Are you an injured runner, or a runner looking to prevent an injury? I put together a list of resources that you may find helpful when it comes to injury prevention and recovery.
In case you’re new around here, or have missed a few weeks of posts, here is a quick update: My foot started hurting after a run about a month ago. I rested it, got fitted for new shoes, tried running again, and after a few days the pain came back. I went to an orthopedist and didn’t really get any answers. So I continued resting and doing some of my own research.
Having experienced too many injures in the past, I have become rather familiar with resources related to injury recovery. Of course, these should not be used in place of a professional, but they may be helpful if you feel like you are toeing the line of an injury, looking to prevent an injury from returning, or trying to learn more about your injury. I’ve been trying to figure out why my foot got hurt, how I can help it to heal quickly, and how to prevent it from happening again.
Resources for Injured Runners
Runners Connect This is always my first stop if I want information about an injury. You can go to the Running Injuries page and see a list of common injuries or do a search for a specific symptom or body part that is hurting. The information provided is well researched and often times there is a recovery guide that can be downloaded. While you are there, check out the podcast, Run to the Top, hosted by Tina!
Kinetic Revolution This site has great info and short videos with exercises. This is a great resource in general to prevent injures, but if you are having a specific issue with a tight muscle or weak area you can search for that and chances are you will find something helpful!
Athletes Treating Athletes This site has changed recently, and now requires you to sign up to access the information. However, there is a free option. They provide “courses” about certain injuries and plans for recovering.
Kelly Starrett On this website there are some videos that can be accessed for free, but I prefer the books Ready to Run and Becoming a Supple Leopard. Both are great resources that I refer to often for information on preventing and recovering from injuries.
Katy Bowman I started learning about Katy by listening to her podcast, Katy Says. She is a biomechanist who advocates for natural movement and optimal alignment, but explains it all in ways that are easy to understand. Her website has some great resources including a blog and she also has several books published.
Jay DiCharry I read the book Anatomy for Runners about 3 years ago and I still refer to it often. It’s a great place to start if you are relatively new to things like self-myofasical release and injury prevention exercises.
Final Thoughts on Resources for Injured Runners
In general you need to be careful about searching the internet for information about injuries, but sometimes it’s nice to connect with other people who are going through the same thing as you and learn what they did to recover. Remember that not every injury is necessarily the same, though. I have sometimes found other blogs written by runners with similar issues so it can be helpful to read about their experiences.
While it’s important to get help from a professional, I also believe it’s important to gain your own knowledge about your body and what led to the injury, as well as to advocate for what you believe is the best course of treatment.
What are your favorite resources for preventing or recovering from injuries?
Do you google your symptoms when you have a running-related pain, or look for other bloggers who have similar struggles?
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I definitely googled when my hip hurt! I also like the where does it hurt tool thing from runner’s world.
Oh yea I forgot about that! I have used that too.
Oh this is great! I knew of the first two, but I hadn’t heard of the others, and now I must check them out. Pinned and thank you for linking up!
I hope you like some of the other resources!
I love Runners Connect, they are always my first go-to. I’ll definitely bookmark this page for the other resources (although I hope I don’t need them anytime soon). Thanks!
I hope you don’t need these resources! And Runners Connect is great!
Thank you for this! Comes at a good time for me. I have some sort of mysterious calf pain that developed about 10 days ago…and I have a half marathon in 3 days! I’m having trouble getting in to see a doctor this week, so Dr. Google has been my pal, though not always easy to navigate. These resources will certainly help a bit until I can see someone! Hope your foot feels better soon!
I hope you find something helpful and that your injury heals quickly!
I always reference Runner’s Connect but I need to look into the other ones. Katy Says in particular sounds really interesting. I agree about being careful with the internet—searching for answers online made me think my foot was tendonitis or a fracture, but a doctor diagnosed it right away as a sprain. Thanks for this great resource, Lisa!
Katy’s stuff definitely gets me thinking! I am glad that you saw a dr for your foot and didn’t trust the internet!
I totally google my symptoms but it usually makes me more depressed than I was BEFORE I googled the symptoms!
Me too! Or much more confused!
Pinning this. Thanks for sharing all of these wonderful resources. It can be really helpful to see other runners experiencing the same injury and what has worked for them as well!
I hope you find this list helpful, but I also hope you don’t need need these resources related to an injury!
Ha, I love that we both wrote about something injury related today. These are great resources! I usually google my symptoms and go from there, as well as look at some other running blogs. I’m hoping our foot issues are resolved soon!
I definitely like finding other bloggers who have similar issues. It makes me feel like Im not alone!
Thanks for sharing these resources – I haven’t heard of them and they look super helpful. I love how you can find a community to help give clarity on anything these days! Hope the injury heals soon – I know how insanely frustrating that is. I am literally praying every day that my shin splints do not rear their ugly heads during my marathon training this year!
I hope you find the resources helpful, but also that your shin splints don’t come back! Maybe you can find something about how to prevent them?
Thank you for sharing this list – I’m trying to remain truly injury free as I get deeper into marathon training, and it’s great to just read and listen to what others have to say, even if taking it all with a grain of salt is key.
Absolutely! It’s always challenging to keep injuries at bay while training so we need all the support and resources we can get!
Thanks for sharing these, Lisa! I will definitely be checking out Kinetic Revolution to find exercises to avoid more hip/glute issues. I love Runners Connect and found them very helpful! I think in general, trying to get a grasp on what caused the issue and how you can help remediate it is the most important thing. Hope you’re feeling back to normal soon!
I totally agree! And I think you will find alot of great hip and glute exercises on Kinetic Revolution!
Thanks for the resources. Google is my best friend. I hope that I don’t need any of thesein the near future. Hope you foot heals quickly.
Thanks! I hope you don’t need them either!
Whenever I google anything related to sickness or injury, I almost always become convinced that I have about two weeks to live.
Haha that’s the worst! I try to avoid googling anything related to sickness but I cant help myself when it comes to injuries.
Anatomy for Runners is a fantastic book, my Doc made me read it as homework lol
I hope you feel better soon.
Yes, I have followed a few runners who had similar issues .
That is great homework! Its so important for athletes to be knowledgable about their own bodies.
This is a great list of resources. I think you really have to listen to your body and know when it’s time to rest and when it’s time to see a DR.
I definitely agree! That is a huge part of a smart recovery plan.
SO many great links! Bookmarking this for the next time I’m out of action!
I hope you find some of these links helpful!