How to Maximize Your Off-Season
Are you ready for that big race that’s right around the corner? Chances are, you don’t have any races or big events within the next few weeks to months. Welcome…
Reading Time: 2mins
| Returning to Running After an Injury |
 If you’re on the mend of any running related injury or pain, you’re probably itching to get back to itYour pain is mostly gone now and you think it’s time you started running again But where do you start? Maybe you’re afraid to return to run because you don’t want to reinjure yourself Or maybe you’ve tried to return to run on your own and your pain flared up In my experience with helping injured runners return to run, we want to avoid the most common mistake in all running related injuries: doing too much, too fast The tricky part is that most injured runners who’re getting back to it don’t realize that, when returning to run after an injury, how fast and how far they used to run, is likely too much for right now When I help patients with their customized return to run programs, there are a couple key details I start everyone with 1. Don’t run back to back days Giving yourself a day off in between running days is a great way to gauge your tolerance to returning to run You’re able to feel just how sore you are or aren’t after running at a given intensity and time After a week or two of running every other day, if you’re feeling good, it allows you to more confidently make the decision of yes, I will run more often 2. Run slow and short first Starting super SUPER slow (basically jogging) and going for a short amount of time (not distance) is a really safe place to start Once you get a baseline of running/jogging at a slow speed for a short amount of time, you gradually increase either speed or time over the next couple weeks until you’re back on track Using your pain/symptoms as a guide This is actually very difficult to do because you’re itching to get back to what you used to do But by making sure you can jog without pain first, you can progress to running confidently and quickly If you want professional help with your return to run program or if you currently have pain with running, schedule a free discovery phone call with me Over the phone we’ll talk about your specific issue, get you scheduled an initial evaluation, and establish a treatment plan for you to get you all patched up Happy runnin Dr. MichaelUpcoming EventsIllinois Brewery Running SeriesValiant Physical Therapy is one of the sponsors for a couple local 5Ks in the Illinois Brewery Running Series! July 28th, Illinois Brewery Run Series – Sketchbook – Skokie August 17th, Illinois Brewery Run Series – Take Flight Spirits – Skokie If you’re itching to run a local 5K, come to one of the two above!  |
