“I got injured while training for a half marathon, but this is how I recovered.”

First, let’s get to the heart of why we runners sustain so many injuries. Since running is a high-impact sport, your joints are always under the brunt and will experience wear and tear along the way, but other factors such as incorrect form or the wrong running shoes can also cause injuries. there is.

Physiotherapist Claire Mills says the most common injuries she sees are “knee pain (lateral or anterior), calf pain or shin splints”. Typically, these injuries are caused by overtraining or a sudden increase in mileage, but they can also be caused by a lack of strength or the ability to cover a certain distance. Usually a combination of both. ”

heavy lifting

I usually do some strength training at the gym, but it’s not specific to my knee injury, so this was my first stop and was recommended by my physical therapist.

But why is strength training so important for runners? “The ground reaction force when running is about 2.5 to 3 times your body weight, so your leg muscles have to absorb this. Therefore, when running distances, , especially the quadriceps and calf muscles, which require sufficient strength and ability in these muscles to absorb shock,” explains Mills.

“Strengthening these muscles along with other muscles improves control of the limb when making contact with the ground, minimizing twisting caused by tendons and excessive rotation of the lower limb that can overload the joints. can do.”

Although I found it incredibly boring, I decided to work on a series of strengthening exercises, including glute bridges, single-leg squats, and leg extensions. After a few weeks, I started to see improvement. The pain on the right side of my knee has decreased and the swelling has decreased. So thankfully I can start running again.

heat therapy

One of the first pieces of advice I received was to apply a cold compress to the injury. But is this just an old wives’ tale when it comes to recovery? “There is evidence that both heat and ice can provide temporary local analgesic effects and may reduce muscle soreness,” says Core LDN Founder Mills, who is also an expert, added: After surgery, choose ice over heat. Alternating hot and cold treatments, also known as contrast therapy, may also be used. ”

I tried this. I alternated between using a cold compress for a few minutes and Hyperice’s Venom Leg 2. For those who aren’t familiar with this tool, it’s like a hot water bottle and massage gun rolled into one that you can wrap around your lap. The warmth soothed me, and the sensation of the massage helped ease some of the pain in my knees.

I repeated this every day for a few weeks before my half marathon, and I could feel the difference after a week. As I continued training, my knee became less flexible and the swelling subsided. I also use it for post-race recovery and it’s become a nightly ritual.

Pilates

I already knew how important strength training was, and I had used Pilates in the past to tone and strengthen my body, but I knew it was a tool for runners. I didn’t think there was. Helen O’Leary, physiotherapist and director of Complete His Pilates, explains that as well as being able to be used for active recovery, it can also help with rehabilitation in the event of an injury.

“Unlike mat Pilates, the Reformer uses springs that can either assist or resist movement. If you have a serious injury and need to stand up, use the Reformer in a partially weight-bearing manner. As a result, you can work the area under the right amount of stress in a safe manner. It can also be used to keep the rest of you strong, healthy and mobile.

I enrolled in several 1-2-1 classes and found them really valuable. Helen tackles some of the exercises below as she explains why they are effective for injuries.

• scooters – To strengthen your lower back. “Bringing your knees in front of your toes also strengthens your knees.” Increase stability around your pelvis and hips while challenging your balance and strength while standing. ”
• knee stretchespecially in flexion – “This sounds like it should be a stretch, but it’s not, it’s a big eccentric contraction, which means you get a lot of mobility and strength around the front of your thighs and above your knees.” Masu.”
• reverse sit-ups – “This targets the abdominal muscles, but also works the deeper flexors in the hip joints, which is exactly what runners need to lift their hips. This can also be done on one or both legs.”
• legs on straps – It’s a great exercise for increasing mobility around the hips while requiring you to find core stability to keep your core relatively quiet. It also has proprioception to avoid “locking up” the knee and properly activate the area around the joint. ”

By adding this to my weekly strength training routine, I was able to not only strengthen the muscles around my knees, but also my lower back and buttock muscles. According to Helen, all of this is related to the knee injury.

During a break

One of the best things to do when you’re injured is to rest, but telling a runner to “rest” isn’t the solution you want to hear, especially when you’re training for a race. I can’t say. After the initial injury, I took about a week off and wanted to get back and rack up some miles.

So when I was invited to a Pan Pacific London hotel to try out the new Marathon Recovery Package, I thought it would be the ideal way to force myself to rest. This package includes her Normatec Compression boots, which Jennifer Aniston (and WH Fitness Director) often uses when she has DOMS or needs some TLC for her 30 minutes. It consists of:

The boots worked their magic, increasing circulation in my legs and restoring my tired muscles. It is also known to have the effect of reducing swelling. Plus, as her boots bulged around her feet, she couldn’t help but relax, so instead of resisting it, she put her phone down and tried to enjoy the experience.

This was followed by a 30 minute express massage and finished with a quick swim in the pool overlooking the city. Leaving feeling rested, her knee felt less irritated the next day and she felt ready to tackle sprints again.

Hooray

You’ll be happy to know that I completed 13.1 miles of the London landmark. My knee injury flared up, but all the recovery tools helped a lot. If you decide to sign up for another marathon or start running longer distances on a regular basis, you’ll need to incorporate more strength training, including Pilates, into your training plan. If I don’t, I know I’ll get hurt again soon. Heat therapy and rest were good antidotes for recovery in the long run.

Of course, if your injury is severe before the race and worsens over a week or more, it’s worth seeing a physical therapist to determine whether you should still race. Mills added, “If you’re trying to hit a time and an injury prevents you from training and you either can’t reach that goal, or you’re struggling to reach that goal, or you’ve caused further injury, then you can lose. Admit it and step back.

“If you’re doing it as a personal accomplishment, or as a charity, you might consider running a mile followed by a few minutes of walking to allow your body to recover.”

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