Marathon You Can Do It » Running Injuries

Hip Stretching Exercises Demo : Hip Flexor Exercise

Constantine Njeru — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:20:24 +0000

The benefit of hip stretching is that it makes your muscles more flexible allowing them to extend back far enough behind you before it comes forward again. This flexibility allows you to run faster and stronger. It also makes you less injury prone.

The following images show types of hip stretching exercises you can do at home

Image Source : Warm Up Exercises

How To Do The Hip Stretching Exercises

Stretch until the muscle just begins to feel tight (stretch point). It is important to hold the stretch position for 20 seconds, relax for 10 seconds and repeat each exercise for each leg. The stretching program should last 10 minutes. A practical program is to perform each exercise 2 or 3 times on each leg.

Ankle Sprain Exercise Video Demo : Ankle Strengthening Exercise

Constantine Njeru — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:00:10 +0000

Recovery time of an ankle sprain injury depends on the amount of physical therapy you receive. Physical therapy and exercise helps to lessen the swelling and pain as well as strengthening up the muscles in your ankle.

The following you tube video demonstrates Ankle sprain exercise technique that you can incorporate as part of your physical therapy.

Three Hip Flexor Strengthening Exercises

Constantine Njeru — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:00:28 +0000

There is a link between a runners knee pain and weak knees. In an article in runners world magazine two runners who suffered chronic knee pain recovered after they were put on a program of hip strengthening exercises.

Reed Ferber Hip Strengthening Exercise.

The article has a program demonstration by Reed Ferber, Ph. D., director of the University of Calgary’s Running Injury Clinic. He recommends doing them daily after you run. Start with one set of 10 reps and gradually increase sets so that you’re doing three sets of 10 by your fourth day. You should see improvement in two weeks. If you don’t, Ferber says to see a doctor because the cause of your injury may lie elsewhere.

See and read the technique at this article @Runners World.

Check out this video demonstration of Hip Strengthening exercise

Left Knee Pain While Running : Cause & Treatment

Constantine Njeru — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:52:27 +0000

I was reading the latest US president Barack Obama Health report, the doctors certified him “fit to rule” but one item that caught my knee was this one : Obama suffers from occasional pain in his left knee. Medics call it chronic tendinitis.

Left knee pain is a very common injury in people who run. I remember my first year of marathon training, the left knee pain dogged me right to the day of the race. I still remember turning up at the start line holding an anti inflammation gel on one hand and the other hand rubbing the gel on the knee.

Why Left knee and not right knee?

My guess as to why the left knee and not the right knee is affected has to do with the fact that majority of humans are right handed. We use the right leg to kick stuff around and that effort makes it stronger. On the other hand, the left leg is never used seriously, leaving it a weak partner. Have you heard of the statement “USE IT OR LOSE IT!”? It makes sense to me.

Cause of Left Knee pain while running

Apart from my theory of “neglected left knee” medics say the cause of knee pain is due to excessive training; running too much. Another cause is when you suddenly switch from running flat routes to running hilly routes.

Prevention of knee pain

I believe prevention is better than cure. One way to prevent a sudden attack of knee pain is switch your running speed gradually. A sudden change of pace will be a shock to the system leading to injury.

Four step Treatment of knee pain.

Icing – The first line of treatment, sometimes this alone is enough to fix it!
If the pain is too much take a pain killer
Rest – take a break from running.
Strength training exercise, see my video demonstration of how to strengthen your knees

If you don’t get well soon (one to two weeks), see your Doctor/ physician.

Healthy Weekly Mileage : How Much To Run Per Week?

Constantine Njeru — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:39:30 +0000

Every amateur runner is ever seeking the answer to how many miles he should run per week. The answer to that question depend a lot on sex, age, years of training and a runners tolerance to pain.

The best answer I found was from a physical therapist and biomechanist Irene Davis, Ph.D., from the University of Delaware’s Running Injury Clinic. This was her take on the question when asked in a runners world article.10 laws of injury prevention.

“Your threshold could be at 10 miles a week, or 100, but once you exceed it, you get injured.” Various studies have identified injury-thresholds at 11, 25, and 40 miles per week.

To know how many miles you should run per week, just clock the miles and the level at which you start experiencing injury, thats your level. Your threshold is waiting for you to discover it!

Tips For a Speedy Muscle Recovery : Running Recovery

Constantine Njeru — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:52:35 +0000

The more you train the stronger you get, but when training gets too much it leads to fatigue. When fatigue builds up you experience reduced performance and risk sudden training injury. It is important to take breaks from your regular training to allow muscle recovery.

Tips for speedy muscle recovery

Take a complete rest from training – missing one or two days cant hurt?
Massage
Hot baths with bath salts,
Stretching properly
Stay hydrated day in day out

All the above will all add to the big picture of good recovery and reducing injury.

The tips can also be followed by runners who want a speedy recovery from a half marathon or a full marathon.

Running Injuries Statistics

Constantine Njeru — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:33:22 +0000

With all the amazing advancements in sports medicine, you’d think that our rates of shinsplints, runners knee, ankle injuries and stress fractures should be under control.

A recent runnersworld.com poll revealed that 66 percent of respondents had suffered an injury in 2009.

Read the full article at runnersworld

Topfen Curd Cheese : Sports Injury Treatment

Constantine Njeru — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:23:58 +0000

When American skier, Lindsey Vonn, injured her shin muscle it was reported part of her treatment was a home remedy of Topfen Curd cheese.

She wrapped her leg in Austrian topfen curd cheese – a product similar to cream cheese that’s mainly used for eating but reported to also bring down swelling. This sounds to me something similar to Ice treatment.

The speculation is topfen curd cheese has some anti inflammatory properties.

According to a Washington Post article several other U.S. Ski Team members have tried plastering the product on ailing body parts to speed recovery.

There is no scientific backing for the soft white cheese but it seems some people are using it and it is working!

Quick Shin Injury Treatment By Lindsey Vonn

Constantine Njeru — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 10:57:18 +0000

Lindsey Vonn injured her shin muscle a few days before the start of 2010 Winter Olympics games and the ski girl tried every treatment Idea on the book.

According to this washington post article her shin muscle treatment consisted of

1. Rest

2. Stretching

3. Pain killers

4. Anti inflamation cream

5. And finally she tried the unorthodox idea : tried a home remedy as she wrapped her leg in Austrian topfen curd cheese – a product similar to cream cheese that’s mainly used for eating but reported to also bring down swelling.

Latest Research On Barefoot Running

Constantine Njeru — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:07:11 +0000

There is a lot of news flying around claiming that running barefoot is better than running on some fancy running shoes. Although am yet to try running barefoot there are many runners out there who swear by barefoot running, at least on grass. Running barefoot on tarmac is a big NO!

Research on Barefoot running

The latest research on barefoot running has been done by a team from Harvard University. The team studied runners from the United States and Kenya as they ran on tracks.

The researchers found that while people run in a variety of ways, most barefoot runners tend to “forefoot strike — land first on the outer ball of the foot before bringing down the heel.

Advantage / Benefit of Barefoot Running

By contrast, more than 75 percent of runners who wear running shoes land on their heels first. The study suggests this is more likely to cause running injury.

Detailed information is published on harvard univesity website on barefoot running.