Roadside Assistance

Most injuries suffered by beginners are minor and heal fast. Here are a few tips that may help if you become injured.

By Hal Higdon, Runner's World

If you carefully follow the advice offered in this beginning runner's guide, hopefully you can avoid injuries. The easiest way to remain injury-free is to train at a level somewhat beneath your ability. If you don't overtrain, you lessen your chances of getting hurt.

Unfortunately, we all aren't created equal. Some people are more injury-prone. Careful training may allow you to remain injury-free, but many of us make training errors. Sore muscles are normal when you begin to run, but if soreness or pain persists for more than 72 hours, that may be the sign of an injury for which rest or treatment may be required.

It is not the intent of this guide to provide a complete set of instructions for curing every injury a runner might encounter. Here are a few tips that may help if you become injured:

Don't run through pain. If you suddenly feel pain, stop running immediately. If you pull a muscle, you will delay your recovery if you continue to run. Walk for a while to see if the pain diminishes. You may be able to continue running, but don't take a chance by ignoring the pain.

Rest until you can run pain-free. Take at least one day off if injured during or after running. Two or three days rest may be necessary before resuming your training routine.

The first form of treatment is RICE. RICE stands for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. Rest is necessary so you don't stress the injury more. Ice applied against the injury will reduce swelling and internal bleeding. (Heat may increase the problem). Compression (such as an elastic bandage) will also reduce swelling. Elevation (raising the injured part higher than your heart by lying down) will limit fluid buildup.

When returning to training, start at a lower level. You may have gotten injured because you trained too hard. Backing off will allow you to regain strength before pushing forward. Depending on how many days you lost to training, you may have detrained, thus need to go slow starting over.

Most injuries suffered by beginners are minor and heal fast. If pain persists, you may need to seek medical treatment to continue your training routine.