How to Prevent Common Running Injuries

If you are a professional runner or marathoner, you may be at risk for some common running injuries. For instance, strained ankles can force you to take a break from running – so can hairline fractures and bone bruising. This is why you want to find some ways to prevent these injuries. Fortunately, with a little foresight, you can avoid these injuries and continue running. For many people, running is a serious passion, so it is critical that you avoid these injuries. If you are forced to take a break, your ankle may not be the only thing bruised – your ego can become bruised too. Here is how to prevent common running injuries.

1. Be sure to warm up before you run – if you don’t warm up, you are inviting an injury to take you off track. One of the best ways to avoid a major injury is to stretch before you run. You should be stretching your hamstrings and every major muscle in your legs. If you don’t feel warmed up yet, you may want to continue stretching.
2. Make sure to wear the right shoes – ideally you want to wear running shoes. Wearing the right shoes is essential when you run. Not only will your feet feel more comfortable, running shoes will also help absorb impact. If there is too much impact and you aren’t wearing the right shoes, you may start to feel bruising on your feet. Moreover, your ankles can start to show signs of wear and tear.
3. Wear protective bands around your ankles to protect yourself against sprains. When you are a runner, your ankles will also be taking a lot of impact and the muscles will be stretched very thin. You can usually visit any sports supply store to purchase ankle bands, which will help prevent your ankles from bending in any unusual directions. If you are a marathoner, this is especially important, because your ankles will be absorbing a lot of energy as you run the long distance.
4. Visit a doctor to get a check up – you never know if you have an issue that needs to be resolved. Indeed, it will be important to visit a sports medicine professional at a clinic, like Texas Orthopedics. It will be essential to get check-ups and x-rays done to make sure there is no evidence of straining or fractures. If you do have an injury, it is important to recover before you start running again. If you run on a bad ankle or foot, you could exacerbate the injury.
5. Make sure to maintain a healthy diet – your diet is essential for avoiding an injury. On top of everything, you want to eat right. If you don’t maintain a healthy diet, you could be increasing your risk for an injury. Indeed, you want to be eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, but you also want to be eating food with plenty of protein and omega 3 fatty acids. In the end, these foods will help build muscle and they will help your body increase its defense mechanisms.