However careful a runner is with warming up, cooling down and stretching exercises, it is almost inevitable that, at some stage, you will be injured. Given the nature of running it is likely that you will feel aches, pains and strains in your feet, legs and even up into your lower back from time to time. Sometimes your muscles and/or joints will be sore from the intensity or length of a training session orfrom running in a race. In which case rest, stretching and alternative forms of exercise may be sufficient to cure the problem. On other occasions the stiffness and pain will tell you that you have an injury that requires treatment.

Injuries and strains may come on gradually during a run, especially a long one, because, for example, your running shoes are worn or not giving you sufficient support, or the terrain is difficult, or even you have not had enough to drink. More typically, you will feel a sharp, stabbing pain in a muscle or joint, which gives you little option but to slow down, or stop running altogether. In either case, the sensible course of action is to quit the run or race as soon as possible – easier said than done if you are an hour into a 2-3 hour off-road run.

Whatever the nature of the running injury – to muscle or joint - the basic treatment procedure is the same:

RICE PROCEDURE

• REST ….. rest …… rest. Stop the activity and take any strain off the affected area.
• ICE – Apply an ice pack to the affected area as soon as possible. If you suffer a running injury out in the countryside, immerse your leg in a stream or pool. When treating the affected area, never apply an ice pack directly to the skin. In the first few days applying the ice pack for twenty minutes every two hours will aid pain relief and shorten recovery time.
• COMPRESSION – Bandage or strap the affected area to limit swelling.
• ELEVATION – Raise the affected leg to reduce the blood flow.

Taking an anti-inflammatory medicine e.g. Ibroprufen, or applying an anti-inflammatory cream, may help to reduce swelling and inflammation. Make sure that you take anti-inflammatory medicine with food, not on an empty stomach.

At this point you should also seek professional advice from a doctor or qualified physiotherapist. Obtaining early advice will establish the exact nature of the injury and begin the rehabilitation and recovery phase as quickly as possible. In addition, a physiotherapist will suggest a programme of stretching and/or exercises that will speed up the recovery process.