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Running, Not Doctors…

One great fear of runners is visiting a doctor for their injuries and being told to stop running. This news article in the New York Times (Sports Injuries: When to Tough It Out) covers some of the issues surrounding the question,  "should I or shouldn't I see a doctor for my pain?".

But the article left a few gaps for those aches and pains that don't seem serious enough to warrant a visit to the doctors.

Closing the Gap

One of the first thing to do is to ease off and reduce your training intensity. You can ease off in one of these four areas

1. Duration – shorter runs
2. Speed – slower or constant
3. Frequency – fewer sessions per week with more rest in between
4. Terrain – less challenging terrain – flat ground rather than uphill

Another thing is to stretch more regularly. If pain is new, do apply MICER. MICER is explained here in a post reply to a reader's question.

When to see the doctor?

Ease off your training intensity for a few weeks and monitor closely. If the pain persist, you may have to see a doctor or therapist to determine the underlying problem. Assuming that is not something serious like a torn ligament, there may a underlying bio-mechanical fault that needs to be identified and corrected.