By Melbourne Sports Physio Team
Load Management for runners - HOW TO HAVE LESS RUNNING INJURIES
Running is hard work on the body!
Add to that, runners are usually keen as green beans and sometimes do a little too much, too soon.
Our bodies are incredibly adaptive and respond to load. If you go to the gym and pick weights up, your muscles will get stronger.
However when we load our bodies too quickly or in the wrong way our muscles, tendons and joints start to suffer.
We have all been there and we know what it’s like to be sidelined by a running injury.
At Melbourne Sports Physiotherapy, our goal is always to get you back running ASAP with an appropriate loading program.
How much is too much RUNNING?
Well that depends on your current training history and levels of fitness.
Rates of training progression should correlate to recent training work loads and one of the best ways to measure this is an acute vs chronic workload ratio (ACWR).
How to manage load and reduce the risk of injury, overtraining and illness?
Acute load is the total work load for the current week of training.
Chronic load is the average of the previous 4 weeks work load.
Simply, by dividing the acute load by chronic load we can determine the ratio as percentage.
As a runner the easiest way to measure load is rating of perceived exertion (RPE) x duration (minutes) for each training session, then sum sum of the week’s sessions will give you that weeks acute load.
Research shows that an ACWR of 0.8 - 1.3 is the 'sweet spot' for training load being applied to our bodies minimising risk for an overuse injury. (See the picture at the very top of this article).
Example:
Week 1,2,3,4:
Monday: 30 min easy run RPE=5 30x5=150
Tuesday: 60 min gym session RPE=3 60x3=180
Wednesday: 60 min run with interval training RPE=8 60x8=480
Thursday: 60 min Run RPE=6 60x6=360
Friday: 60 min gym session RPE=3 60x3=180
Acute load=150+180+480+360+180=1350
Week 5: Monday: 30 min easy run RPE=5 30x5=150
Tuesday: 60 min gym session RPE=3 60x3=180
Wednesday: 60 min run with interval training RPE=8 60x8=480
Thursday: 60 min Run RPE=6 60x6=360
Friday: 60 min gym session RPE=3 60x3=180
Saturday: 60 min boxing HIIT session RPE=8 60x8=480
Acute load: 150+180+480+360+180 +480 =1830
Chronic load: (1350+1350+1350+1350)/4= 1350
ACWR: 1830/1350=1.36
You can see in the above example, just by adding in 1 intense boxing session, this person is in the danger zone with an ACWL=1.36. After a spike in acute load over >1.3, you remain at risk for injury over the next 4 weeks.
HOWEVER a ratio below 0.8 has as much risk of injury as a ratio over 1.3.
So there is as much risk in undertraining as there is in overtraining once you are making a return to activity.
This is why it is important to minimise periods of rest and use cross training where possible when recovering from an injury.
The ACWR is an amazing, scientific way of measuring load to maximise performance. It can be used to map out training plans, monitor load and progressions and give targets for the appropriate acute load when returning to training.
Your physiotherapist will be able to guide you through this process and provide you with an easy to use training diary designed to take the hassle out of recording your training.
How Physiotherapy can help LIMIT RUNNING INJURIES?
When you book in for a sports physiotherapy consultation to manage your running injury, your physiotherapist will:
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Assess and accurately diagnose your injury
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Provide treatments to reduce pain immediately
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Assess the underlying cause of your injury: training errors, muscle weakness or poor technique
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Provide treatment to address the cause by: assisting you with a return to running program that manages your load appropriately, a strength and conditioning program to target your weaknesses and any technique tips or drills to improve your running efficiency.
Remember: Prevention is better than the cure!
If you want to take your running to the next level, book in and have an injury prevention screening. You will be able to run further, faster more frequently and best of all, pain free!
If you have sustained an injury from playing tennis or are just keen on a targeted, individualised injury prevention program book in with one of our Physiotherapists today!
HOW CAN THE TEAM AT Melbourne Sports Physiotherapy HEL P YOU:
Melbourne Sports Physio has a range of qualified and experienced professionals who can help provide ongoing support and treatment.
Our friendly team are located in across Melbourne, and appointments can be made by calling or booking online.