Tips for Running after an Injury

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You must be extremely careful about running after an injury. Of course you want to get out there, however if you push yourself too hard or do not take the proper precautions, then you could end up re-injuring the same area or worse, ending up with an even more severe injury that requires surgery or affects you for the long term.
First you need to decide whether you are able to run at all. If you are seeing a physician, a physical therapist or another health care professional about your injury, then consult with him or her to get a professional opinion. DeeAnn Dougherty, a physical therapist and RRCA and USATF-certified distance running coach from Portland, recommends that you do not run until you can walk for half an hour without any pain.
If you are not yet ready to run, then you can still train. Walking (as long as you can do it) is a great way to keep your legs loose. Also, if it doesn’t aggregate your injury you could try another type of cardio that involves the legs such as using an exercise bike or an elliptical machine. Make sure that you stretch, warm up and cool down. If you can do them, toning exercises like squats and lunges can also help.
Competitor identifies three core exercises for runners who are recovering from injury. You can do a clam shell by lying on your side and lifting your left up and down. The Superman exercise is done by lying on your stomach and then lifting your arms and legs. A modified Superman is the same except with bent legs.
When you are ready to start running, you need to go slowly. Do not run on hills or very fast until you are 75-80 percent back, suggests Doughty. He suggests the following schedule: if you took off two weeks, do half of your normal mileage, if you took off four weeks, then do 30% and if you took off more time, then walk and jog. You should very slowly build up until you are back at your old speed and mileage.
The most important thing is to stop if anything hurts or bothers you. This might be a sign that you are reinjuring yourself. Remember that you will take a big step back if you have to stop because you injure yourself again.
Be very careful when training to run after recovering from an injury. If you do it right you will increase your chances of running effectively without injury.