Prevent/reduce injury while increasing step count

I have been lucky over the years to complete many marathons and triathlons without having injury problems. Unfortunately, a couple of years ago I had an Achilles tendon injury and recently a hamstring tendon injury. I’m quite sure this is related to getting older. As oestrogen declines, it is harder for the body to repair collagen, and tendons lose their elasticity and become stiffer.

Despite this, I still do my best to reduce pain and injury as much as possible. So, here are some of my tips and thoughts around pain and injury.

1. If a physio gives you exercises, do them! I have had this conversation with people a few times:

Them: Is there anything I can do for pain in my “x”?
Me: Have you been to a physio?
Them: Yes
Me: Did you get exercises?
Them: Yes
Me: Have you done the exercises?
Them: No

I believe that when you have an injury, it is helpful to take ownership of it. Ask the physio to take photos or videos of what they have asked you to do, so you remember and do them correctly

2. The level of pain does not always have a relationship with the level of injury. Think about a paper cut. It can be super painful, but you usually don’t need it to be treated for it. If you injure yourself and you are in a lot of pain, of course, you want to and should have it checked out, but you don’t have to think it is the worst case scenario. It might not be as bad as you think. Linked to this pain is your brain’s interpretation of the signals your body sends it. This means sometimes we can experience pain when there is no actual damage to our tissues.

3. There are many things you can do to help prevent injury:

• Gradually increase your training week to week
• Strength training
• Biomechanics coaching
• Good nutrition and hydration
• Good sleep
• Taking rest

4. If you are sitting a lot during the day, it increases your chance of injury. Our bodies are designed for hunting and gathering. Sitting still for extended periods can create muscle imbalances and lead to problems during exercise. If you sit a lot at work, try to get up and move as much as possible, and if you can work at a standing desk, use it periodically throughout the day.

To learn more, here are some old blogs I have written on the subject:

Thinking about pain
Three things I learned about pain
Injury-free streak