MARATHON RUNNERS
MARATHON RUNNING – INJURIES, INJURY PREVENTION
Generally speaking there are 2 type of running injuries. Traumatic injuries, for example tripping on the pavement during a run, Or, overuse injuries, which are the result of repetitive strain on a particular tissue. Each time you train or go for a marathon training run, micro traumas occur which over time can lead to injury, i.e Patella Tendonitis, muscle strain.
These can be made worse or predisposed by existing disfunction like muscle imbalance, lack of flexibility (hypomobility), too much flexibility (hypermobility), biomechanical factors such as leg length discrepancy, fallen arches or flat feet. Leisure runners & Marathon runners need to take appropriate care of their bodies to prevent undue wear and tear on their joints and tissues.
Added considerations to be made are also things like:
▪Errors in training, i.e. overtraining by increasing distance or intensity too quick or inadequate rest & recovery period between runs.
▪Unsuitable footwear.
▪Spending 100% of your time road running.
▪Weather conditions (Either too hot or cold).
▪Returning to running from injury too soon or inadequate rehabilitation.
Running Injury Advice
Warm-up routines are crucial, especially if the weather is cold. An inadequate run warm up can increase your risk of muscle injury or tendon damage. Optimal hydration is key, injuries can easily result from dehydration and heat exhaustion. Runners should be aiming for at least 3 litres of water per day.
To prevent these common issues causing injury, try to:
▪Replace your running trainers after around 500 miles / 800km.
▪Vary your running terrain often throughout your programme.
▪Adequate rest days.
▪Stay well hydrated.
If you do suffer an injury, stop. Seek advice from a professional who has experience in diagnosing and treating these injuries. Do not ignore aches, pain or niggles – they are likely to lead to a more serious problems later on. Getting checked out by a sports injury specialist will save you time and money and most importantly prevent further injury. The Aark Clinic works regularly with marathon runners and provides expert treatment and advice for running injuries. Common running injuries we see are, Sacroiliac Joint Strain, ITB Syndrome, Shin Splints, Knee Injuries, Patello-femoral Pain Syndrome, Runners knee, Calf and/or, Achilles Tendon strain / Tendinopathy, Hamstring Strains, Hip Bursitis, Piriformis Syndrome, Plantar Fasciitis.
Sports Massage
Regular massage will help you to maintain your muscle tissue in peak condition, making sure muscles receive adequate nutrition via unimpeded blood flow and circulation, keeping your body in optimum physical condition.
The Benefits
The following benefits of Osteopathy & sports massage are why many runners and athletes build this treatment into their training programme.
REGULAR MASSAGE
Regular massage promotes healthy muscles fibres, encouraging circulation of blood. Deep tissue massage releases tension’s within muscle tissue, allowing fresh oxygen and other nutrients to flow freely and enable a rapid recovery from training runs.
LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE
Your lymphatic system relies heavily on physical movement and pumping to help drain lymphatic fluid and toxins out of your body. The heart has minimal impact on pumping this fluid so a deep sports massage not only relaxes the contracted and shortened muscles, it will aid the drainage that helps muscular repair and recovery.
PREVIOUS INJURY
Previous Injury? It is likely that you will have a build up of scar tissue. Recurrent massage treatment is a useful measure to help target and break down scar tissue at these old injury sites, creating a positive affect in the performance of the muscles, helping you train with more flexibility and less restriction.
ENDORPHINS
Massage promotes the release of endorphins, the body’s natural ‘pain killers’. This boosts your mental state, calms any anxieties as well as reducing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
BIOMECHANICAL IMBALANCES
As well as treatment, The Aark Clinic Osteopath is highly trained to recognise imbalances within the body and give you practical advice, exercises and stretches to help you maintain and improve your muscular and joint condition.
IMPROVED PERFORMANCE
Osteopathy can improve performance levels by unlocking dysfunctional mechanics in the spine and soft tissues. Muscles 'fire' in a certain way in order to be most efficient. If there are dysfunctions in the 'kinetic' chain then this will inhibit your performance output.
Best times to have treatment
To complement marathon training some runners prefer to schedule a massage on a lighter training day to allow their practitioner to work deep into the muscles and allow your body to recover in time for a longer run, others like to have a massage before their long run to invigorate and prepare and some schedule their treatment the day after to stimulate recovery. It is especially important to up your sports massage treatments as the mileage increases, in the last 6-8 weeks we see our runners on a weekly basis.
Author Lloyd Tilney Osteopath