Overtraining

Overtraining causes many injuries everyday…..

The two types of injury are known as the acute trauma and the overuse injury. The acute trauma is sudden, such as a torn ligament or a broken bone.

The most frequently encountered problem, however, is caused by overuse.

MOST COMMON INJURIES:

Plantar fasciitis

Cause: This is caused by stretching or tearing the connective tissue on the bottom of the foot where the tissue attaches to the heel and causes pain in a specific area on the bottom of the foot towards the heel, possibly radiating towards the ball of the foot.

Pain: the foot feels tender early in the morning and becomes less painful with movement.

Treatment: This can be prevented by regular stretching of a calf and Achilles tendon.

Bursitis or Tendonitis

Cause: this is an irritation of the bursa (a fluid filled sac which sits under the tendon) or tendons from friction, pressure, trauma, or dysfunction.

Achilles Tendonitis

Cause: The Achilles tendon is the connection between the heel and the most powerful muscle group in the body, the calf.

This is a very common site for a disabling injury.

Stress fracture

Cause: the biggest contributor to the chronic Achilles tendonitis is ignoring pain in your Achilles tendon and running through the pain of early Achilles tendonitis.

Pain: if your Achilles tendon is getting sore it is time to pay attention to it immediately.

Shin splints

Cause: Shin splints result form faulty posture, poor shoes, fallen arches, insufficient warm-up, muscle fatigue, exercising on unyielding surfaces or poor running mechanics.

Pain: Pain or discomfort on the front, the inside and/or the outside surface of the shin bone or directly on the shin bone.

Treatment: This can be prevented by good shoes with shock absorbing features, heel toe landing for minimum impact, and calf.

Ankle sprains

Cause: these small fractures occur due to excessive stress (overuse of the bone) or an increase in intensity or distance running, resulting in gradual breakdown of the bone. Running on level ground rarely results in an ankle sprain but cross country running, trail running and stepping into a pot hole all could potentially lead to an ankle sprain.

Pain: occurs especially in the foot and lower leg, becoming more intense with weight bearing activity. X-rays appear negative initially but fractures become visible up to two weeks after the initial injury.

Treatment: Should be treated immediately with R.I.C.E: Rest, ice, compression (gentle), elevation. The ice should be applied for about 15 minutes at a time, with at least 15 minute intervals before the next application.

Runner’s knee

Cause: This is essentially softening the cartilage of the knee cap. Portions of the cartilage may be under either too much or too little pressure. This may result in cartilage deterioration at the inner part of the knee cap.

Pain: Usually also felt after sitting for a long period of time with the knees bent.

Illiotibal band syndrome

Cause: often seen in runners who train only on a track or on uneven ground.

Pain: this is a pain or aching on the outer side of the knee and usually happens in the middle or at the end of a run.

Working too hard and at high levels of intensity can cause a number of injuries.

If you increase the mileage you are doing every week and the speed, you will add pressure to your body which can result in a number of injuries and ultimately results in breakdown.

EFFECTIVE TRAINING

Hard followed by light

No matter how hard you feel you need to train to reach your goals, it is important that you allow your body to rest and recuperate.

The most effective jogging training involves, one hard session followed by a light session, alternatively hard weeks followed by easy weeks. This will make your training much more effective and reduce risk if injury.

However if you are trying to increase your stamina and ability, you can still increase mileage and speed by approximately 10% per week without risk of overstraining.

Third week rule

Every third week, you should reduce your training by a small amount. Instead of the intense four sessions per week, drop back two or three sessions to give your body a chance to recover and strengthen itself. Instead allow at least two to three sessions per week to be non-running activities.

Always remember, pain is a warning; stop running and consult your chiropractor immediately.

Stretch

Regular stretching may also help reduce injuries. Joggers frequently develop tightness in the posterior muscle groups, such as hamstrings and the calf muscles. The quadriceps and anterior shin muscles may become relatively weak, due to muscular imbalance.