I have never enjoyed going to the dentist, but I have learnt over the years that magical home remedies work for a limited time only. Eventually, I need to face the dentist chair. So these days, I save myself weeks of misery and just make that appointment.
Many times we have the same approach with our running injuries. We rest, we try all sorts of ointments, we google, we tape ourselves up, but weeks or even months later we are either still miserably hobbling along or have given up on running all together. Many times we could have saved ourselves much misery and fitness loss if we had just made that physio appointment.
It is a bit like getting a flat tire on your bicycle. If you keep on cycling with the flat you are going to cause more damage and it is not going to be much fun. If you just park it in the garage, it also ain’t going to magically inflate itself over time. You need to ultimately fix the leak and if you keep getting a leak in the same spot, get to the bottom of the cause.
Running per se has often unfairly got the blame for many injuries. Yes, the injury might have occurred while running, but the problem rarely lies with the running. Our bodies are designed to run, watch any kid, it comes totally naturally. The problem is often more that our running bodies have become conditioned to couch over the years!
The repetitive nature of running will sooner or later expose (rather than cause), muscle weakness, imbalances, immobility and flawed movement patterns. The injury, apart from acute injuries such as falls or running into a pole, is often a symptom of other underlying issues in your body.
Now for the promised Silver Lining! While this has all been sounding a little doom and gloom up until now, there is good news. A large percentage of running injuries can become pain free and our running joy restored IF we find the root cause and deal with it.
Getting to the cause and applying corrective measures to improve muscle strength, imbalances, joint mobility and correct movement patterns (a.k.a all the homework your physio gives you that you never do!) can not only nail that nagging injury once and for all, but you will come out the other side a stronger, more efficient runner = greater running joy and improved performance. I’ll take that!
Physiotherapists are experienced at getting to the root of the problem and will help to:
#1 – Determine the underlying cause of your injury.
#2 – Not only reduce the pain so you can continue running, but also assist you with steps to take to rectify the cause. Oh dear, physio homework!
#3 – Educate you on maintaining your body in a strong, healthy, balanced state while training to reduce future injury risk and improve performance.
So next time you face injury, see it as an opportunity to sort out what is holding you back and come back stronger and faster!
Onwards and upwards!
Coach Kathleen
Professional running coach
Cape Town, South Africa