Important Tips For Trail Runners

Trail runners - are you taking the necessary steps to protect yourself from injury?

A systematic review was recently conducted, looking into trail running injuries and their risk factors.

The researchers found that the most common injuries among trail runners are blisters, joint sprains and tendinopathies, with the most commonly-affected regions of the body being the foot, ankle and hip/groin.

When looking at the risk factors for injury, neglecting a warm-up and not training with a specialised running plan were among the identified precursors.

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What does this mean practically? 

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- Trail runners should complete a training program that has been specifically tailored to their needs and physical condition, and accommodates for sufficient recovery between individual sessions and training blocks

- Strength training should be an integral part of a trail runner's preparation, to improve tissue capacity and joint integrity, and therefore mitigating injury risk. This program should include slow, heavy resistance exercises of the lower limbs, intrinsic foot muscle strengthening, and possibly proprioceptive ankle drills

- A progressive warm-up should be included prior to training sessions and races

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The team of Exercise Physiologists here at The Sports Injury Clinic can help you with a tailored running program. Call us on 9783 9990 to learn more.