Looking after those niggles.

It is essential that you look after any niggle of pain you may have sustained due to running.  There are three easy steps that you can follow to ensure that you prevent and protect any niggles that you have.

Dynamic Warm Up

A dynamic warm up consisting of jogging and dynamic stretching will help to increase bloody flow to the muscles resulting in increased oxygen to the muscles, increase the speed of nervous impulses, increase range of motion and will also decrease the stiffness of connective tissues and decrease the likely hood of muscle tears.

Cool Down

Ensure that any run is followed by a cool down, approximately 5 – 15 minutes in length as this will help to restore function throughout the body and lower the heart rate. A cool down will decrease delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) will decrease muscle soreness and increase tissue repair. Static stretching should be included in your cool down as this will increase muscle length, decreasing the chance of a muscle tear.

Ice Application

Ice should be applied to any niggles of pain that you may have. Applying ice will decrease tissue metabolism and should be placed on the affected area for ten minutes every one to two hours.