It
is so hard to keep perspective when coming back from an injury. You are so
hungry to be back, that it is often hard to “hold back” a bit and allow your
body to catch back up to where you want to be. It’s better to take 2-3 extra
weeks to build up gradually and ease yourself back into training rather than
hurry back, only to lose another 4-6 weeks and get another injury from over
doing it, it’s just not worth it. Getting back from injury takes patience.
We
know it can be tough if an injury does happen, but being a better runner is
being able to train smarter, and understand when not to run, just as much as when to run. Discipline goes a long way in making us all mentally and
physically better runners.
As new runners, the chanced of becoming inured are sadly higher, as your bones
and muscles are not yet used to the impact running has on your body This is why
following a progressive, gradual programme, like Couch to 5k, is so important,
as it will make you able to not only run, but do so in a way that builds your
strength up and therefore makes it sustainable.
When it comes to treating injuries, there is differing advice out there but
some general principles to follow :
--
Having periods of complete rest is needed when your injury makes running impossible, such as obtaining a
stress fracture. In all other cases, it is best advised to continue running,
but only to the point at which you start
to experience discomfort, in other words, only run to the point in which your
potential injury becomes painful.
--If you want to continue to build your endurance fitness base up without the
high impact of running in the meantime, then other low impact sports are
recommended to pursue, such as swimming, walking (or hiking) and cycling. These
activities can help build your aerobic (endurance) strength and can provide the
daily physical stimulus to which runners are accustomed to without affecting
the healing of an injury.
--It
is important to start recognising the reasons why you may become injured and
start tackling the core of the problem. For every runner, this may mean
something different to them, so take into consideration any health-related
factors that you may know affect your running, whether or not your footwear is
right for you or worn out, if you are dealing with a lot of personal or
physical stress outside of running, or whether you are running too fast (as
mentioned, at this stage of your running journey, you're simply looking to
establish a running routine, not go at any speed)
--the
RICE principle- As soon as possible
after a sprain or strain-type injury, you can relieve pain and swelling and promote
healing and flexibility with RICE—Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. These
are explained as follows:
·
Rest – stop any exercise or activities and try not to
put any weight on the injury.
·
Ice – apply an ice pack (or a bag of frozen vegetables
wrapped in a tea towel) to the injury for up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours.
·
Compression – wrap a bandage around the injury to
support it.
·
Elevate – keep it raised on a pillow as much as
possible.
--As always, listen to your body and don’t be tempted to go back into running
too soon. Especially if there’s outside pressure to do so. It may be tempting
for example to run the local parkrun and test how you are feeling against your
friends, but it is important to know we are all approaching running at
different levels, and racing or pushing yourself against others will not help
the recovery process. If you have developed a serious injury that
makes running impossible, it is important to seek professional advice for this
So return to
your training gradually and gently to allow your body time to get stronger and
fitter again.