Total Health Systems Running Tips – Fast Fixes

We are a few weeks into our training.  The excitement of committing to an event and the newness of training may be wearing off.  The “honeymoon” is over and you may be finding all kinds of excuses to miss a training run here and there.  We don’t want a few missed training runs to turn into not completing your goal. Today I am talking about the common excuse “my knees  hurt”.

It is not uncommon for runners to complain of sore or tight knees.  Often this can be corrected with just a few strategies.

“My Knees Hurt”

FIX #1 Shorten your stride

No matter how cushiony the heel of your shoe is, your body isn’t designed to land on it when running, experts say. Shorter strides help you land on the middle of your foot activating your body’s natural shock absorbers.This is the thought behind the minimalists shoes that have become so popular. The shoe with its minimum heal cushioning will force you to run more like you are barefoot, landing on your forefoot.  Definitely look at some educational videos on barefoot running on YouTube.

FIX #2 Strengthen your hips and thighs

Often knee pain is caused by weakness in the quads (front of thigh) and hips.  A lot of runners believe they don’t have to do strengthening exercises for their legs because running is enough. Running is not enough.  Proper squats, and lunges are great exercise strengthen your hips and thighs.  Not only can it help prevent injury it can help improve your running.

You might be thinking ok great how can I strengthen my hips and knees when my knees hurt.  You might need a skilled physical therapists or personal trainer to help you thru thru it.   Total Health Systems has a number of skilled therapists and personal trainers to help you out. First step is to call for a FREE consultation with one of our personal trainers.

Fix #3 Use a Foam Roller before or after your runs

You may have seen these big foam rollers in your gym or in your favorite running magazine.  Foam Rollers are a great tool for preventing injury and aids in recovery. Not sure what this is all about, come to our workshop on July 18.  Total Health Systems will be hosting a FREE workshop that will go over foam rolling.  The workshop will be Thursday July 18 at 7:15 at Clinton Township location. Please call to sign up.  586-228-0270. We will have a limited number of foam rollers for you to try, but if you have a foam roller bring it.