Injury Prevention
THE MENU UNDER THIS GENERAL HEADING
Injury Prevention, Eliminating Imbalances, Staying Healthy & Holistic Ways.
Conditioning, Core Stability, Mobility, Strength Speed and Strength Endurance.
Attempt to have about a few minutes of gentle stretching and mobility at the end of each session or run.
Also put 20-30 minutes aside a couple of times a week to work on strength & resistance work, isometrics, conditioning, core stability, mobility, yoga, pilates or gently stretching.
Stretching can help minimize the chance of injury and fatigue by increasing the suppleness of your muscles., but personally I feel more effective and enjoyable, are strength exercises, isometrics, core and mobility work, carried out in a yoga based way
Correct Ways to Stretch:
N.B. Don't stretch on cold muscles, only after a warm up.
And not before a race, not needed and danger of over stretching for most runners.
Strides, mobility and drills fine after warm up.
Hamstrings need a certain amount of tension so as to perform their role properly and efficiently and with ease.
Common mistakes are bouncing while stretching, pushing past the point of resistance, and holding a stretch too long.
Don't bounce. Hold each stretch for 5 or more seconds & up to 30 seconds.
Do three to four repetitions of each stretch.
Don't try to stretch too far — only to the point of resistance.
Tension should be felt, but it should never be painful.
A good stretching session will leave you feeling relaxed and refreshed.
Decreases Muscle Soreness:
Stretching at any time will increase blood flow to the muscles, helping to clear waste products out of your system and can relieve tightness and soreness, therefore recovery for the next day .
Increase Athletic Performance:
If you take time to stretch, it will increase your athletic performance. A more flexible muscle is capable of exerting a greater force and will not fatigue as easily. Improving flexibility increases your range of motion, which allows you to react to the demands of running and working out. Along with increased explosiveness and speed, more flexible muscles lead to less chance of injury.
Increase Flexibility & Mobility:
The main purpose of stretching is to increase flexibility and mobility. An added bonus is the ability to improve athletic performance, prevent injury, and ease some soreness. Flexibility is part of the balance of a healthy lifestyle. To really gain flexibility, stretch after your runs or sessions. You can still stretch lightly before a session, but make sure to warm up before doing so. But drills are better.
What to Stretch:
Your main focus is on the muscles you use the most for running, but don’t forget your whole body at some point. For runners, you should stretch / strengthen hamstrings (the back of your thighs), quadriceps (the front of your thighs), Quads should be a little stronger though, also gluteal, calves, hips, and back.
When to Stretch: Before or after?
Definitely after, before if really necessary, but should not be static but more in a dynamic mobility form.
Preferably a running warm up with proprioceptive drills and a few strides as stretching cold muscles can lead to injury, so warming up first is important.
Hamstring stretching before a race, is a hindrance as the necessary natural tension needed for pulling the support foot from the ground and up using the hamstring muscles, is lost if your hamstring is too loose.
This affects natural gravitational fall - pull - fall action, for better running efficiency.
Stretching after you run can be beneficial for your increased flexibility and mobility since your blood is flowing and muscles are warm. And sessions to boost strength of hamstrings will help.
Recommended Flexibility & Mobility Routines:
Carry out with caution and don't over stretch, more is not actually more in most cases.
1. Hamstring Stretch:
Lie on your back with one leg straight up in the air, the other bent with foot flat on the ground.
Loop a strap or towel over the arch of the lifted foot, and gently pull on the strap as you push against it with your foot. Push only to the point where your muscles contract.
Stretch both legs, but not immediately before training and racing.
2. Hamstring & Back Stretch:
Lie on your back with your knees bent.
Hug your shins to your chest to stretch your hamstrings and lower back.
3. Quadriceps Stretch #1:
Kneel on your knees (without resting back on your heels).
Lean back with your body erect and your arms to the side. Hold for 15 seconds.
4. Quadriceps Stretch #2:
Heel To Buttock - Stand on one foot, with one hand on a wall for balance.
Hold the other foot with the opposite hand and raise the heel of the lifted foot to the buttocks (or as close as comfortably possible), stretching your quadriceps.
Keep your body upright throughout. Change legs and repeat.
5. Wall Pushup #1:
Stand about three feet from a wall, feet at shoulder width and flat on the ground.
Put your hands on the wall with your arms straight for support.
Lean your hips forward and bend your knees slightly to stretch your calves.
6. Wall Pushup #2:
From the previous position, bend forward to lower your body to waist height.
Bring one foot forward with your knee slightly bent.
Lift the toes of the front foot to stretch the muscle under the calf. Stretch both legs.
7. Wall Pushup #3:
Put your feet together, rocking back on your heels with your hands on the wall and your arms straight to form a jackknife with your body. This stretches your hips, shoulders, and lower back.
8. Hip & Lower Back Stretch:
Sit on the ground with your legs crossed.
Lift your right leg and cross it over the left, which should remain bent.
Hug the right leg to your chest and twist the trunk of your body to look over your right shoulder.
Change legs and repeat (i.e. looking over your left shoulder).
9. Iliotibial Band Stretch:
Lie on your side with both legs bent in running position.
Bring the bottom leg toward your chest and then bring the top one back toward your buttocks, so that the running position of your legs is exaggerated as possible.
Hold for 30 seconds then flip sides and repeat.
10. Bridge:
Lie on your back and, with your feet flat on the ground, lift your hips up until your body forms a flat plane. Repeat this one ten times for 30 seconds each to stretch your quads and lower back.
11. Groin Stretch:
Seated, put the soles of your feet together. With your elbows on the inside of your knees, gradually lean forward and gently press your knees toward the ground.
12. Back Scratch:
Grab your elbow with the opposite hand and gently push the elbow up and across your body until your hand reaches down to "scratch" your back.
Gently push on your elbow to guide your hand down your back as far as it will comfortably go, stretching your triceps and shoulders. Stretch both arms.
Strength and Stability Training –
Strength training is a form of training that can be of great benefit to any runner. It has been shown to improve technique, reduce muscular fatigue while running, and it can even help prevent injuries.
ONE OF THE BEST AND MOST EFFECTIVE STRENGTH & RESISTANCE TRAINING THOUGH, IS HILL TRAINING and WITH THE ADDED BONUS OF SPEED and ENDURANCE TRAINING BENEFITS.
Weights
If you wish to add in some strength training to your programme, start by doing one session per week and with light weights only.
N.B. Strength training should never be done so as to detract from your ability to feel fresh and perform well in your running training.
Core Strength
Core stability is an essential determinant of success for all sports people, be they cyclists, runners or swimmers, football or rugby players, golfers or rowers.
Thats because the body's core muscles are the foundation for all other movement.
The muscles of the torso stabilise the spine and provide a solid foundation for movement in the extremities. These core muscles lie deep within the torso.
They generally attach to the spine, pelvis and muscles that support the scapula. When these muscles contract, we stabilise the spine, pelvis and shoulders and create a solid base of support.
We are then able to generate powerful movements of the extremities.
The biggest benefit of core training is to develop functional fitness - that is, fitness that is essential to both daily living and regular activities.
However, training the muscles of the core also corrects postural imbalances that may lead to injuries.
Indeed, core stability is now seen as an essential attribute for any sports person who seeks to keep their chances of sports injury to the absolute minimum.
The Effects of a Sedentary Life-Style is your day job undermining your chances of sporting success?
Sitting for long periods during the day can adversely affect your performance in your chosen sport and is quite often a predisposing factor in injury.
Most of us are not professional athletes and spend large chunks of our day sitting hunched over a computer, in a vehicle or slumped on the sofa.
Such prolonged sitting can cause all or some of the following problems:-
*tight hip flexors, hamstrings and calf muscles.
*tightness through the external hip rotator muscles, which can lead to restricted movement at the hip joint
*reduced extension through the lower back, causing stiffness in the mid (thoracic) spine
*tight and hunched shoulders with weak lower shoulder muscles
*tight and weak muscles at the back of the shoulder
*poked chin posture and muscle imbalances in the neck and upper shoulders
Prolonged sitting has also been linked to acute muscle strains in dynamic sports, in particular hamstring strains. That’s because the lower back stiffness associated with sitting leads to altered nerve input into the rear thigh.
This can manifest as increased muscle tone of the hamstrings, which will increase the risk of strain.
Core Stability - injury free performance reports on a recent sports science study into the implications for runners of having poor dynamic pelvic stability.
Research shows how runners unconsciously adapt their stride and other aspects of their running technique in order to compensate for weaknesses in their core stability and what the implications are in terms of impairments to their running performance and even injury.
Yoga for Runners:
Well most of the Stretching and mobility exercises above, have their basis in yoga movements, but there are quite a number more that are beneficial to runners, and when done correctly and developed overtime, can eliminate imbalances therefore helping prevent injuries and giving better running form.
It has many benefits for your body and mind, such as an increased confidence, a control over stress, and promoting a peace of mind.
Yoga also improves your breathing, posture and circulation whilst also increasing your flexibility, mobility, strength, and coordination.
Although yoga and running lie on opposite ends of the exercise spectrum, the two need not be mutually exclusive. Runners often experience bad backs and knees, tight hamstrings, and sore feet.
It's not surprising, during the course of an average mile run, your foot will strike the ground 1,000 times.
The force of impact on each foot is about three to four times your weight.
All sports injuries are initially caused by imbalances.
The pain most runners feel is not usually from the actual running, but from imbalances that some running can cause and exacerbate, but also posture problems created by lifestyle and working practices.
If you bring your body into balance through the practice of yoga, you can run long and hard for years to come and to increase range of motion, agility, flexibility, lung capacity, endurance, and strength.