3 test to determine your injury risk

In a given year, runners are more likely to experience an injury than not. Why are running injuries so common and how can you reduce your injury risk? The answers are found in how well you move. The better you move, the less likely you are to get injured.

The Stats:

Depending on distance, frequency, and mobility, your injury risk in a year can be upwards of 80%. For every 100 hours of running, the average runner will experience one injury. Almost half of the injuries occur to the knee with about 10-20% occurring in the hip and foot/ankle. Runners also commonly experience low back pain, albeit less frequently than other lower body injuries.

Overuse:

More than 3/4 of running injuries are due to overuse. There’s also up to a 70% risk of re-injury and a 50% chance of developing a new injury. However, you love to run and don’t want to limit your exercise/hobby/sport, so it’s not as simple as “stop running.” Something you may not know, overuse (repetitive motions), is the most common way to develop adhesion. We’ll get to this.

Exercise & Other Factors:

Exercises, stretching, and mobility work….they all fall short. If they were beneficial, running injuries wouldn’t be so staggering. Besides, you shouldn’t have to spend 3+ hours a day holding yourself together, so that you can run pain-free. This is why it’s imperative to measure your mobility and in essence, your injury risk.

Mobility & Adhesion:

Limited mobility is the #1 cause of musculoskeletal injury. The primary cause of limited mobility is muscle adhesion. Adhesion acts like glue in muscles, making you weaker and less flexible. As mobility decreases, your injury risk increases. Adhesion not only causes pain but it also significantly reduces your performance.

Test Yourself:

The three tests below demonstrate how to test yourself for healthy mobility. The more limited these tests are, the higher your injury risk.

All tests should be pain-free and easy with full mobility for you to run safely.

Whether running is recreational or competitive, you can’t compromise function.

Ankle Mobility Test

Knee Mobility Test

Hip Mobility Test

If you’re tired of doing a litany of exercises, stretches, and gait analysis, we can help. Dr. Holen is the Roaring Fork Valley’s leading expert for the diagnosis and treatment of muscle adhesion.

Avail Soft Tissue & Spine

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401 27th St. #170

Glenwood Springs, CO

info@availsofttissue.com | 970-930-6255

Running From Injury

Avail Soft Tissue & Spine

What's the harm?

Low Back Pain

Knee Pain

Plantar Fasciitis & Foot Pain

Shoulder Pain

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