Sprinters are prone to knee pain, cramps, calf stiffness, and hip or ankle pain. Some get multiple areas of injuries, others none at all. Why is this so?
Running injuries are best explained by the concept of “Running Threshold”. There are specific risk factors that will make you more or less prone to certain injuries:
- Strength
- Structure
- Training
- Biomechanics
- Flexibility/ Range of Movement
- Past Medical History
Strength
Strength is a modifiable factor. You can become weaker or stronger, depending on how much effort or strength you're applying to perform a task. In terms of running, strength mainly refers to how well you stabilise or control your joints, but also for your general power to produce speed.
Structure
Structure is largely unchangeable except for reconstructive surgery and other special exceptions. Your feet structure plays a key role in deciding whether you'll meet injury or success. It is recommended to opt for podiatry gait analysis to find out the underlying cause which is often not detectable in open eyes.
Training
Training is an external factor and can be modified. Intense training often needs relaxing sessions. If this is not opted or compromised by some means, a runner can fall into the trap of injury soon. Also, runners must focus on the types of shoes they use.
Biomechanics
This is to determine the appropriate amounts of movement at each joint in all three planes of movement – sagittal, frontal, transverse. Too much or too little movement at these joints when running over long distances can create problems of compensation and overload.
Flexibility
Some people naturally have more flexibility than others. What you do in regular days apart from training will also impact your range of motion. If you stretch, roll, or perhaps are a yoga teacher, it is likely your body will be more flexible.
Past medical history
Past medical history can be anything from previous injuries that you've had, to a genetic disorder that changes your ability to move or build muscle. If you have an achillies tendinopathy, your body heals from these injuries by replacing damaged tissues with weaker collagen fibres than the original. Although you will have still healed from the original injury, that is going to be an area of weakness and risk if overloaded. Injuries often lead to a pathway of compensations that are hard to unravel if you don't know exactly what is going on.
If you are a runner, be sure to hire a professional podiatrist to stay away from injuries and to follow the proper maintenance of your feet.
