by: jill barker, special to montreal gazette
despite countless how-to articles, research papers, improved shoe designs and runners’ clinics, the injury rate among runners hasn’t changed in decades. eighty per cent experience at least one injury during their running career, and anywhere from 65-70 per cent of runners are injured during any given 12-month period.
with so many runners on the limp, there’s no shortage of advice when it comes to treatment strategies. the same goes for advice on how to run injury free. runners aren’t shy to share their opinion on how new shoes, new techniques and/or new training programs can make the difference. still, injury rates remain unchanged.
why do runners get hurt? running on pavement is tough on the joints — not to mention the repetitive stress of the estimated 1,000 foot strikes per foot runners accumulate per mile. but what runners really want to know is, is there a way to reap the joys of running without getting injured?
to find out more about running injuries, researchers from australia, the united states, ireland and hong kong polled members of their running communities about their training habits, including their history of injury and shoe choices. the goal was to highlight training practices that could lead to injury, defined as any pain or discomfort that resulted in missing at least two days of training and/or required treatment from a medical professional.