Why Runners Always Get Injured
By Calvin Thai PT, DPT
Recently in the clinic, I have been seeing a lot of runners coming in with injuries all over. This comes with this time of year, or rather, marathon season here in Chicago. From first-timers to veterans of the sport, we see it all in the clinic.
If I had one piece of advice that I always give my runners, it would be: “DO NOT STOP LIFTING.”
Running is a hard sport on the body, especially for those who primarily run on concrete. You are putting your body through the same single-leg impact repeatedly over an extended period of time, on a surface that is fighting back against your body just as hard as you are pushing into it. That is a lot of stress for your body to handle. And that doesn’t even include the multiple runs people do throughout the week, trail running, or all the additional walking and activity they do in their daily lives.
When people are training for a specific race, what always seems to happen is that running starts taking up too much of their time. They may also feel like they are already getting their workout in simply by running, so they stop lifting altogether.
The long runs only get longer, the fatigue starts to build from all the mileage throughout the week, and the feeling that they need to lift gets pushed to the back burner.
And that is when we often start seeing injuries later in their training programs.
So, what will lifting actually solve?
Well, your muscles are meant to do a lot during running. They are what make you faster and help drive your legs forward, but a lot of people don’t realize that your muscles are also responsible for absorbing force.
Muscles fatigue. And when they fatigue, they become less effective at doing their jobs. That means more of the impact from running has to go somewhere else. This is when bones, tendons, and ligaments can start taking on more stress than they are meant to handle.
A few runs later, the runner starts noticing a small pain. They run through it. Eventually, the problem gets worse. They continue running, but they haven’t done anything to make their muscles stronger or better equipped to handle the workload, so the problem continues to progress.
Then, BAM — they are dealing with an injury that sets them back, and the athlete is frustrated.
By being proactive with your strength training and getting your muscles strong enough to produce and absorb force for longer periods of time, we can help reduce the risk of many common running injuries.
Being proactive about your body’s physical health is always going to be easier than being reactive and having to climb back from an injury.
Don’t ignore your muscles. Strength train in conjunction with your running. Your body needs to be strong enough to handle the demands you are asking it to perform!
Book an assessment and let’s get you back to feeling good in your body.
No referrals, no waiting, just answers. Did you know that we offer free 1-on-1 injury screens? Wattage Physical Therapy will take an in depth look at your ergonomics, posture, muscle tone, muscle weaknesses, and movement patterns to create a plan for YOU. If this article intrigues you, you can directly email me, Calvin at calvin@wattagept.com. I would be happy to help you start the process of living a life free from pain.