17 Apr Just started running? Stay on the track with this key advice.
Started running in a bid to get out of the house? Fantastic! Ensure you can stay on track by following this key advice!
You’ve been exercising for a few weeks now, either taking up home workouts with lots of jumping (example: burpees), or you’ve started running, because you simply can’t sit inside all day, not doing anything!With all your drive and tenacity you have gone from not even considering yourself a runner, to all of a sudden hitting daily personal bests. Sound familiar?
A number of ‘niggles’ start to develop at the knees, at the ankles however not enough to stop you. You keep running, managing your pain with intermittent rest or changing your footwear thinking that those old runners that you dusted off are the likely cause. UNFORTUNATELY after several weeks of self management, the pain becomes more consistent and much harder to alleviate and you ask yourself, why is this happening?
WELL! Jumping activities and running put a large amount of force through our joints, bones and muscles… 4 to 6 times our body weight in fact!
Fortunately we are built to absorb and express these forces with our muscular system however if we’re a slightly weaker, or lacking in the strength department, these forces get absorbed or expressed by our bones and joints.
Our joints consist of two or more bones, held together by ligaments and connective tissue. The bones that make up joints are lined with cartilage tissue which essentially exists for force absorption, protecting the bone surface. When we change our activities and start completing exercise such as running at a level beyond which our muscular system can manage, we can start to develop pain across these joints.
The one simple thing you can do to ensure this doesn’t happen is to have a plan. A plan? A plan which addresses the need to improve strength if this is necessary and a plan for when and how you will run to ensure your body can cope. The amazing thing is you don’t have to wait to become stronger until you run, as long as you plan out your running as to not overexpose yourself whilst you build strength. Tip: running itself is a part of this process and a way of developing strength!
Interested in more help on this topic? The good news is we are here to help! We have created a Facebook Group in order to be able to communicate and provide advice for group members. We are hoping to foster the growth of a community of like minded individuals, offering experiential advice, tips and tricks for all aspects of health and wellbeing. Check it out at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stridephysiohealth/
