How to Prevent Common Running Injuries

Running is an enticing and addictive activity, but there are a few things to keep in mind to avoid injuries.

Like all sports, running (or jogging) strengthens the cardiovascular and respiratory systems and improves overall health conditions. It regulates appetite, eases digestion, and improves sleep quality. Psychologically, it drives self-improvement by pushing us to beat our records. But some aspects should be taken into account when practicing this sport, such as warm-up, shoe selection, correct posture, and the most common injuries one can suffer.

Why is warming up essential before running?

If you want to avoid aches and pains and make sure to prep your body for an amazing run, you want to address the postural distortions that can occur from your daily posture or even from previous injuries.

That’s why we are sharing seven moves for a fantastic warm-up to avoid those common running aches and pains. These moves will activate your glutes and improve your ankle, hip, and even spinal mobility! Now you will be ready to hit the pavement.

Proper footwear

When you are running, and your feet make contact with the ground, the arch of your foot helps absorb the shock of that contact. This action is called the pronation factor, and this is what helps people identify the best types of footwear to get for their running needs. Below you see the different kinds of pronations and the best shoes that benefit each.

• Overpronation – The foot excessively bends outward, and the arch collapses to absorb impact. This form of pronation can often lead to more ankle rolling and injury, leading to your legs and knees being more overworked to compensate.
  • Proper shoe –  shoes that offer more motion-control and reduces your foot’s internal rotation to provide more stability.

• Neutral – This is the most common type of foot placement when running. With neutral pronation, your feet and ankles maintain a vertical line with slight prone. 
  • Proper shoe – shoes that offer stability or structure cushioning if the foot is very flexible.

• Supination – Here, the ankle and foot often only slightly collapses and is marginally offset to the outside. With supination, the outer part of the heel contacts the ground, reducing the impact.
  • Proper shoe – you should look for cushioned and flexible shoes that provide extra padding to absorb the impact on each stride.

Running outdoors burns more calories

Running is an excellent form of cardio exercise, getting your body moving, your heart pumping, your blood flowing, and your calories burning. Speaking of calories, it turns out there's a real difference in the number you'll burn depending on whether you're running inside on a treadmill or outside in the open. According to the New York Times, several studies have shown that, in general, outdoor running burns about 5 percent more calories than treadmills do, in part because there is greater wind resistance and no assistance from the treadmill belt. If you enjoy running more outdoors, go ahead, and if you prefer to do it at home, that's great too. In the end, it is best to stay active in any way.

Tips to avoid injury

Finally, here are some quick tips to help you avoid any injuries to your ankles, other joints, and muscles when you are running.

• Stretch before and after running, especially your thighs.
• End your run with a short walk.
• Do not run daily.
• Try to run on a flat surface.
• Jog with short strides.
• Do resistance workouts on the days when you don’t run.
• Use proper footwear.
• Maintain a proper diet and calorie intake.
• Keep hydrated.
• Finally, enjoy your run.