You love running, but every time you increase your mileage, an injury stops you in your tracks. Tendinitis, periostitis, knee pain—there's always something. You start to wonder if your body just isn't cut out for running. This frustration is understandable.

• The main cause is too rapid an increase in volume or intensity.
• Transitions (road to trail, summer to winter) are risky times.
• Condensing training sessions into a few days increases the risk of injury.
• The body can adapt to almost anything, if given time.

This article helps you identify your injury patterns. For managing an active injury, see our guide What to do about an injury while running.

I keep getting injured when I run, what should I do?

Recurrent injuries often result from progressing too quickly or poorly timed transitions. Learn to quantify your mechanical stress, make changes gradually, and consult a physical therapist for a plan tailored to your situation.

You need to start by asking yourself the following questions:

• Do I often and rapidly change a parameter of my training (longer run duration, higher intensity, frequency of outings, etc.)?
• When transitioning between seasons or environments, do I make sure to pace myself properly (switching from the treadmill to the road, from the road to the mountains, from asphalt to snow and vice versa, etc.)?
• Do I tend to condense my training into a few days (doing nothing during the week and running 40 km on the weekend, for example)?

If you recognize yourself in the previous statements, you may have difficulty properly managing your mechanical stress when running.

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In other words, you often put yourself in situations that are conducive to doing too much, too quickly. This does not allow the body to adapt well to change.

So, first you need to become an expert in quantifying mechanical stress. To learn more, check out the following link: https://lacliniqueducoureur.com/quantification-du-stress-mecanique/

Next, make sure you have the right shoes (see the article on footwear – Link to blog #13) and adopt a running technique that reduces the speed of impact forces on the ground (see the article on running technique – Link to blog #12).

Finally, you should consult a physical therapist who has expertise in treating running injuries to develop a customized action plan for you.

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Where can I find more information about injury prevention?

The podcast "Parle-moi de santé" (Talk to me about health) by Alexis Gougeon, physiotherapist at Physioactif, discusses the prevention and treatment of running injuries in episode #1, available on YouTube and podcast platforms.

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Episode #1: Prevention and treatment of running injuries.

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Find the episode on YouTube:

Click below to listen to episodes on podcast platforms:

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Source:

• Van Gent RN. (2007). Incidence and determinants of lower extremity running injuries in long distance runners: a systematic review. British journal of sports medicine.