Running is a great form of exercise – easy, cheap and great for your cardiovascular system. However, running can also be very hard on your joints. Your joints are subjected to higher than normal forces with each stride, and this can compound any minor flaw in your biomechanics or your body. A tight hip or strained hamstring can alter your running position enough to cause significant pain.

As I have said before, prevention is the key. Its way easier to prevent something than to fix it once its happened. Apart from ensuring you have a good pair of running shoes, the second most important preventative step is to stretch out your body at the end of your run. This will help to loosen up any muscles that have tightened up, and will help your body recover faster.

The Canadian Chiropractic Association has created a brochure outlining some easy and effective running stretches. Again, these are to be done at the end of your run. The brochure can be downloaded by clicking on the following link:

Running Stretches

Dr. Debbie Wright is a practicing Comox Valley Chiropractor.