easy to get injured while running check this out

1. Is running really prone to injury?

Answer: Overall, running is a simple and safe sport. Firstly, running is relatively gentle. Secondly, running does not involve intense physical confrontation. There is no evidence to suggest that running is more prone to injury compared to other sports.

2. Am I prone to injury running this way?

Answer: Two factors are most related to running injuries: whether you have been injured before for some reason, and the amount of running. People who have been injured have a 1.6 times higher chance of getting injured again compared to those who have never been injured. Therefore, to prevent re-injury, injured runners need to be patient and fully recover before starting to run again. Often, people start running thinking their injury has healed, only to get injured again. Additionally, when weekly running distance exceeds 40 miles (about 64 kilometers, or an average of 9-10 kilometers per day), the probability of injury more than doubles.

Interestingly, experienced runners have a lower injury rate, meaning that the number of years running is negatively correlated with injury rate. This may be because seasoned runners are more attentive to 'listening to their bodies' and run more scientifically and rationally. New runners or those with shorter running histories are actually the high-risk group for injuries.

3. Does running more make you more prone to injury?

Answer: There is no necessary connection between the amount of running and running injuries. If running more made you more prone to injury, marathon runners would be the 'most injured people' in the world, but this is not the case. However, remember that we are amazed by marathon runners' incredible speed, but behind them is a strong support team, high-tech training monitoring, systematic specialized training, scientific physical strengthening, and comprehensive fatigue recovery. These combined measures support marathon runners in completing extraordinary running volumes without injury.

Of course, the general public does not have such excellent support measures. Simply running without necessary variations, especially lacking strength training, clearly increases the risk of injury the more you run. This also confirms the previous question; it is not recommended to exceed 40 miles per week, but this does not mean it is impossible. It does not mean that running more than 40 miles per week will inevitably cause injury, but the probability of injury will increase.

4. Which part of the body is most prone to injury when running?

Answer: The knee joint is the most prone to injury when running, accounting for about a quarter of all running injuries. This is known as 'runner's knee.' Other prone areas include the thigh, calf, Achilles tendon, ankle, and foot. It is important to note that runner's knee can be divided into two types: pain in the front of the knee joint, known as patellofemoral pain syndrome or patellar tendinitis, and pain on the outside of the knee joint, known as iliotibial band syndrome. Both can be referred to as runner's knee.

In recent years, the structure of the running population has changed significantly, with the proportion of middle-aged people over 40 years old rising rapidly. Among marathon participants, 46% are over 40 years old, which has also changed the characteristics of running injuries. Younger people are more prone to knee and shin injuries, while older people are more prone to calf, Achilles tendon, and hamstring injuries.

5. I have never been injured before, so why do my knees hurt now?

Answer: Running is different from contact sports. Acute injuries can occur during a run, but the incidence is significantly lower than chronic overuse injuries. Overuse injuries, also known as repetitive strain injuries, occur due to repetitive mechanical actions, leading to sustained pressure on certain areas, such as runner's knee.

However, recent studies have found that overuse is not the only cause of strain injuries. Conditions like bowlegs, knock knees, flat feet, and high arches are also related to runner's knee. This means that repetitive actions and strain injuries are not necessarily linked, and the traditional view that repetitive exercise leads to strain injuries is increasingly being questioned.

6. Can running injuries be cured?

Answer: Acute injuries (such as ankle sprains and muscle strains) can fully recover with proper treatment. However, if not treated properly, acute injuries can turn into chronic injuries. For example, a small percentage of ankle sprains can develop into chronic ankle instability.

The question of whether chronic overuse injuries can recover is more complex. For example, runner's knee is essentially cartilage damage, and Achilles tendinitis involves tendon degeneration. Chronic overuse injuries are generally considered difficult to fully cure because cartilage has a very weak repair ability, and tendon degeneration is hard to completely reverse. Therefore, chronic overuse injuries are a challenge in sports medicine. Tennis star Li Na retired due to knee cartilage wear, and track and field prodigy Liu Xiang retired due to Achilles tendon issues.

So, if they cannot be fully cured, does it mean you can no longer run or that there is no hope? In fact, the situation is not so dire. With proper treatment, physical therapy, and rehabilitation, chronic overuse injuries can be controlled, pain can be greatly reduced, and function can be restored, allowing you to continue running. However, if you run excessively and do not pay attention to treatment and rehabilitation, excessive cartilage wear may force you to give up running.

7. What should I do if I experience pain while running?

Answer: If you experience pain during the latter stages of a marathon and it is bearable, most runners will choose to persist, as participating in a race is not easy, and races do not happen every day. It is not opposed to moderately gritting your teeth to finish, but you can seek help from medical stations along the route, such as having medical staff apply a bandage or use a cold spray. After the race, immediately apply ice to relieve pain and minimize the harm to your body.

However, if you experience pain during regular running, the most scientific approach is to stop exercising immediately or at least slow down. Pain is a signal from your body indicating a red light warning for that area. Continuing to run will be a case of 'no pain, no gain.' Many runners' gradually worsening pain is related to persisting through the pain. The more you run through the pain, the more it hurts!

8. If I get injured running, do I have to rest?

Answer: You certainly need to reduce your running volume, but you do not need to completely rest. After an injury, you can engage in symptom-limited exercise. Symptom-limited exercise means stopping when you experience pain during running. Can rest and recuperation improve the injury? Rest can help avoid direct stimulation of the injured area and reduce pain, but completely stopping to rest can cause many new problems, such as muscle atrophy, decreased strength, and reduced cardiovascular function. The endurance you worked so hard to build up can be lost due to rest.

We often say 'rest well and get well soon,' but this view is outdated. Modern sports rehabilitation emphasizes 'exercise well and get well soon.' How should you exercise? Post-injury exercise is called rehabilitation training, which is a special type of exercise aimed at recovery.

9. What should I do if I get injured running?

Answer: The treatment of running injuries is divided into two stages: on-site treatment and later treatment. On-site, you should stop exercising and apply ice to prevent the injury from worsening and to reduce pain. Later, the safest approach is to seek help from a doctor and strengthen rehabilitation training.

The focus of rehabilitation training is to strengthen the lower limbs and overall body strength. Only with strong muscles can joint load be reduced. Traditionally, we think marathon runners are very thin, making it easier to run. In fact, marathon runners are thin because they have very little subcutaneous fat and extremely low fat content. Their muscles are still very developed and strong. Strong muscles allow them to push off powerfully and reduce joint load, ensuring they do not get injured. Therefore, running injuries are not terrible. The key is to address them correctly and actively strengthen strength and rehabilitation training.

10. Do you need to train your legs for running?

Answer: Basically correct, but not comprehensive. Running uses your legs, so strengthening leg muscles is the first thing that comes to mind, and this is not wrong. However, running is a typical full-body exercise. Try running with your hands in your pockets, using only your legs. Can you run fast? It feels awkward, right? So arm movement is very important!

Since running is a full-body exercise, you should comprehensively strengthen the upper limbs, trunk, and lower limbs. Do more push-ups and pull-ups for the upper body, more planks and sit-ups for the trunk, and more squats and lunges for the lower body. Strengthening your muscles will make you run faster! Additionally, recent studies on running have found that weak hip abductor muscles are closely related to runner's knee and other injuries. Therefore, strengthening hip abductor muscle training has become an important and popular training method in recent years. When it comes to lower limb training, people first think of squats. Squats are indeed important, but side-lying leg lifts to train the hip abductor muscles are equally important. This is the latest research finding!

Additionally, some people worry that strength training will make their muscles too big and affect running. This concern is completely unnecessary. General strength training will not make your muscles excessively large.

11. How can running injuries be prevented?

Answer: It is obviously wiser to prevent injuries rather than dealing with them after they occur. However, human nature often leads us to ignore prevention until we face consequences. Preventing running injuries is the approach of truly wise runners.

Preventing running injuries can be summarized in three points. First, control your running volume and progress gradually. You can cautiously push your limits once you have a solid foundation, but constantly exceeding your limits increases the risk of injury. Everything has two sides. Second, cross-training is the best way to avoid injuries. Cross-training involves using other endurance training methods like cycling or swimming in addition to running to develop cardiovascular endurance, thus avoiding the negative effects of repetitive single-motion exercises. Third, strengthening strength training is the best choice to avoid injuries. Do more strength training or hire a personal trainer skilled in running strength training to guide you correctly. This is the most direct and effective approach!

Original title: Is running really so prone to injury? Pay attention to these facts!