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5 tips to prevent running injuries
Getting an injury is never fun, especially if you can no longer practice your favorite sport because of it. But which injuries can be prevented and what can you do about them?
To gain insight into the most common running injuries, we have made an overview for you:
- Iliotibial band friction syndrome (pain on the outside of the knee, also called runners knee ).
- Jumpers knee (pain at the bottom of the kneecap or the top of the lower leg, also called patellar tendon irritation).
- Menisci injury (pain when squatting and kneeling usually there is fluid in the knee).
- Patellofemoral pain syndrome (pain behind the kneecap)
90% of all running injuries are in the knee.
We have listed the 5 most important tips for you to prevent an injury:
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Run in comfortable running shoes
According to Steef Bredeweg sports physician and researcher at the University of Groningen, it is mainly important to wear comfortable shoes. Shoe stores nowadays advise you what is the best choice for your feet. But the most important thing is that the shoes just have to be comfortable. Everyone is different and standing straight on your feet and/or legs is not always the best. The natural way of walking for each individual is the most important.
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Build up your running slowly and take enough rest
Not an experienced runner? Then it is not wise to immediately run 10 kilometers fanatically. Your body is not used to running and therefore needs time to adapt. The condition is not yet optimal to run many kilometers. The advice is therefore to increase your schedule with 5% extra kilometers per week. Then you build it up gradually and you will prevent injuries. Don’t run for 30 minutes straight. Start with an interval that alternates between running and walking. A physiotherapist can help you create a personal walking schedule. Also, take enough rest after running, which is important for recovery.
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Do a warm up and a cool down
It is important to warm up before and after running. Prepare and warm up your body for the upcoming effort so that you have less chance of an injury. Stretching and stretching appear from the literature to have no positive influence on the development of an injury. Opinions are divided on this. However, it has been proven that agility and strength increase with regular stretching.
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Take it easy with pain complaints
Do you already have pain in your knee? Then it is not wise to run. Many people think that a little pain is not a bad thing, but your body needs time to recover. So do you already have minor pain complaints? Then go do something else, such as cycling or swimming. If you want to know more about your complaint and how to deal with it, ask a physiotherapist for advice. Also take a look at our range of knee braces .
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Drink water
Drink plenty of water before, after and during your run. This allows you to continue to perform better and recover faster. With a loss of about 2 percent body weight you will feel thirsty, which means that the performance capacity has already been drastically reduced (decrease of about 20 %).
A good indication is:
- Drink 500-600 ml of water 2 to 3 hours before exercise.
- Drink 200 to 300 ml of water every 10 to 20 minutes during exercise.
- Drink enough after exercise.
