Avoiding Knee Injuries: Tips for Runners

Knee injuries are the most common type of injury that runners face. We all know that running is great exercise, but it can also be pretty dangerous if you don’t take the proper precautions. Over the course of the next two blogs, we will be looking at some tips to help runners avoid knee injuries in the first place.

Avoid heel strike

Having an efficient stride is one of the most important things to learn for beginning runners. The wrong stride can wreak havoc on your joints, especially your knees. If your stride is too long, you risk landing on your heel each time. This slows your forward momentum and places the full force of your stride onto your heel. In turn, this shock travels all the way up your legs to your knees. Knees do not perform well as shock absorbers. It won’t take long before injury is unavoidable. Develop good running mechanics from the start and avoid this risk.

Don’t overdo it

There is such a thing as too much exercise, believe it or not! Listen to your body, and take rest days when you start to feel worn out. We all want to push ourselves to break through to the next level, but you are actually setting yourself up for a backslide, at best, and an injury, at worst, if you don’t plan rest days into your routine. When to plan these days is totally up to what your body is telling you, so learn to listen.

If you do end up injuring your knees, we have the rehabilitation equipment you need to get back on your feet. Shop today, and stay tuned for our next blog, where we will go over a few more tips.