Jaclyn Ricchio Stover from the podcast, “Actually, You Are A Runner” recently had me on her podcast to discuss strategies for preventing running injuries. During the COVID-19 pandemic many people took up running with gyms being closed. With the increase in new runners we also saw an increase in running related injuries. BIG SHOCKER!
Jaclyn had been dealing with some knee pain of her own, which is how she found our blog. She hadn’t had much success with her current physical therapy regimen and was determined to find more answers. To her surprise, the information she gathered from our Baker’s Cyst post ended up being instrumental in her recovery.
Here are some points that we touch on in the podcast:
- Proper progression in your running routine to avoid injury.
- A study in JOSPT showed that an increased rate of distance-related injuries existed in those who progressed their weekly running distance by more than 30% compared with those who progressed less than 10%.
- Use of the Rate of Perceived Exertion Scale (RPE) and breathing to better assess the intensity of your run and make appropriate adjustments.
- Adjusting your cadence to improve running form and efficiency, while preventing injury.
- Benefits of a running assessment with your Physical Therapist.
- Common faults you see in new runners that can be avoided.
Running is an amazing form of exercise and lets be honest, who doesn’t love the “runners high”?! You just need to be careful when first starting out. Going from zero to one-hundred is the easiest way to derail your progress. Injury prevention is key and the majority of us understand that. Unfortunately, common sense goes out the door when the Rocky theme song comes on or you see a great motivational meme on Instagram. Make sure you have a plan when you are first starting out and stick to it!
You can listen to the podcast here.
If you love running check out Jaclyn’s website here.
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