What Causes Most Running Injuries?
- Dr. Gregory Lowe PT, DPT, cert. MDT, CSCS
- Apr 25
- 3 min read
What causes most running-related injuries? Overuse!
Overuse from the repetitive nature of running leads to almost every running injury.
In most other sports, athletes move in all directions working their muscles in various ways. Think about all the side-to-side, front-and-back movements that must occur in other sports…
Running, however, consists essentially of forward motion and is extremely repetitive– the body has to pound pavement in one direction, mile after mile.
So if you’re not taking care of yourself by supplementing running with strength training, proper fueling, recovery, and an effective training plan, then eventually an injury is bound to pop up and prevent you from performing at your best!
We want to help you break out of injury cycles and prevent overuse running injuries!
Several things contribute to overuse injuries including the following:
Doing Too Much Too Soon
This is especially common in beginners and runners returning from time off. Increasing components of training too quickly–including mileage, intensity, or frequency– can cause overuse injuries to develop.
It’s helpful to work with a good running coach to help guide you and develop a training plan specific to your individual goals!
Taking Easy Runs Too Hard
You may have heard the saying, “you can’t run hard on hard days, if you don’t run easy on easy days!”
Not only will running too hard on easy days make you more susceptible to injury, it can also prevent you from performing at your best on workout days.
If your body is coming into the workout in a more fatigued state from failing to recover on a true easy run, it will take more effort to complete a workout in addition to increasing proneness to injury!
True recovery runs (“conversational pace”) allow your body to adapt from hard workout days and reduce injury risk.
Muscle Weaknesses and Imbalances
Weaknesses and/or imbalances in your muscle strength will cause your body to compensate in other areas and eventually lead to overuse injuries.
This demonstrates the importance of working with a trained specialist to examine your running form and perform a pre-run screen to ensure efficient running mechanics.
At AWAKEN, we’ve helped countless runners of all levels from beginner to Olympian! Our goal is to find the ROOT CAUSE of a runner’s pain/injury, and determine the most effective treatment plan to help them improve running efficiency, reduce injury risk, and AWAKEN their potential in running!
Our 3D Running Analysis is beneficial for all types of runners to analyze running mechanics and identify areas of weakness to prevent injuries from occurring/re-occuring!
It’s also important to supplement your running with strength and conditioning to reduce injury risk and improve running performance– your body has to be strong enough to handle all the pounding!
Underfueling
Whether it’s intentional or not, underfueling will not only cause under-performance, but also will eventually cause your body to break down, commonly leading to muscle strains, bone stress injuries, tendinopathy, or other overuse injuries.
Most runners fail to realize just how much food they need to fuel their bodies! Think of your body like a car engine– if you’re not filling your car with enough gas, then eventually it’ll break down.
Make sure you eat enough (especially carbs!!) to allow your body to repair itself from all the training you put in!
Working with a registered sports dietitian (like BeFueled Sports Nutrition) can be super beneficial to make sure you’re on the right track with your nutrition/fueling.
Overuse injuries are prevalent in runners, but they are also preventable with the right tools!
If you or one of your running buddies is struggling with pain or injury, WE CAN HELP! Don’t get stuck in an injury cycle– we’re here to come alongside you and break you out of your injury rut!
We get it– we not only specialize in working with runners, we are runners ourselves!
It's our mission at AWAKEN to provide the highest level of care through our process of determining the root cause of your issue, then establishing an individualized plan to help you prevent recurrence and come back stronger than before!
We offer several specialized services including orthopedic and sports physical therapy, strength and conditioning, 3D Running Gait Analysis, and personalized run coaching. All of our services include one-on-one individualized care with a doctor of physical therapy.
Reach out via the link below today to request a FREE phone consultation and learn about how our services can help you AWAKEN YOUR POTENTIAL!!!
Written by: Mackenzie Lowe and Dr. Gregory Lowe PT, DPT, cert. MDT, CSCS
Comments