10 Pitfalls on the Return to Run Journey

Returning to running after an injury can be a frustrating process. In my own running pursuits, I have had my fair share of running injuries and made plenty of mistakes rehabbing and getting back to healthy training. Professionally, my goal is to continually refine my knowledge to help runners reach their goals. In all honesty, I am better at helping others through this process than helping myself. In fact, I have personally run into every one of these pitfalls that I will discuss below. So, I wanted to share with you so you can learn from my mistakes.

  1. Not having a plan or guidance

    • This is a big one, if I were to get audited, would it be smart for me to try and deal with that on my own and wing it? Heck no. Find someone in your community that specializes in working with running injuries. Have them help you set up a plan on how to get from A to B.

  2. Getting poor information from online sources

    • This is an easy one to remedy. Any resources by Chris Johnson, PT or Nathan Carlson, PT are gold. Chris has a return to run program that is phenomenal here as well as many other resources. Nathan has a ton of blogs on specific topics here.

  3. Yo-Yo effect

    • “Running injuries are like a hangover, usually caused by too much, too quickly and as soon as we feel better we do it all again!” -Tom Goom (RunningPhysio)

    • If you are rebounding from injury to injury, spend time thinking about what you can do differently so you don’t repeat similar mistakes.

  4. Wait-n-see

    • Doing nothing is hardly ever the answer for running injuries. With rest, symptoms will undoubtably reduce but but this does not necessarily mean you have restored tissue capacity or addressed the underlying issue. Enter yo-yo effect from above.

    • There are times where a rest from running is helpful and even necessary, but you can always be doing something to improve your situation. Look to points 5 & 8.

  5. Not loading it

    • “Load the tissue with the issue” -Chris Johnson (Zeren PT)

    • It would be a mistake not to load the injury with specific exercises.

    • There are exceptions to this, like a bone stress injuries or a really irritable tendon where you will need to protect the tissue and off-load it for a period of time. Seek a running specialist for a specific plan to know at what point to load the tissue.

  6. Overzealous loading

    • If a little is good, then a lot is better, right?

    • While resistance training is a great way to overcome running injuries, too much resistance training can also be a pitfall. Make sure you are honing in on the correct dosage of exercises that build tissue capacity but don’t leave you under-recovered for your return to run program.

  7. Relying on passive approaches

    • Massage, other manual therapy, injections, etc. might help short term with decreasing pain but in the end do not prepare you for the demands of running.

  8. Letting other health factors slip

    • Prioritizing sleep, nutrition, stress relief and other wellness factors can help your body recover quicker.

  9. Quicksand effect

    • I’ve never been in quicksand, but they say the more you struggle the worse it gets. This has been my experience with running injuries. It’s not until I relax, shed excess baggage (anxiety, fear, etc.), and progress slowly and deliberately that I get myself into a better situation.

  10. Strava FOMO

    • Checking running social media can make you feel left out and depressed if you are building back up your running. Do not let other peoples’ races or workouts make you deviate from your plan.

-Steve White, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS

Steve White