Running Injuries
This is the first article in a series of blogs I will be writing over the coming month on how to run better and minimize the risk of running injuries.
In this article I will debunk some of the myths around who is at risk from getting running injuries and provide a couple tips that may help prevent you getting injured.
I will also provide details on an upcoming practical Running Workshop I will be doing in April.
Now that COVID restrictions have eased on group gatherings we are seeing the return of ‘fun runs’ and Parkruns and this year will see a return of big running events like City2Surf, the Sydney running festival and Sydney Half Marathon and Sydney Marathon later in the year as well.
There is a common myth that injuries only effect ‘serious’ runners. Research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine*debunks this myth.
Key Findings
1. Novice runners with no previous running experience are at the highest risk of injury.
2. There are both common risk factors of injury between males and female runners, in addition to unique factors between genders.
Common injury risk factor for males and females
Lack of previous running experience. Both males and females with no previous running experience were significantly more likely to suffer an injury.
Risk factors for females only
Female runners with higher Body Mass Indexes were significantly more likely to suffer an injury.
Female runners who had only previously participated in sports without axial loading (e.g. swimming and cycling) were significantly more likely to suffer an injury.
Risk factors for males only
Younger male runners were significantly more likely to suffer an injury than older male runners.
Males returning to running after an extended break were also significantly more likely to suffer an injury.
3. Knee and lower leg injuries were the most commonly reported issues by the runners.
4. 26% of the 629 recreational runners in this study sustained an injury during the 8-week period of the study.
5. Of all the runners who suffered an injury during the 8-week period, 39% did not restart running once recovered.
Why This Is Important To You
If you’re new or just returned to running after a break it is important to start back running gradually. That means slowly build up in both distance and intensity. At our practice I often see runners who have become injured because they either increased the distance they ran each week too quickly or increased the speed of their runs before they have built an adequate ‘base level’ of aerobic fitness.
Another common cause of injury is that many recreational runners have never been taught correct running technique. Over time poor technique can lead to injury and if the faulty technique is not corrected theses injuries can become chronic and as the research tells us more than a third of runners do not return to running after being injured.
Over the coming weeks as we lead into the ‘Fun Run Season’ I will be writing articles on correct running form and some tips on improving your running efficiency.
Becoming a Better Runner Workshop
On Saturday the 23rd April I will be doing a Running Workshop which will be a practical session aimed at improving your running. The techniques and tips I go over in this Workshop will help you to run more efficiently and with less chance of injury. Whether you’re a novice runner or someone who has been running for decades this Workshop is for you.
This is a practical event so The Workshop will be limited to 12 places.
Register your interest by Friday 1st April to secure your place in the in the Workshop by emailing us –
or call 94284033 to secure your place.
*Dr Mark Uren has been running competitively for over 50 years and was ranked in top5 middle distance runners Nationally, has competed at distances from 5k to marathons and finished in the top 10 at the World Masters Games 10k and is a Level 1 Recreational Run Coach Course with Athletics Australia.
* Incidence and risk factors of Running-Related Injuries during preparation for a four-mile recreational running event
Article in British Journal of Sports Medicine · June 2008 DOI: 10.1136/bjsm.2007.044677 · Source: PubMed
