Running is a great form of exercise for those who are looking to lose weight or live a healthy lifestyle. However, if you are not running properly, it could put a lot of stress on your body and lead to more serious injuries and health conditions. At Block Sports Chiropractic & Physical Therapy, we offer physical therapy in Smithtown NY in order to not only treat running injuries but help you to prevent them. Physical therapy is capable of providing patients with treatment methods for lower extremity pain. These methods can include recommended stretching techniques, strength training, and suggested warm-up exercises.

Prevention:

For more helpful information on how physical therapy in Smithtown NY can help you prevent running injuries, please consider the following:

• Increase Your Flexibility and Improve Comfort
  • Regular stretching routines, especially prior to going for a run, can go a long way towards helping your body prevent itself from injury. It’s recommended to hold each stretch for 30 seconds for the best results.

• Increase strength training
  • If your muscles are weak, it can lead to muscle fatigue and can have a negative effect on your performance.
  • By having 2-3 strength training sessions per week, that focus on all muscle groups will improve your body and athleticism.

• Stay hydrated and eat well
  • It’s important to drink the correct amount of water before running to avoid heat exhaustion and dehydration.
  • The simple solution is to not overdo the consumption, drink water in small increments so that you do not over hydrate yourself

• Warm up and cool down when running
  • It’s important to warm up before running to flush out lactic acid buildup in muscles and prevent delayed muscle soreness.
  • Cooling down after running allows your muscles to properly relax for the best results from your run.  

• Wear the right shoes
  • The right shoe is important because it can protect your foot and ankle from injuries and prevent pain and discomfort. The type of shoe you should wear while running depends on your foot and the amount of running you will be doing.

If you are a runner and want to learn about more ways that you could prevent injuries, we offer physical therapy in Garden City that can help!

Common Injuries:

Running can place a lot of stress on the body. If not done correctly, it can cause injuries such as:

• Runner’s knee
• Achilles tendonitis
• Hamstring issues
• Plantar fasciitis
• Shin splints
• Iliotibial band syndrome
• Stress fracture

If you are interested in learning more about how our physical therapy in Smithtown NY can help you prevent running injuries, contact us today at Block Sports Chiropractic & Physical Therapy!