Running Injuries Increase 300%
Running injuries are surprisingly common. Despite the fact that it is not a contact sport, it is high impact and actually has a higher rate of injury than many other sports.
Running Injury Statistics
- Runners experience an average of four injuries per 1,000 hours of running. This translates to two injuries per year if you run five to ten hours per week.
- Epidemiological studies have found that between 19 percent and 79 percent of runners sustain an overuse injury every year that they run regularly.
- Recurrence of running injuries is common: 20 percent to 70 percent of running injuries return for another round.
The Seven Most Common Running Injuries
- Runner’s knee is the irritation of the cartilage on the underside of the kneecap (40 percent of running injuries).
- Achilles Tendonitis occurs when the tendon that connects the two major calf muscles to the back of the heel is under stress and tightens or becomes irritated (11 percent of running injuries).
- Hamstring issues occur when the muscle that runs down the back of our thighs becomes weak or tight from overuse (7 percent of running injuries).
- Plantar Fasciitis is when small tears or inflammation occurs in the tendons and ligaments that run from your heel to your toes (10 percent of running injuries).
- Shinsplints are an achy pain that occurs with small tears in the muscle around the shin (10 percent of running injuries).
- Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS) is when the IT band that lies along the outside of the thigh from the hip to the knee rubs against the femur and causes irritation (12 percent of running injuries).
- Stress fractures occur because of cumulative strain on the bone (6 percent of running injuries).
Age, gender, flexibility, strength, total weekly mileage, footwear, training surface, training intensity, sleep deprivation, biomechanics, medications, dehydration or glycogen depletion, and previous injuries all play a role in who gets injured.
The best thing you can do is learn to run properly. A successful long-term runner understands that you must increase your miles gradually and do exercises and cross-training activities.
Many people wouldn’t dream of going for a run alone without their iPod buds in their ears but you should consider the following information in your decision. Setting aside that wearing iPod buds turned up too loudly can damage your hearing; a terrifying study was released by the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine and the University Of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. They found that serious injuries to pedestrians listening to headphones increased by 300 percent between 2006 and 2012 and further that 70 percent of the pedestrians in these accidents were killed. The bottom line is that we are not aware of noises around us when we are listening to music or a book on our iPod and this can mean missing dangers that we would otherwise be able to avoid. In many cases, drivers in cars or trains were sounding their horns to warn the pedestrian of oncoming danger but they couldn’t hear the sound. Lead author of the study and associate professor of pediatrics at the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine, Richard Lichenstein says that headphones should be considered just as dangerous to pedestrians as texting while driving is to drivers.
If you or a loved one were injured in an accident, you have enough to deal with. Let an experienced accident attorney fight for the full compensation that you deserve. It is not uncommon to receive a settlement from the insurance company that is five to ten times bigger with the help of a lawyer. Call the caring accident attorneys at Tario & Associates, P.S. in Bellingham, WA today for a FREE consultation! We have been representing residents of Whatcom County, Skagit County, Island County and Snohomish County since 1979. You will pay nothing up front and no attorney fees at all unless we recover damages for you!
