Running/Injuries

[darlets]

Just a thought. But there are other exercises.
I used to love to jog, but then gave it away for cycling and swimming. Both of which are alot more low impact.

I hurt my knee and during rehab started swimming (I really couldn't swim at all and had a slight fear of water) and cycling.

If you'd told me before the switch that I'd enjoy the two more than running I would have thought you were crazy.

Failing my attempt to convert you to the dark side you might want to consider running on sand if that's an option at all. Some horse racing tracks let you jog around their sand track or the beach is also good.

Just in case you're not aware of this but there is a big difference between running shoes and cross trainers.

Stupid suggestion 18,504, some people naturally run like a sprinter, though most run like a distance runner. The difference being sprinters tend to be more of a front foot based landing where as distance runners are back foot transfer landing transfering to front foot.

If you watch people run about 1 in 20 (at a guess) seem to run strangely and generally it's because they're running like a sprinter.

Also be very, very careful running down hill. It's very easy to over extend and do yourself an injury. Special forces soldiers have this drummed into them, the decent is more dangerous for the reason above and you tend to relax too much and let your momentum take you down the slope.

Last option is you could take up, dancing.

[Arilee]

I've been running for years and have several issues with my IT band. If it is the side of your knee that hurts it could be this. A lot of my friends and I use a foam roller to help break up scar tissue and help with your muscles. You can buy a foam roller, they are great. I would also recommend icing anything that hurts after you run. I will often ice my hip, knee and feet after I run. I also agree that new shoes and replacing old ones frequently helps. I train for marathon so run an average of forty miles a week, I will change my shoes out every three months.

Signed: Mrs Dr Haight

What's a foam Roller? (sorry if this sounds like an obvious kind of question)

One of my Knees has been very painful since March - I was ordered off my feet completely for three weeks, and was on crutches for 3 weeks after that. I can walk now, but I am still getting alot of pain in my injured knee. The physio has talked about the tightness in my IT band, and the consultant also thinks I might have torn the meniscus (shock absorber) in my knee.

They are trying to treat the injury through physio in the aim of avoiding surgery, so any advice is very welcome.....

I Don't run, never had the stamina or the inclination to be honest. From what I do know though I'd echo the previous posters. Good shooes, the fit properly and are appropriate for the surface you are running on. Make sure you warm up with stretching exercises and cool down with them after running.

[RDF]

I like to run, and I was doing so for awhile before it just got too hard on my knees. I have crappy knees anyway; they just tend to hurt. I also know that women's bodies are not really build for running and that the structure of our hips ends up putting a lot of strain on the knees.

That said, there are women who run, and I'm wondering if anyone knows of some strategies to make it possible for chicks to run without destroying essential bendy parts. Shoes? Particular stretches? What's the secret?

Eileen,

Age is a big part of how well you run. You didn't indicate your age, but you might want to consider that as a factor. Your body can only take high-impact and contact sports so long. Up to age 27-30, you can run practically any way you want and your body will bounce back on its own. After that, however, running increasingly becomes a game of trying to avoid breaking down your knees and feet too badly.

The best athletes start young with a trainer and stick religiously to training systems that are geared toward longevity and injury reduction. The athletes vary their training greatly across the week and across the year, training hard for specific events and then lightening up considerably and even taking breaks during non-event periods.

And even with an entourage of trainers, doctors, and expensive medications, a lot of athletes go into their retirement years with lots of physical damage and arthritis. (They often don't mention that in their training books, because they're trying to sell a product--themselves and their training system.)

IOW, if you're past your 20s, don't try to hang onto your youth and continue to train hard once your joints start giving you problems. Listen to your body. I'm not a doctor or a trainer, but I've read a lot of articles about aging baby boomers tearing up their bodies trying to maintain the same athletic pace as when they were younger.

Some ways to increase running longevity:

1) Lose weight. If you're carrying a heavy frame, it's going to tear your knees up more quickly.

2) Run on soft surfaces (grass and dirt are best, concrete is worst) and buy running shoes with lots of cushion in the heels.

3) Cross-train. Do stretching exercises, do some knee exercises to strengthen your knees, do stair-climbing or hill-climbing for the same purpose, and in general diversify your exercises to both strengthen your knees and give them a rest from running.

4) Start switching off to lower-impact exercises: Swimming, cycling, or walking.

I used to run an average of maybe 3-5 miles a day, but around the age of 35 my doctor told me that I would have to give up running pretty soon. My knees were already pretty creaky and loose, and the doctor told me I had too big a frame to maintain a heavy running schedule for much longer.

Now I'm 50 and my knees are pretty good overall. I climb stairs 4-5 times a week (alternating between 36 and 60 floors per session), and I run a fast 2 1/2 miles on a treadmill at the gym a couple times a week. (Treadmills qualify as nice soft surfaces that are easy on the joints, and also my wife and I can exercise together and jog side-by-side at different paces.) I also do some weights at the gym.

If anything, my feet are more likely to stiffen up and pain me than my knees. But here too, cross-training helps. Ballroom dancing a couple times a week keeps my feet strong and limber and pain-free and also gives my knees strength for lateral moves.

FL

[Wolf]

Running is for ancient peoples that have yet to invent the wheel.

[Park]

Can I just again recommend these new physiological MBT shoes - it's like running/walking on air. You feel light as a feather wearing them.

[RDF]

Can I just again recommend these new physiological MBT shoes - it's like running/walking on air. You feel light as a feather wearing them.

Thanks for pointing them out, Park. They look like fun. I'll keep an eye out for them.

FL

[Ivy]

I've been in the market for new shoes-- maybe I'll get some of those!

thanks Park!

[Res Ipsa Loquitur]

Good shoes and insoles are key. After years of wearing Nikes and having problems with shin splints, I switched to New Balance and I love them. Also, running on a treadmill helps.

I've had problems with my knees too and recently stopped running - ITB on my left knee and a hamstring/glut problem on my right leg for 18 months now. I decided it just wasn't worth it anymore.

[Mrs. Dr. Haight]

I wear Mizunos, I love them. I was advised to buy them a size and a half bigger, this really helps with blisters and toe-nail loss.

[Park]

I wear Mizunos, I love them. I was advised to buy them a size and a half bigger, this really helps with blisters and toe-nail loss.

Hey, another SO (or so I assume) - welcome .