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How to Prevent 5 Common Running Injuries

By
December 14, 2011

 

Stretching is one simple way to prevent common running injuries. Credit: lululemon athletica

5. Lower-back pain. “Runners who already have lower-back problems may find that their ailments are worsened by the impact running places on their body,” Dr. Jimenez warns.  In some cases, lower-back pain can lead to sciatica, herniated disc or degenerative disc disease. Lower-back pain can develop after running too far a distance before properly warming up and can be experienced in muscular strains, spasms and pains.

How to Prevent Lower-Back Pain

  • Prior to a run, be sure to perform a thorough warm-up.
  • Engage in gentle daily stretching that alleviates tight back muscles and loosens tight hamstrings.
  • Do strength-training routines to condition and tone the core muscles of the back.
  • Adjust your chair so that the positioning doesn’t strain the lower back.

One final tip from Dr. Jimenez? “For all injuries, pain that persists should be treated by a sports injury specialist who can outline a rehabilitation strategy and is recommended for full recovery.” So if you think you may have any of these common running injuries, see your doc!

Have you ever had a running injury? Afraid you might have one now? Tell us about it!

FTC disclosure: We often receive products from companies to review. All thoughts and opinions are always entirely our own. Unless otherwise stated, we have received no compensation for our review and the content is purely editorial. Affiliate links may be included. If you purchase something through one of those links we may receive a small commission. Thanks for your support!

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Comments

2 Comments
  1. Mey Tseng says:
    December 18, 2011 at 7:07 pm

    I was running long distances (24 miles) for about a month and a half on Saturdays to train for an Ironman. On the 6th Saturday my right knee started to hurt on the outside. I couldn’t run more than 11 miles after that without pain. I think it might be that I was running the on the heal of my foot, instead of the balls of my feet, and recently did a post on my website researching proper running technique. What do you think?

  2. CJ Czolek says:
    December 18, 2014 at 8:33 pm

    Thanks Jenn, great article. I think I have had all of these at some point! I have recently been focusing on shortening my stride and increasing my stride rate. I really think it is helping. I’ve been telling people this for years, but experiencing it for myself I realize good form makes a huge impact!

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