To avoid common running injuries you should follow the lyrics of Daft Punk – Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger!
As a physiotherapist I get to meet lots of runners with common overuse injuries and I believe most of these problems can be overcome with some simple strength and conditioning principles.
If you’re planning on competing in a running event this year such as the Vitality Brighton Half Marathon it’s likely that at some point during your training you will pick up an injury. Like most people you’ll probably turn to the internet or a running magazine where you’ll find lots of information on the benefits of warming up and stretching but less likely to find any guidance on strength exercises for running.
In a recent study with 26,610 participants by Lauersen et al (2013), looking at the effectiveness of exercise interventions to prevent sports injuries, found that overuse injuries could be almost halved with strength training alone.
With this research in mind I have put together three basic strength and conditioning programmes for you to work on as part of your running training. Begin with stage one giving yourself roughly four to six weeks or until you feel confident before moving onto the next programme.
3 strengthening moves for runners from Vitality Brighton Half Marathon on Vimeo.
Remember this is just a rough guide to strength training and your ability to perform these exercises will depend on many factors, so if you have an injury or you don’t feel confident then get it checked out!
Sundial offers a free 20 minute physiotherapy consultation to anyone who is unsure about an injury so please get in touch if you need any further advice.
James
Sundial’s Physiotherapist
Sundial is a partner for the Vitality Brighton Half Marathon on 26th Feb 2017 providing clinical care and advice for sports injuries for the runners. If you have any niggles then give us a call and our physio’s, chiropractors and massage therapists can see you quickly. Running the Vitality Brighton Half Marathon? Call for a free Runners MOT