Injury Prevention for Runners: Stretching Exercises
If you’re new to running, you should know that it’s not advisable for you to just do some running practice and then hit the bath instantly after. Any athlete who knows what he’s doing will like to do some basic stretching exercises following the workout to ensure that his muscles have time to heal and recover from the activity just completed. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the best exercises for runners that you should learn and get accustomed to. I hope you learn a thing or two!
These days, an increasing number of people are joining the running bandwagon, taking up running in order to maintain a fit and healthy body. Running is an excellent exercise for boosting stamina. Running also boosts your metabolic rate and gives you that feeling of being energized. One good run will give you that ‘cleanse’ that invigorates your body and supplies a fresh energy while helping to rid your system of excess calories and body fats. Running is often referred to as the ultimate exercise for weight loss!
Taking Care of Your Feet
Running like any other type of sport will require you to take care of your body during and after an actvity. The pat of your body you utilize the most while running is your foot. Before you start, make sure you find out the type of foot you have, and buy the suitable footwear based on your foot type. The right footwear will ensure that your feet are maintained in the correct and most comfortable position that will help you to run faster and reduce your likelihood of sustaining running injuries.
Exercising is Important!
If you’re new to running, you should know that it’s not ideal for a runner to just have a training run and hit the shower immediately after. Seasoned runners know that they need to do some stretching exercises after a workout to make sure their muscles recover from the exercise just completed. Below are some of the best stretching exercises for runners that you should learn and get familiar with.
There are many different exercises you could do after a run to help your feet recover. Stretching exercises prevent muscle tissue injuries like Achilles tendonitis and Shin splints – Two common, nasty injuries that affect runners. Let’s discuss these two in a little more detail.
Common Running Injuries: Shin Splints
Shin splints usually occur when running newbies push themselves too far. If you’re running for the first time, or in a long while, it’s a terrible, terrible idea to run miles on end, and you might end up having a Shin splint. This sort of injury is characterized by severe pains in your lower leg – either close to the insides of the lower leg, called a ‘medial shin splint’ or close to the outside part of your legs, called an ‘anterior shin splints.’ These injuries can be very painful and traumatic for most newbie runners, so experts advise running shorter distances at the beginning before attempting to run longer mileages.
As an amateur in the sport of running, you should regulate your pace at the beginning and take give your leg muscles sufficient time to recover even when running distance capacity increases. If you try to ramp up your mileage too quickly or switch your running terrain to more difficult grounds, it would greatly increase your chances of getting Shin splints.
Common Running Injuries: Achilles Tendonitis
The other common type of injury that affects runners is Achilles Tendonitis. The tendon of your foot is what connects the muscles of your calf to the heel. Achilles Tendonitis is a swelling, irritation, and protrusion of the Achilles tendon in the heel part of the foot. It is characterized by a sharp pain right at the back of the heel. Achilles Tendonitis is a nasty injury as it starts with tiny tears within the tendon that could lead to a rupture if left unchecked. It could be a very painful and traumatic experience for a runner, especially when it degenerates to the extent of a ruptured tendon.
Achilles Tendonitis can be caused by similar reasons as shin splints including extreme mileage, excessive legwork and simply running too quickly. Consequently, it’s possible that if you develop one of the injuries, you could get the other also.
To prevent yourself from getting Achilles Tendonitis you must train your legs to strengthen the muscles using stretching exercises. It’s always best to do stretching exercises right after your running drills. This is because static stretching exercises like Calf raises and Heel drops can do considerable damage to stiff muscles. (The way your muscles feel before a workout) Always do stretching exercises after a run – when you’re fully warmed-up and these exercises are going to be very beneficial in the long run.
Exercise #1: Heel Drops
Heel drops are some of the best stretches for running athletes and are really easy to do! For heel drops, all you have to do is position yourself on a ledge using your front foot. Then lower your heels and maintain that position for about five seconds before lifting it again. You could repeat this exercise 5 – 10 times. Heel drops are essential for preventing Achilles Tendonitis because it exercises the place where it’s needed most – the tendons.
Exercise #2: Calf Raises
Calf raises are excellent for preventing Shin splints. Like leg raises, they are very simple, yet highly beneficial exercises! To do a calf raise, you place both feet firmly on the ground and periodically lift your heels. Maintain that position for about 10 seconds then lower it again. Pretty easy, right? You could repeat calf raises for 5 – 10 times after each run or as many times as you prefer.
Last words
There are loads of important running exercises you can do. If you check the internet, you could even find some exercises that pro running athletes follow judiciously. However, I would totally advise that you make these your basic go-to exercises after every run, and you could prevent even the worst running injuries from ever happening to you!
KHO Health was acquired by was acquire by 9INE POINT in the summer of 2019 and is now referred to as 9INE POINT Health.
