TAKE IT ONE STEP AT A TIME
If you’re a novice, get some coaching, but if you’re hurt, change your routine
You know you’re part of the club when you get your first running injury. And since denial is another mark of being a club member, any pain severe enough to force a change in training habits qualifies as an injury.
Estimates suggest that 80 per cent of all runners will be injured sometime in their career, a statistic that explains the copious amount of ink devoted to injury prevention in running magazines, blogs and Facebook groups. Yet despite plenty of advice about what shoes to wear, stretches to do and training practices to avoid, injury statistics haven’t changed much over the years.
Within the research community there’s an equal fascination with running related injuries, resulting in more than a million studies on the topic. Yet runners still get injured.
Part of the problem is that the running community is so diverse. Gone are the days when runners were defined by their lanky build. Today’s runners are short, tall, slim, heavy, male, female, old and young. And they all move at different speeds and sport different styles. There are runners, racers, joggers and plodders. Not to mention everyone in between, which makes it difficult to suggest that everyone who laces up their running shoes is equally likely to get injured.
Still, we’ve learned a thing or two over the years. We know that running too long a distance too frequently or too soon has been the downfall of many a runner. Yet, we also know that running infrequently (less than two hours a week) increases the risk of injury.
Acknowledging the wealth of studies already in print, and their lack of impact on decreasing injury rates, a couple of Scottish researchers decided to jump into the fray, this time focusing on strictly recreational runners. The pool of runners was chosen from the many who participate in park runs, free 5K timed runs that take place weekly in cities across Europe. The popular events attract runners of all abilities, but are particularly popular with those new to the sport.
The researchers used a survey to gather information, placing runners into one of two categories — injured or not injured based on whether they had “any problems participating in normal running training and competition due to any running-related injury during the past week.”
Of the 1,145 surveys accepted into the study, 49.8 per cent of the respondents were injured with a few characteristics proving significant. The injured runners were more likely to be male, weigh more than non-injured runners (though all the runners who filled out the survey were within a healthy weight), follow their own self-devised training program and more likely to use orthotics. It’s worth noting that 86 per cent of the injured continued to run despite the fact they still felt pain significant enough to reduce their mileage and affect their performance.
Drilling down deeper into the results, the researchers discovered that runners were less likely to be injured as they gained experience. Novice runners — those with six months or less experience — were 1.53, 1.98 and 1.73 times more likely to be injured versus runners with two to five years, five to 10 years and 10-plus years of running experience, respectively.
As for the most common location of injury, the knee takes the brunt.
Much of these stats aren’t surprising. Runners get injured, which given the number of injuries recorded in the million or so studies devoted to the subject, seems inevitable.
What is interesting is that several of the factors proving significant are easy to modify. In other words, runners have the ability to reduce their risk of getting hurt by making a few key changes to their routine.
First, novice runners — those with six months or less experience — need coaching. Joining a running group or following a program devised by a professional means they won’t be making it up as they go along. The body needs to be eased into the stress of pounding the pavement, which means new runners should be more patient when it comes to reaching their goals.
More seasoned runners have settled into a training program that helps keep injuries at bay, probably because they have come to terms with their individual limits and tolerance. Being injured is a teachable moment. And those who learn from an injury are less likely to repeat the mistake.
The other take-away from this study is the tendency for runners to run through pain. Hey, we’ve all done it. Several studies have indicated that injuries beget injuries — in other words, a key predictor of being injured is having a previous injury. So the best way to avoid taking an unwanted timeout is to deal with any pain significant enough to force a change in your running routine as soon as possible.
Finally, keep in mind that despite all this talk about getting hurt, runners are healthier than the average couch potato. The body is amazingly adaptable to running on hard surfaces as long as you listen to signs of fatigue or overuse. The bottom line is: The key to reducing the risk of running injuries is largely in the hands of runners themselves.