Running Injuries - What tests are used to determine it's time to run again?
When a patient suffers from an injury one of the first questions we get as a Physiotherapist is when can I run again?
A slow graded plan to return to running is important to ensure you don’t cause a new injury or aggravate an existing one. It’s all about finding the level your tissue can manage and not over-stress it.
The plan of return will depend on the nature of the injury and the severity. The first thing we do is test the body and see how it responds. We check for the following things:
- Full range of movement of the tissues surround the injured area.
- Ensure there’s no swelling at rest and after performing exercise.
- Be pain-free during movements that produce a large amount of force to the injured area.
- Ensure there is no instability or locking of the joint.
What are some tests you could try at home for yourself?
- Walk briskly for 30 minutes
- Balance on 1 leg for 45 seconds
- Perform 20 single leg ¼ squats
- Perform 20 single leg calf raises
- 100 up and 100 up ‘major’: Perform 100 repetitions of a running style posture, starting with slow and increasing to a jog on the spot. Start with the knee and hip and 90 degrees and transfer from the left foot to the right.
- Perform a jump, bound and hop pain-free
- Jump from the stronger foot onto the weaker foot. Aim to land only 20-30cms forwards and softly. Aim to perform 20 consecutive hops.
If you cannot perform these, don’t get frustrated. This means you need to continue with specific exercises and give the body more time to heal. It’s important to note that if the injured muscle or joint cannot perform its job, you will likely develop an injury elsewhere due to the load being transferred.
Once the patient has satisfied the criteria for returning to running, the Physiotherapist will design a running program that is tailored to you and your injury. The running program will specify pace, distance and whether hills should be used or avoided. Most return to run programs start at 1-2km and the distance is increased by 30% at a time.
See our expert Physiotherapy team at Frenchs Forest and Macquarie Park!