A break is a nightmare for someone on a fitness curve. For a professional athlete the process of dealing with an injury on that scale has been likened to the process of grief! What we really want though is a way to work out the lower level injuries - the ones where you feel like you could push on through the session or you could stop and limp home.
Right off the bat there is a big scientific concept in our way. Bio-mechanics. It always seems to me like a dark art - your running along and the coach says you over pronate or your gait is loose or your moving your arms the wrong way. I played cricket some years ago at a low level and as a bowler my run up and action got critiqued like this a lot. It always amounted to two things - imperfect genetics and imperfect musculature.
Imperfect genetics. Well frankly some of the best runners in the world are genetically imperfect for running let alone joggers. The whole idea behind jogging is that the form required by it is achievable by a vast segment of the population. So lets leave this idea behind - coaches saying this to you will usually point to a solution related to musculature.
Imperfect musculature. Great here is something we can act on. Something we can change. Toning the muscles we use running as well as the ones around it isn't difficult. Walk quickly on uneven surfaces - that is ankles, knee support and calves. Walk quickly downhill - that is hip-flexors. Walk quickly uphill - that is calves and upper legs. Do some planking - that is abdominal including the important side abdominal. And jumping around will generally help as well.
There is a theme here walk before you run! More than anything else if you develop the muscles that support running even to a basic level you are far less likely to make the transition to injury in the most common areas - knees, ankles and calves. A good pair of trainers will help with this as well and tomorrows first gear review will look at the trainers I started with and the ones I use today.
With bio-mechanics out of the picture - and with prevention in mind we can get on with the heart of the matter.
Your exercising. For the last minute or so you've had discomfort in an area your using. The first thing I want you to do is think about the level of discomfort. Your bodies best indicator for injury is high levels of discomfort.
Next I want you to think about where its coming from and traveling to. Traveling pain can be a sign that parts of your body are stepping in to compensate for the one that is causing the discomfort. A classic one is when your hamstring discomfort travels to your side abdominal.
Finally I want you to think about if you've felt this before. If every time you run you get this it is either an ache to be overcome or a serious injury, your Doctor or physio is a good judge of which. If it's happened the last twice its probably an injury.
I'm assuming here your aware of any recurring injuries that you have frequently, and how to diagnose and deal with them.
Add these factors up and make your own judgment about it. If your injured seek confirmation from a professional.
Crucially very few injuries get better on their own. An injury has its PRICES. PRICES is the method you should use to deal with injuries at home.
Protection - from a simple knee band to an orthotic protection provides support to the area which makes your bodies job of taking care of it easier.
Rest - this means change. Change your workouts and change your mindset from competition and improvement to stabilization and recovery. The type of rest will relate to the injury but it will involve at least reducing the intensity of your sessions, possibly switching to a type which does not aggravate the area as much, switching to non impact exercise like swimming or full on no exercising.
Ice - around a 15min application with a wet tea towel between the ice and skin. Apply as often as you think, up to around half a dozen times per day.
Compression - your probably getting compression from your protection.
Elevation - for joints particularly elevation to the level of the heart will speed recovery. It reduces swelling which inhibits muscle function and therefore recovery.
Stretching - be gentle, do around 20 seconds worth at a time regularly through the day. Do 5-10 seconds before a workout on the area rather than a longer stretch. Try to think about supporting muscles and stretch those as well before a workout.
So lets recap. Prevention: strengthen the muscles your going to be using well - do this by walking quickly along difficult surface types. Diagnosis: think about the three factors and make a decision, seek professional help if its appropriate. Pay the PRICES.
I hope that helps. If in doubt we move down an intensity level and go straight to the PRICES method.
James
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