I have had my fair share of injuries.... I have a bad back, I have tendonitis in my knees, also I have metatarsalgia (My calves and hamstrings are unusually tight which makes the ball of my foot hurt). There are probably more I could name, but these are the most prominent.
Injuries don't have to put everything on hold. There is a fine line of when you should take a break and when you just need to ease up. The most important thing is to make sure you are listening to your body. For me if the pain just feels like an annoyance, but its not sharp or overwhelming it know its not a dangerous injury.
With m tendonitis and metatarsalgia, the most helpful injury prevention strategies are strength training. Strength training targets muscles that are weak and can easily become overwhelmed which can cause them to not keep the joints stable. This is what I need to help me tendonitis. By strengthening my quadriceps, hamstrings, and hip abductors it helps keep my knees strong and hold my knee caps in place to work efficiently.
Another strategy is stretching. This is a big help with my metatarsalgia. Since this one is caused by tight muscles stretching is the greatest benefit. I make sure to stretch a little before a run, but not too much. After a run once my muscles are warm then I am able to get a good deep stretch. The muscles I make sure to stretch are my hips, hamstrings, quads, and calves. These are the muscles that are working the hardest when I am running.
If after a workout out you are experiencing pain you want to remember the acronym P.R.I.C.E.
P: protection
Protection of the injury is just referring to the use of tape, bandages or braces until it heals and to help prevent acute injuries becoming chronic. For me this means that during a long run I wear my brace and I make sure I strengthen my muscles by weight lifting.
R: rest
Resting doesn't mean you can't keep on track with your training schedule, but it means to take time where you are off and not using the hurt limb or joint. For my knee I always make sure to take time at night where I read a book and stay off my leg.
I: ice
Icing is very important. When an injury occurs your body then sends blood to the area to try to get the while blood cells to start mending the body. By doing this is causes inflammation. If the inflammation isn't controlled then it can have a harder time healing. But only ice the area for 15-20 minutes at a time. If the pain continues you can ice the area every hour to help reduce the swelling.
C: compression
If it was a really long run like our run on Thursday where we ran 12 miles, my knee was hurting and it wouldn't stop no matter what I did. So I found my knee brace where it helps to stabilize me knee cap and give support to the sides of me knee. After wearing my brace for a few hours and after icing it I was able to take the brace off and the pain subsided.
E: elevate
Elevation is very important. With swelling elevation is the best thing you can do for it. By laying down and making sure the affected area is elevated this gives the fluid a place to go with gravity's help.
All 4 of these steps can be done at the same time. It isn't a huge commitment but it is the best thing you can do to take care of your body!
I am making the commitment to remember to P.R.I.C.E. my knee after every run. It doesn't have to be right after my run but on the same day as my run.
UPDATED!
A friend taught me about P.R.I.C.E. not just R.I.C.E. so check out the change!
Injuries don't have to put everything on hold. There is a fine line of when you should take a break and when you just need to ease up. The most important thing is to make sure you are listening to your body. For me if the pain just feels like an annoyance, but its not sharp or overwhelming it know its not a dangerous injury.
With m tendonitis and metatarsalgia, the most helpful injury prevention strategies are strength training. Strength training targets muscles that are weak and can easily become overwhelmed which can cause them to not keep the joints stable. This is what I need to help me tendonitis. By strengthening my quadriceps, hamstrings, and hip abductors it helps keep my knees strong and hold my knee caps in place to work efficiently.
Another strategy is stretching. This is a big help with my metatarsalgia. Since this one is caused by tight muscles stretching is the greatest benefit. I make sure to stretch a little before a run, but not too much. After a run once my muscles are warm then I am able to get a good deep stretch. The muscles I make sure to stretch are my hips, hamstrings, quads, and calves. These are the muscles that are working the hardest when I am running.
If after a workout out you are experiencing pain you want to remember the acronym P.R.I.C.E.
P: protection
Protection of the injury is just referring to the use of tape, bandages or braces until it heals and to help prevent acute injuries becoming chronic. For me this means that during a long run I wear my brace and I make sure I strengthen my muscles by weight lifting.
R: rest
Resting doesn't mean you can't keep on track with your training schedule, but it means to take time where you are off and not using the hurt limb or joint. For my knee I always make sure to take time at night where I read a book and stay off my leg.
I: ice
Icing is very important. When an injury occurs your body then sends blood to the area to try to get the while blood cells to start mending the body. By doing this is causes inflammation. If the inflammation isn't controlled then it can have a harder time healing. But only ice the area for 15-20 minutes at a time. If the pain continues you can ice the area every hour to help reduce the swelling.
C: compression
If it was a really long run like our run on Thursday where we ran 12 miles, my knee was hurting and it wouldn't stop no matter what I did. So I found my knee brace where it helps to stabilize me knee cap and give support to the sides of me knee. After wearing my brace for a few hours and after icing it I was able to take the brace off and the pain subsided.
E: elevate
Elevation is very important. With swelling elevation is the best thing you can do for it. By laying down and making sure the affected area is elevated this gives the fluid a place to go with gravity's help.
All 4 of these steps can be done at the same time. It isn't a huge commitment but it is the best thing you can do to take care of your body!
I am making the commitment to remember to P.R.I.C.E. my knee after every run. It doesn't have to be right after my run but on the same day as my run.
UPDATED!
A friend taught me about P.R.I.C.E. not just R.I.C.E. so check out the change!
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