Running right
ONE of the most common exercises favoured by Malaysians is running. There is strong evidence suggesting that running is one of the most efficient ways to achieve fitness. However, running also results in one of the highest incidences of sports injuries.
Columbia Asia Hospital Petaling Jaya consultant orthopaedic surgeon Dr Gayathri P. Arumugam says 50 per cent of runners experience injuries yearly, while more than 25 per cent are injured at any given time.
Many factors predispose runners to sports injuries, including training errors, total running mileage, lack of warm-ups and nutritional errors.
Some anatomical variation, such as cavus foot, also increase the risk of sports injuries.
Dr Gayathri says cavus foot is a condition in which the foot has a very high arch and this predisposes the person to injuries around the foot and ankle when running.
Recent studies also suggest that muscle weakness may increase the risk of sports injuries.
PREVENTION
Foot orthotics for athletes are shoe inserts that replace shoe insoles. Orthotics can be used for various reasons, such as correcting the biomechanical pathology of the lower limb (cavus or flat foot), cushioning the foot or reducing muscle fatigue to help recovery.
Dr Gayathri says using orthotics has been proven to prevent stress fractures that occur in fatigue-induced bones.
“The most common mistake made by runners is excessive mileage,” she adds. “More than 50 per cent of running injuries occur due to training errors, half of which are due to excessive mileage.”
Studies have reported that a weekly mileage of more than 64km for men is associated with a higher incidence of injuries. In addition, sudden changes in running routine are also detrimental, as the risk of injury increases to 70 per cent.
Sudden changes in the type of running and training (hill training, interval training or high-intensity training) or changes in weekly distances also increase injury rates.
Dr Gayathri says this is especially important for those with hectic schedules who inadvertently miss a running session and then try to make up for it by going the extra mile or running up a steep hill. This would only increase the risk of injury.
A common symptom experienced by runners is shin splints, a phenomenon where one has pain or soreness along the shin bone (tibia) with or without swelling of the leg.
This commonly occurs with training errors, such as a sudden increase in mileage or inconsistent running patterns.
Dr Gayathri says shin splints are your body’s way of warning you to slow down before you injure yourself further.
“The best training schedule is an individualised training programme that suits your body and needs, and should be tailored accordingly.”
Stretching is recommended before one commences running, but stretching itself can cause injury and should be performed cautiously.
Too short a time for stretching (less than 10 seconds) is ineffective, while too much time taken (more than 60 seconds) has no added benefits.
Stretching should be done either before or after running, but Dr Gayathri says some studies have stated that stretching after running reduces the incidence of injuries.