Each week, we see a number of runners and increasingly gym based athletes, who have had an injury for a while and have tried to train through it.

This never works for a number of simple reasons:

• Unless it was a non traumatic injury, it will have happened due to a chronic issue somewhere, which needs to be addressed before the problem resolves fully
• If it was traumatic, there will be a knock on effect, which can get worse if you attempt to train through in any way that loads the injured area
• Training through, even if it does not dynamically load the injured place, demands modifications in your form and movement patterns, which can cause injury later on

The best approach instead is to use the PRICE principles and book in to get it checked by a professional, who is used to working with athletes.

PRICE:

• Protect: Avoid loading the injured area and strap or support it if you do need to move
• Rest: Cut back on your workload and give it some time to heal properly
• Ice: If acutely injured, cold treatment can help reduce the swelling and pain
• Compression: A simple bandage may help reduce the swelling and pain, particularly in joints
• Elevate: By raising the effected area to level or higher than the heart, the chance of swelling is reduced, helping the body heal more effectively

Whether you’ve tweaked an achilles, strained your knee or have a chronic lower back problem whenever you run over a certain distance, don’t just ignore it, pop a pill and carry on, call in and get it resolved quickly and effectively.