Injury Prevention: The basics
“The true test of a [person’s] character is what [they] [do] when no one is watching.” - John Wooden.
I think this quote is quite fitting for this post because creating a stronger, durable body isn't always glamorous. It doesn’t require sexy, instagram-worthy weight room personal records, and it doesn't require complicated and unnecessary exercises. All it requires is dedication, determination and simple, honest, hard work. I wanted to write a general overview on how I approach injury prevention and what I think the most important aspects are. The human body is an amazing thing and we as endurance athletes demand an incredible amount from our body every single day. To stay in peak-physical condition, we must do certain things in order to mitigate injury and create a strong, durable body.
Start Fresh
To begin, we ideally start with a clean slate. This means that if you have been battling frequent injuries during the past season(s), you need to take the time off that is necessary to heal and recuperate. This could be as simple as taking a few weeks off at the end of the season all the way up to scheduling surgery to fix whatever issue is plaguing you. Whatever this period of time looks like for you, your body should be pain-free by the end of it and ready to do the work you are going to ask it to do.
Baseline Evaluation
You cannot build a solid home on top of a weak foundation. Any good injury prevention plan has to start with a thorough evaluation by a healthcare professional. I am not here to tell you who to see or where to go, but the evaluation should include a baseline assessment of how your body moves. This would hopefully include assessments of your joint mobility, stability, range-of-motion, and swim/gait/bike analysis at a minimum. The results from this evaluation should be what you use going forward to compare to at strategic intervals and measure progress.
Mobility
is the ability to move freely and without pain. Many endurance athletes struggle with maintaining proper mobility throughout their season because of the inevitable wear-and-tear effect training has on our bodies. Having good joint mobility comes down to a few factors. Is there some sort of structural barrier that is preventing you from being as mobile as you could be? This could be anything from a bone spur to a torn meniscus that does not allow your joint to move through a “typical” range of motion. Maybe there is a mechanical barrier that is limiting you? This could be an old injury, scar tissue, tight muscles, even lack of physical activity if you have been sidelined for a long period of time. All of these should be addressed in your initial evaluation and actionable ways to increase mobility should be included in your plan.
Stability
is the ability to control movement. We cannot just work on our mobility limiters and expect our body to know what to do with this newly-acquired range of motion. We have to teach our body how to be stable in these new ranges. Balance, coordination, and strength are all key components of stability and are important to address year-round. It is also important to practice sport-specific stability work. For endurance athletes, that means teaching your body to remain stable even when under immense fatigue. We often find ourselves pushing the limits of what our bodies can do in races and this can be dangerous if we have not taught our bodies what to expect. For instance, I will throw in some stability exercises at the end of a long run just to remind the nervous system to stay active even when I have completely emptied the tank.
Strength
is an often overlooked component of many endurance athlete’s season plans. In order to allow the body to adapt and progress under load (i.e training,) it needs adequate recovery and a solid blueprint from which to work off of. Ego aside, if you cannot squat even a light load with proper mechanics, how do you expect your bones, muscles, and tendons to react when you go for a 5 mile training run? Running is essentially repeated single-leg squats that exert tremendous force through your lower leg, hip, and lumbar spine. It is well documented that the vertical impact forces of running can reach approximately 2.5-2.8 times a person’s body weight (Cavanagh and Fortune, 1980.) Even more research confirms that fatigue can increase these numbers. Incorporating a strength program into your endurance training will make you a stronger, more durable athlete.
So there you have it. My keys to developing a comprehensive injury prevention plan start with a baseline assessment, followed by addressing any significant mobility and/or stability concerns, and once you are moving well, begin strengthening and reinforcing good habits. As with anything in the sports performance world, there will always be varying levels of opinion on this topic and that is ok! Do your research, listen to the experts, and decide for yourself what the best options are for you.
Sources
Cavanagh PR, Lafortune MA, J Biomech. 1980; 13(5):397-406.
Disclaimer: The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. You assume full responsibility for how you choose to use this information. Always consult with a qualified and licensed physician or other medical care provider, and follow their advice without delay regardless of anything read on this blog. Talk with your healthcare provider about any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Nothing contained in these topics is intended to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment.
