Injury Prevention for Runners

Running injuries have a reputation for randomness — but in clinic, the story is remarkably consistent: a change in load the body wasn't ready for. New distance, new pace, new shoes, new surface, new training block… and three weeks later, a complaining knee or shin. That predictability is good news, because predictable means preventable.

Rule 1: progress load gradually

The single biggest controllable risk factor is the rate of training change. Hold weekly increases in distance or intensity to roughly 10%, change one variable at a time (distance or speed or hills — not all three), and respect that returning after a break means restarting below where you left off. Calgary adds a seasonal trap: the first chinook-warmed week of spring invites doubling your mileage overnight. Don't.

Rule 2: strength train — it's the best-evidenced protection

Runners who strength train twice a week get injured less, full stop. The high-value menu is short:

• Single-leg calf raises — the calf absorbs several times body weight every stride; build to 15+ strong reps per side
• Single-leg squats or step-downs — knee control under fatigue is runner's-knee insurance
• Hip side-raises / banded walks — weak hip abductors show up as collapsing knees at kilometre eight
• Glute bridges and hinges — propulsion comes from the back of the body

Twenty minutes, twice a week, year-round.

Rule 3: respect the early whispers

Running injuries announce themselves quietly first: a hot spot on the shin, a heel that's stiff for the first five minutes, a knee that aches only on stairs. The runners who stay healthy are the ones who act at the whisper — trimming load for a week, booking an assessment — instead of pushing to the shout. Pain that warms up and disappears can often be trained through carefully; pain that worsens during a run, or shifts how you stride, cannot.

Worth a professional look

A running-focused assessment — strength testing, mobility, and gait analysis — turns guesswork into a specific plan, especially if you have a recurring problem area or a race on the calendar.

Run year-round, see us when you need us — 7 days a week. Call 587-355-3555, Nolan Hill Physiotherapy & Massage, NW Calgary.