Injury Prevention Tips for Runners
Running is one of the most popular forms of exercise—but also one of the most injury-prone. In fact, up to 80% of runners experience an injury each year, often due to avoidable training errors or lifestyle habits. Physical Therapy can help you take a smarter approach to running with strategies grounded in biomechanics and physiological principles.
Why Do Running Injuries Happen?
Most running injuries aren’t caused by a single step—they develop gradually over time when the stress on your body exceeds its capacity to recover. Factors like rapid mileage increases, insufficient rest, or biomechanical weaknesses can set the stage for overuse injuries like shin splints, plantar fasciitis, knee pain, and IT band syndrome.
Train Smarter, Recover Smarter
Injury prevention starts with respecting the balance between training load and recovery. That means:
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Progressing mileage gradually
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Incorporating rest days and deload weeks
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Getting 7–9 hours of sleep
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Staying hydrated and well-fueled
A key principle to understand is that fitness is built during recovery, not just during the workout.
Strength & Lifestyle Matter
Strength training is one of the most effective tools for reducing injury risk. Just 2 sessions per week targeting hips, glutes, core, and calves can improve joint stability, balance, and running economy. And don’t underestimate the role of lifestyle—your sleep quality, stress levels, and even footwear choices directly impact how your body responds to training.
Want to learn more?
Join us for an in-person talk:
Fleet Feet - Culver Road Armory
Tuesday, June 10th @ 6:45pm
Led by Kali LaRue, Physical Therapist and Owner at STAR.
We’ll break down why most injuries occur, how to train and recover more effectively, and simple lifestyle strategies to help you run pain-free.