How can you speed up your running injury recovery?

Getting a running related injury can be frustrating, there is no doubt about it. But consider this. Once the injury has occurred, the recovery starts as the body does what it does best, healing the injured tissue, and everything you do from that point on either helps or delays recovery. Taking the wrong advice, pushing too hard when you know you should rest, and not listening to your body are all a recipe to delaying your recovery, whereas getting the right professional advice, gradually increasing the capacity of the injured tissue by targeted exercises, and knowing when to stop are key factors in speeding your recovery.

Here are some suggestions to help you optimise your recovery.

Stop doing the things that make it worse

Managing your levels of activity while you are recovering is key to giving the body space to heal. If you are re-injuring yourself faster than the body can heal you are simply going to prolong your recovery. Use pain levels as a guideline, avoiding exercise activities that cause pain more than 3/10 during or afterwards.

Work out what you can do.

Complete rest is rarely the best thing to do after an injury with some exceptions, and it is important to keep your aerobic systems going as this will help you to transition smoothly back to running when pain levels allow. Low impact cross training such as cycling and swimming use the same muscle groups as running, but without the impact forces. Yes, they are no substitute but better than sitting on the sofa feeling miserable!

Move it or lose it!

As soon as possible, start moving the injured part through a pain free range. Initially this may be non weight bearing, then moving on to partial and full weight bearing. Research shows that early mobilisation of an injury is key to optimising your recovery.

Get the right advice

Make sure you are getting the right advice to help your recovery. Well-meaning friends and acquaintances on social media are great for sympathy and giving you a perspective, but a well-structured rehabilitation plan from a suitably qualified and experienced health professional (Like me!) is the very best way to get back on your feet and back to activity more quickly.

How can we help?

As a runner, I get runners! I will work with you, giving you a comprehensive and full injury assessment, followed by a structured exercise rehabilitation plan with ongoing mentoring and support, bringing in other treatments as needed to relive pain and speed your recovery.