and hence helps keep pressure off your knees.

Shorten your stride while running to reduce the risk of tibial stress fractures.  This will help create a softer landing, and hence will have less of an impact on the runners’ knees.

If at any point during your run you feel pain, DON”T push through it.  This will only make things worse and could have you stop running all together until treatment is sought. Instead, take a break and apply RICE treatment: Rest, ice, compression and elevation.  You may take a couple of days off running, but do some walking or cycling and slowly build your way back up.

Make sure to always wear proper shoes that fit properly.  This too helps in avoiding injury.

Avoiding repetition will definitely decrease rate of injury.  Change up your heart rate, the surface on which you run and your speed.

PhysioMax Wellness in Burlington Ontario provides various tips and treatments for every client's needs. Healthcare providers from this clinic are very knowledgeable about the treatments needed by patients in order to help them recover from their injuries. This multidisciplinary clinic in Burlington Ontario provides Physiotherapy, Acupuncture, Chiropractic and Massage Therapy in order to tend to any kind of injuries and prevent issues from occurring in the first place. Please contact us or visit www.physiomaxwellness.ca for more detailed information.