When starting a new workout program, if you are feeling a little tight and sore, especially in your quads, take a walk, get the blood flowing, and do some simple stretching. If pain persists, doctors (I am not a doctor) usually recommend ibuprofen or naproxen sodium first, but aspirin works, too. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is not an anti-inflammatory. It does relive pain that is not caused by inflammation.

 

A few tips about INJURY PREVENTION:

• WEAR QUALITY RUNNING SHOES
• Increase your work out gradually
• Add New Training Elements Gradually
• Don’t overdo those Challenging exercises
• Rest
• Warm up with a moderate pace walk
• Stretch AFTER your workout or running/jogging
• Choose Good Running Surfaces
• PAY ATTENTION to PAIN

 

I want to focus just a quick moment on Pain: Take note of where the pain is. Soreness, stiffness and aches that you feel within your muscle usually mean simply that you’ve been working out/running harder than usual; they are not a sign of injury. Pain felt near your joints where tendons attach muscle to bone may be a sign of inflammation or tendinitis. Pain in the joints-knee, hip or ankle-also may be a precursor to injury. Sharp pains usually indicate a more severe situation than dull aches and soreness.

 

Pay attention to the persistence of pain. Stiffness or soreness at the beginning of a workout/run that disappears as you warm up is usually nothing to be concerned about. Pain that stays with you or gets worse as you workout/run and causes you to alter your gait is a strong indicator of a problem. The more experience you gain working out, the better you will become at distinguishing whatever aches and pains might develop.

 

Injuries common to outdoor athletes include:

• Tendonitis-the inflammation of the tendon, or the structure that connects muscle to bone.
• Muscle strains-are tears in the muscle belly or tendon, and are also known as pulled muscles.
• Ligament sprains- are tears to a ligament.
• Bursitis is inflammation of the bursa, which is a flat pancake like, fluid-filled sac. Bursas are located in places of the body affected by high amounts of movement, in order to help reduce friction and allow the parts to slide and glide more freely. Common places are shoulder, elbow, and lateral hip and kneecap regions.

Quote: “The More muscles you involve in your training program, the less likely you are to sustain an overuse injury”. Amby Burfoot, Winner of the 1968 Boston Marathon.