Sarah Connors explains that the majority of runners injuries are chronic overuse problems due to the old song the ankle bone is connected to the knee bone…Sarah Connors explains that the majority of runners injuries are chronic overuse problems due to the old song the ankle bone is connected to the knee bone…
Each part of the body is part of the same chain and a tightness in one part can cause an injury in another. It’s very important to look at areas above and below the injured part and stretch those as well.
Chronic injuries are the bane of many a runner’s life. They creep up on you without you really noticing, put a stop to your training and generally take much longer to settle then they did to arrive. Or, at least, it seems that way. But the truth is, we are continually stressing certain areas of the body through running, and every runner’s body has its own ‘threshold’ point, beyond which one or more structures or systems may break down.
Unfortunately, there’s no way of knowing what your individual threshold point is, so, a problem can develop seemingly out of the blue when, in fact, it has been building up over a period of time. While an increase in speed or distance is often what sets someone ‘over the threshold’, it can also simply be a result of the gradual accumulation of the same forces applied on the same areas of the body, time after time (that’s why we keep telling you to change your running surfaces and training sessions!).
Keeping a training diary is invaluable in helping you try to identify what went wrong and why – so it’s worth routinely recording how you feel during and after your runs, and noting any niggles, particular fatigue or tightness.
What to do if you sustain an injury?
Whether the injury is acute or chronic the first thing to do is rest. Stop running for 48 hours and see if the area settles.
Secondly ice the area to settle the inflammation and prevent further bleeding. It’s fine to stretch the area after 48 hours and the muscles above and below immediately. If pain free on all daily activities try and easy 10 min jog.
