Get Fit with Maurice Looby (7 of 8)

Avoiding injuries (7 of 8)Anyone who has ever run for some time soon learns that injury is an ever-present risk. Fortunately, there is now sufficient information available to suggest practical ways in which the incidence of running injuries can be reduced.When you start running it's quite common to have niggling discomforts in various body parts, typically the knees, ankles, feet and hips.Don't lose heart. This is usually the body adapting to the increased physical demands placed on it, and therefore nothing to worry about.The trick is to know when one of those niggles becomes serious. By following a few basic tenets it should be quite easy to prevent the niggle turning into a problem.Probably the most common cause of injury in a runner is doing too much too soon. Discussed in previous articles on this page, the general rule of thumb is not to increase mileage (or time) by more than 10-12% per week. Larger increases than this can result in an over-use injury such as runner's knee (most common) or shin splints (walkers can get this too).Coupled with over-use injuries are, often, injuries caused by inappropriate footwear. Invest a few euro in a proper pair of runners. These need to be changed every three to five hundred miles - sounds like a lot but keep an eye on it.Doing two hard sessions on consecutive days is also a recipe for injury. Remember the tips from last week: follow a hard day by an easy day!Warming up and stretching are also necessary for injury prevention. Follow exercise by a warm-down and then more stretching.Increasing amounts of evidence are being put forward to promote the issue of core strengthening to avoid injuries. Cross training is useful here.Spend some time doing alternative exercise such as swimming, rowing, cycling. Resistance training such as lunges and squats will also help.Believe it or not, running backwards is a great way to strengthen the opposing muscle groups that are typically under-used in running, thereby minimising muscle imbalances, thus reducing risk of injury.Runners love talking about their injuries. If you are experiencing a niggle that won't go away, talk to other runners about it. Chances are they will have had the same problem at some point and will be able to put your mind at rest.However, if an injury lasts more than a week and you feel it is a serious problem rather then a niggle, consult a physiotherapist.Injury prevention tips• Avoid too much too soon• Warm up and stretch; warm down and stretch• Proper footwear• Follow a hard training day with an easy training day or rest day• First aid = R.I.C.E. (Rest Ice Compression Elevation)• Never accept as final the advice of a non-runner - GP or other!Part 8 of this column is here:http://westmeathexaminer.ie/sport/roundup/articles/2012/06/15/4010929-get-fit-with-maurice-looby-8-of-8/Part 6 of this column is here:http://westmeathexaminer.ie/sport/roundup/articles/2012/06/06/4010774-get-fit-with-maurice-looby-6-of-8/Part 5 of this column is here:http://westmeathexaminer.ie/sport/roundup/articles/2012/05/24/4010606-get-fit-with-maurice-looby-5-of-8/Part 4 of this column is here:http://westmeathexaminer.ie/sport/roundup/articles/2012/05/16/4010466-get-fit-with-maurice-looby-4-of-8/Part 3 of this column is here:http://westmeathexaminer.ie/sport/roundup/articles/2012/05/09/4010343-get-fit-with-maurice-looby-3-of-8/Part 2 of this column is here:http://westmeathexaminer.ie/sport/roundup/articles/2012/05/03/4010287-get-fit-with-maurice-looby-2-of-8/Part 1 of this column is here:http://westmeathexaminer.ie/sport/roundup/articles/2012/04/25/4010193-get-fit-with-maurice-looby-1-of-8/