Bridgeman fitness training aims to provide top quality fitness training advice, exercise information and educational resources for all fitness enthusiasts.  Expert fitness advice Bridgeman Fitness Home Running Injuries – Changing trends and demographics (part 1 of 2) SEARCH THIS SITE FACEBOOK Those that know me will realise that running is not my thing. The only times in my life I have ran with any consistency is where I have had to train for an event that required running. When people find out I don’t run (given my profession) I frequently get the question…”what do you do for fitness then?” Then I really get talking! I actually would rather (and often do) sprint short distance intervals (even up hills) than plod along for miles and miles at a steady pace. I have much respect for those that do like to run however, especially given the injury risk. I have recently read an article in ACSM Current Sports Medicine Reports, Sept/Oct 2011, titled: Running Injuries – Changing Trends and Demographics, by Karl B. Fields. So the article is about running injuries? That’s right. Specifically it discusses who may get injured and what injuries they may get. There are also some interesting references to studies looking at treatment for such injuries. Given the question I frequently get asking what I do for fitness if I do not run, I recognise that in many people running appears to be a popular activity and at the forefront of peoples minds when it comes to fitness. Perhaps it is the only activity they associate with enabling them to get fit? With such popularity it is with no surprise that the writer states: “Impact injuries that occur in elite runners during high-mileage training now affect heavier runners at lower mileage.” It appears that many people should get fit to run, rather than run to get fit. Perhaps this article on what fitness is may help. A review of injury rates to lower extremities in distance runners (running or training distance over or equal to 5km) within the British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2007 reference from 19% to 79% of runners injured yearly. What are the injuries? Everything from the knee down accounts for the majority of injuries. There was speculation that the greater muscular injuries found in older runners may be as a result of age-related changes in the muscle tendon unit. This includes: 1) Decreased strength and increased stiffness. 2) Greater repair time with aging. 3) Running at a frequency similar to young runners. Interestingly an article referenced by the writer – “Musculoskeletal injury in the master’s runners” from the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, 2006 suggests more runners aged 40 years or over wear orthotics. This is the group who have more calf, Achilles and hamstrings injuries than there younger counterparts. I have often wondered if orthotics actually do help when there may be muscular training strategies or perhaps technique improvements that could do more. Dare I be confrontational and suggest people reduce training volume also? Part 2 of running injuries continues here... More running related info: