5 ways to prevent injuries when running

If you regularly run, you can get some of the same injuries as athletes. Many studies show that nearly half of amateur runners have this condition, with injuries mainly in the Achilles tendon or calf. Other painful areas include knees, ankles, shins, feet, or toes.

The cause can be the way you run, the wrong clothes, shoes, or mistakes when training. The good news is that there are proven methods of injury prevention, and it's up to the runner to determine which option is right for him. "A combination of factors, such as anatomical factors, improper training, and ill-fitting shoes, can contribute to an increased risk of injury," says Dr. Joseph Hamill, a bioengineer at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. , Massachusetts, said.

Each runner is a puzzle, with different anatomical and injury histories, says medical doctor Anthony Luke, director of the Center for Human Performance at the University of California, San Francisco, California. "So injury prevention is a challenge."

Current running scientists are not only studying how to treat injuries, but also to prevent them. Most experts agree that to reduce your risk of injury, you need a healthy body, the right running posture, and the right shoes.

Here are five helpful methods for runners.

"If your muscles are weak, every step isn't going to be the same," says Reed Ferber, director of the running injury clinic at the University of Calgary in Canada. "The way your knees, hips, and feet land changes with each step you run. But with strength, these movements will be similar, helping your mind and body know what's coming."

When a person with a strong body runs, the brain sends a signal to the muscles to prepare just before the foot hits the ground. The glutes and core muscles contract to stabilize the pelvis and legs. The foot and ankle muscles are activated, creating a solid foundation for landing.

But if one muscle group isn't strong enough or isn't mobilized, the other muscle groups will overload and the whole chain of action will be interrupted, says Eric Orton, the running coach mentioned in Born to Run ( Born to run), said.

According to Jay Dicharry, author of Anatomy for Runners, most runners lack strength in at least one muscle group, as well as the neuromuscular pathways—the communication lines between the brain and the brain. body. A strong neuromuscular tract helps muscles work more efficiently and consistently faster, allowing you to run with greater control and stability.

Here are some suitable exercises

Donkey kick with a yoga block

Start in a position with your hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips, yoga bricks placed on your back.

Raise one leg toward the ceiling while holding the yoga block steady, and then lower it to the floor.

Do each leg 10 - 50 times.

Press the wall

Standing perpendicular to a wall to the right of your body, raise your right knee to 90 degrees.

Lean your knees against the wall, while keeping your body stable, shoulders not touching the wall, hold the pose for 20-30 seconds.

Release and repeat, 2-3 times on each side.

Balancing one leg

One leg is bent to 90 degrees, the other leg is standing on tiptoes, it is best to practice with bare feet.

Hold your body upright and hold it for as long as you can.

Rest when you lose balance and repeat three more times, equivalent to one set.

Switch sides and do three more sets.

Tiptoe

Stand at the edge of a step or weight, with your heel outside the step.

Lift your heels up on tiptoes, then slowly lower them down the stairs.

Repeat. Start with one set of 10 reps then work up to three sets of 15 reps.

Shell exercises

Lie on your right side, hips, knees and heels overlap.

Bend your legs up and then open your knees, similar to opening a seashell, then close it.

Repeat, doing 2 sets x 30 times on each side.

Bridge exercise with balance ball

Lie on your back with your calves resting on a balance ball, arms extended along your body.

Lift hips up to create a straight line from ankles to shoulders, hold the pose then lower, then repeat.

If you can comfortably hold your hips for 60 seconds, increase the difficulty by placing your arms in front of you backwards, raising one leg while keeping your hips straight, or rotating your hips to the sides.

Knee exercise with balance ball

Start in a plank position, hands under shoulders, feet on balance ball, body straight.

Keeping your spine straight, bring your legs up to your chest and then stretch back.

Repeat, starting with 1 set x 10 reps, then gradually increase to 3 sets x 15 reps.

Balance one leg and squat

Balance on one leg, back straight, arms and other leg in front.

Sit down and hold for 30 seconds then stand up.

Repeat, aiming for 3 sets of each leg.

Jumping Squats

Stand with your feet slightly wider than your hips.

Lower your hips and back to a squat position, then come up, feet off the ground, and land in the initial squat position.

Repeat, doing about 10-20 times.

Side jump

Place a long object on the ground and then repeatedly jump quickly from side to side, taking as little time to hit the ground as possible.

Do 3 sets x 10 times, increasing the difficulty by raising the object height.

lunge dance

Start in a front-to-back position, hip-width apart.

Jump with the front leg up, the back leg down 90 degrees.

Turn up and reverse the position of the legs.

Repeat, about 10-20 times in total.

Jump far

Stand with your feet slightly wider than your hips.

Lower yourself to a squat and then jump forward, landing with your legs down and back to the squat position.

Continue jumping forward, or bounce backwards if there is no space left.

Repeat about 10-20 times.

Kneel stretch your hips

Kneel on one knee, pressing your pelvis down to feel the stretch in the front thigh muscle of your leg.

Hold for about 1-3 minutes.

Foot massage

Sit down, place one ankle on the knee of the other.

Press with your thumbs on the soles of your feet, on sore spots, and stretch your toes to release the pressure.

Do 3 minutes every day until the pain is gone.

A small ball can be used, placed under the sole of the foot while standing and then moved. Hold the ball where it hurts and then raise and lower your toes.

Squeeze calves

Sitting on the floor, one leg stretched out with the calf resting on the massage roller - the item HM and FM distance runners of the MetaSports Marathon Ho Chi Minh City Midnight was given in the racekit in mid-February 2023.

Roll the calves on the massage roller, stopping when the sore spot is found and pressing down firmly.

Hold until the pain goes away, usually 30 – 90 seconds.

Change the position slightly and repeat.

Roll the front thigh

Lie face down on the floor, massage roller placed under the left thigh, just near the knee.

Bring your right leg up and then slowly move your left thigh on the roller.

Stop and hold in the position where you feel the stretch for 30 to 90 seconds.

Repeat with the right leg.

Butt roll

Sit on the massage roller, the left leg is bent, the foot is on the ground, the right leg is straight, the foot does not touch the floor.

Slowly move your buttocks on the roller, stopping and holding in the position that feels pain for about 30-90 seconds.

Before landing, the brain will send signals to the muscles to prepare for impact. Muscles contract to stabilize joints. If this communication is slow or weak, the muscle won't have time to react.

When landing, the jet can cause fractures and other injuries. Experts say that the longer the stride, the greater the risk of injury, because the foot lands in front of the knee.

In the intermediate step, the foot moves through the prone position, making this stage also potentially traumatizing. Bearing loads can be up to 2.5 times the body weight, if the joints of the legs, hips, and ankles are not stable, there is a risk of muscle, tissue and bone erosion.

When the toes are about to lift up to start the running cycle, the hips will be maximized. If the hip muscles are tense, the back is prone to excessive bending.

To improve the problem, runners need to adjust their running posture, how to hit their hands, land, and stride. With arm strokes, runners can try bending their elbows at a right angle and then letting the arms swing freely, keeping the elbows close to the body.

To adjust the way to land, the runner practices running in place, raising the knee naturally for 10 seconds, then leaning forward and running about 50 m. Repeat the exercise 3 times before running.

"When we try to run lightly, we naturally adjust to shortening our stride, landing on the soles of our feet, which helps reduce jet lag," says Luke.

A faster cadence, which is the number of steps you run per minute, can help reduce your risk of overdoing it and reduce stress on your joints. Some experts estimate if the running cadence is 160 or less, pay attention to every step. If the running cadence is above 160, no injury, no overdoing, the runner does not need to adjust.

Runners also need to avoid running too long, causing the foot to land in front of the knee, easily causing muscle tears and tissue and joint problems. Try to land as close to your body as possible. Orton suggests runners integrate climbing exercises into the program to make it easier to adjust their posture.

"If you feel pain and discomfort while running, that's not the shoe for you," says Benno Nigg, a researcher at the University of Calgary's Human Performance Lab.

Runners can also turn to shoe experts for advice. They will evaluate based on old shoes, measure the shape of the foot and then follow the runner to test a number of shoes to conclude.