Many runners, at some point or another, will have to face down an injury. The extensive downtime that this creates can be hard for many runners to handle, especially those who are accustomed to running miles upon miles on end on a nearly daily basis. The sudden switch to an inactive state from an active one has some people going to back to running before their body is ready, which can exacerbate the injury further.
You don’t want to make that mistake. If you’re a runner and you suffer an injury, then you have to understand those precautions that need to be taken to help you get back to the shape you were in before the injurious incident. A new report offers some valuable insights on how to do this.
As we hinted above, the biggest help you can give to your recovering body is not to push it further than it’s capable of safely doing. If a doctor or a physical therapist has told you that you need to take x amount of weeks off from a given activity, he or she isn’t doing so to keep you from being physically fit; they’re telling you that because it’s in your best interest. Work with a sports medicine specialist to determine the proper rest period and the right course of action for easing you back into a standard workout regimen.
What that means is that, even when you’ve gotten back on your feet, and even though you may feel good, you have to start off slow. At the above link, a physical therapist interviewed for the story recommends that an injured party not attempt to run until such a time that they’re able to go through 30 minutes of walking without experiencing pain. If this isn’t possible, then you need to wait longer.
Once you do actually get to a point where running is feasible again, you can’t expect to suddenly pick up where you left off. Depending on the length of your recovery period, you’ll have to run at a pace and distance that could be a fraction of what you’re used to, but that’s okay. These are the times where you’ll build the strength that can promote good health and get you back to where you were.
The moment that you start to feel pain as you’re getting yourself back to optimum shape is the moment that you need to cut your run short. This is a sign that you pushed yourself too far too soon, and rather than helping you, pushing through the pain could set you back days and maybe even weeks.
You should also avoid the kind of high-stress activities that more active runners may be accustomed to. Hills are not the best idea, nor are short bursts of speed.
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