Feeling pain when you run? It happens. Your body is telling you something isn’t right, and it’s better to listen early rather than run through it, otherwise you could end up sidelined for much longer. Let’s go through how to deal with pain and how to manage a running injury.
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What types of running injuries are there?
Injuries can show up in different tissues: bones, muscles, tendons, joints, or ligaments. They can happen suddenly, like a muscle tear or an ankle sprain, or develop over time from repeated stress, like patellofemoral pain syndrome (runner’s knee) or iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS).
If you feel unusual pain, the best move is to get medical advice, ideally from a sports doctor or a physiotherapist. You can also see an osteopath, who may take a more whole-body approach. For example, knee pain can sometimes be linked to restrictions at the hip/pelvis or the ankle, and looking at the full chain often leads to better outcomes.
Set up a recovery protocol
This painful or injury phase, without questioning everything, is a good moment to take stock and identify what may have led you here. Were you tired? Under a lot of stress at work or in your personal life? Are you drinking alcohol regularly? Are you eating well and sleeping enough?
It’s also a chance to review your gear. Do your running shoes need replacing? Do you have the right equipment for your training and your biomechanics?
Try to accept the situation quickly and shift into action mode for an active recovery. First, a proper diagnosis will tell you what’s going on and help you build a clear rehab and return-to-running plan.
Should you stay active during an injury?
For a long time, complete rest was often prescribed. But the medical community has learned that keeping regular physical activity can support recovery for many conditions, unless immobilization is necessary.
You can then use cross-training, like aqua jogging (running in water), cycling, or swimming, as long as you’re pain-free. Ideally, treat these new activities as a source of enjoyment, not another constraint. They help you maintain part of your endurance fitness and support overall metabolism, which is also good for performance when you come back.
If you’re able to run, you can alternate walking and running, for example 2 minutes walking then 3 minutes running, repeated 4 to 5 times to start, then building up to around 10 repeats. This approach helps you keep some muscle tone and maintain the running movement pattern, while reducing the risk of making the injury worse.
You can also do sophrology or mental imagery sessions, picturing yourself doing quality workouts. Research has shown that this kind of visualization can help you return faster, almost as if your body had actually trained during the injury period.
During this time, focus on the basics: sleep well, eat well, hydrate, relax, and keep moving, even gently if you can, with something like yoga or mobility work.
Manage a running injury in your RunMotion Coach App
In your RunMotion Coach app, if you’re injured, indicate in your fitness status that you’re injured. Then choose whether you want to completely stop training, or reduce your training load and intensity.
You can also add cycling or swimming, or even do strength and conditioning work to maintain your fitness without stressing the injured area.
Good luck during this phase. You’ll need resilience, and the goal is an active, smart recovery. Keep in mind that every case is unique, and nothing replaces medical advice.