The following is a guest post from one of our Airrosti providers.
If you are a runner, you have likely experienced pain or a strain injury in the feet, shins, knees, hips or back. There’s always a small risk you’ll experience an injury or pain when running. Luckily, many running injuries are completely avoidable. Follow these three steps below to run with minimal to no real pain.
Self-Myofascial Release
Use a foam roller and lacrosse ball regularly. If you run, you should foam roll the entire lower half of your body and lacrosse ball your feet ideally before and after you run. If you don’t have much time, at least roll out before you run. Rolling will prime your muscles, tendons, and fascia to be able to handle the impact of running. If you are thinking, “I don’t have time to foam roll,” cut your run five minutes short to do a quick and dirty roll out of your lower half. If you don’t have time to warm up, you don’t have time to run.
Shoes
I cannot tell you how many times I see runners limping along in shoes that wore out 400 miles ago. Get the right running shoes and keep them fresh. I highly recommend buying shoes from a local, family-owned shoe store that will conduct a solid gait analysis. Nothing beats getting a quality shoe fit from a local store with experts who have extensive product knowledge. It literally could make the difference in preventing an injury that might otherwise sideline you for months. Please do yourself a favor and skip Amazon or Sports Academy for buying running shoes. The few dollars you might save when you buy the wrong shoes will cost you more time and money from doctor’s bills in the long run.
Surface
Do you run on sidewalks or the road all the time? No matter how good your shoes are, you are going to get wrecked running on extremely hard surfaces like concrete. Change it up and run on a dirt trail, grass, even a rubberized track. Running on a softer surface will put less pressure on your joints and give your knees and hips time to recover from the wear and tear of the asphalt.
Don’t Let Pain Trip You Up!
If you follow the three steps listed above, you will significantly reduce the likelihood of repetitive strain injuries that are common among runners. If you have continued pain despite the efforts above, schedule an appointment with Airrosti. Our expert providers will conduct a thorough evaluation of your injury and customize a treatment plan to target the cause of your pain, treat it at its source, and get you back to running pain free.
