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Q: Do runners risk injuring their knees and ankles? A: They can, but there are simple measures they can take to reduce their injury risk. Our expert: Sebastian Buccheri
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Is your w eight a good measure of your health?
It's w ell know n that running has many health benefits. It increases fitness, keeps you lean and doesn't cost a cent.
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But w ould-be runners are often discouraged w hen they hear tales of the aches and pains that come w ith the territory of being a regular pavement pounder.
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The most common injuries include shin splints, jogger's heel, Achilles tendinopathy and knee (or iliotibial band – ITB) strain.
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Not only are these painful, but they can cost a small fortune in physiotheraphy bills and sideline you for w eeks. But experts say running itself doesn't cause injuries; it's that many casual runners don't w ear appropriate shoes or don't do resistance training to keep their leg muscles strong. Luckily, w ith a bit of know ledge of your foot biomechanics and ensuring you look after yourself, running can be a life-long form of exercise for pretty much everyone.
If the shoe fits Sebastian Buccheri, exercise physiologist and board director of Exercise and Sports Science Australia, says most people w ear the w rong shoes because they don't know w hat their natural foot alignment is. "Some people have an excessive foot pronation, w hich is a very flat foot and can result in internal rotation of the leg," he explains. "This overloads the knee joint and hip and puts pressure on your pelvis.
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"If you're an excessive foot supinator, w hich means you have a high foot arch, you can get stress fractures in the leg and foot." He strongly recommends having a podiatrist assess your feet and stride, so you can be fitted w ith appropriate running shoes. W hile there's debate over w hether forefoot or rearfoot striking (that is w hich part of your foot lands first) is better for speed and injury prevention, Buccheri says amateur runners are better to stick w ith w hat feels natural. If fact, a study from the University of Western Australia found trying to change your foot strike can do more harm than good. The researchers determined that rearfoot strikers (about 75 per cent of people) w ho change their technique increase their risk of injury and w ill most likely end up becoming slow er.
Starting off slowly If you're new to running, another w ay to protect your bones and joints is by easing into it, Buccheri says. Rather than running for 20 minutes straight, you should start out by alternating betw een w alking and running to give your muscles and joints a chance to get stronger. "Start out on grass instead of the pavement," he suggests. "Shin splints often occur w hen you're just starting out and immediately run on hard surfaces like concrete." Alw ays stand tall, relax your arms and don't tighten your shoulders. Otherw ise you'll begin to hunch forw ard w hen you fatigue and that w ill restrict your breathing.
Preparation is key W hen you're short on time and keen to get into your exercise it's easy to skip the w arm-up and cool dow n to save time. How ever these steps help you to avoid injury, and are essential regardless of the exercise you do. A good w arm-up should last for at least five minutes and increase your heart rate enough to make you break a sw eat. This stops unnecessary stress being placed on your heart and lungs and also prepares your muscles by boosting blood flow to them.
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"The best w arm-up for any sport is to use the muscles you're about to use in a less intense w ay," explains geriatrician Professor Maria Fiatarone Singh from the University of Sydney. "So for runners that's w alking, jogging, then building up to your normal running pace." Equally important is having an active recovery (cool dow n), Buccheri says. "Don't just stop your run, jump in the car and get back to your day," he stresses. "An active recovery means w alking for an extra five or 10 minutes at the end." This w ill bring your heart rate back to normal and removes the build-up of w aste products in your muscles that occur during exercise. If time really is an issue, then don't w orry so much about your pre-run stretch. Recent studies show stretching before and after exercise has little impact on muscle soreness. It's still important to stretch for flexibility because running puts pressure on the major muscles in your low er body, causing them to become tight. W ithout regular stretching, tight muscles impact your range of movement and can make everyday things like squatting and straightening your legs more difficult. Buccheri recommends using a massage ball or foam roller for 10-20 minutes on your non-running days. The best time to do it is w hile you're w atching TV. "Do your calves, but also your hamstrings, low er back and glutes, w hich are our biggest muscles and cop a lot of pounding w hether w e sit, stand, w alk or run," he says.
Keep your muscles strong Even the most seasoned runners should do regular strength training, tw o or three times a w eek, to further reduce their chances of injuries such as muscle tears. "If you strengthen the muscle, then the tendon that attaches it to the bone is also stronger," she explains. "The best exercises are moves like squats, calf raises or leg presses, w hich all involve the muscles used w hen running." Regular strength training becomes even more important as you age, as your muscle mass starts to decline and your risk of osteoarthritis increases after age 50. Singh suggests alternating running and strength training days. If you're trying to get fitter, run for shorter distances at a faster pace; if your goal is endurance, you'll need to run longer distances at a pace you can comfortably maintain. "There are lots of w ays to do it but having regular rest days is important for recovery," she says. "You can certainly increase your fitness w ithout having to train every single day."
Sebastian Buccheri is an exercise physiologist and board director of Exercise and Sports Science Australia; Professor Maria Fiatarone Singh is a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and works with Sydney University's Exercise, Health and Performance Research Group. They spoke to Cassie W hite. Published 13/05/2014
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Nathan :
22 May 2014 7:07:15pm
Hi, I am an accredited Podiatrist, w orking in the private sector in QLD. On a daily basis I am consulting w ith patients of varied age groups w ho for the most part present as unsure or unaw are of w hat foot w ear they should be using for their individual needs. W hilst I agree w ith Mr Buccheri's statement regarding shoe fittings being carried out by experienced allied health professionals, I w ould like to add (for the more interested reader) that you take that thought further and have the overall structure and function of an individual assessed by a Podiatrist. Specific biomechanical issues, w hen addressed correctly by a health professional show significantly earlier signs of improvement. Correct foot w ear should alw ays be implemented initially and the specific management plan (if necessary) follow ed in conjunction w ith its use; that being physical therapy, CAM, orthotic therapy, multidisciplinary approach or specialist referral. The onus does ultimately fall upon the patient (compliance etc) but it's the correct clinical advice that gives rise to higher rates of decreased injury in the literature. It's about raising aw areness for everyone in the community and this forum is an enjoyable read. It displeases me greatly w hen I have to say that a new ly purchased set of runners are only going to exacerbate either current injuries or w orse, trigger an injury due to product misuse. Reply
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Ben :
21 May 2014 8:01:04pm
There's some very ill-informed comments on here w hich are going to leave people in tw o minds w hen it comes to running heel first vs. forefoot first. Firstly, it's great to hear for some of you that there's been such great success w ith forefoot striking w hile running. But unfortunately a majority of people's biomechanics now adays don't suit them for such running. converted by Web2PDFConvert.com