One for the runners
Whilst driving to work the last few days I have noticed there are numerous runners out and about all at different levels of fitness, one thing I have noticed about all of them is they seem to run with a very stiff upper body, which as a chiropractor I can see will only lead to problems in the future.
From a runners point of view this stiff upper body will restrict your breathing as well as cause tension and muscle contractions in your neck and shoulders, therefore potentially not allowing you to perform to the best of your ability and spoiling your enjoyment of your run.
Now I am no running expert (I cant actually make it past week 3 of a couch potato to 5k program) but they look uncomfortable and I can imagine they must be sore in the upper body once their run is complete.
As ever prevention is better than cure, so I would like to offer the following tips to try to combat this and stop you from having to come see somebody like me
- Correctly fitting shoes are a must!!
- Try and keep relaxed when running maybe occasionally roll your shoulders back and move your head around to release the tension in your upper body.
- If you carry a water bottle don’t grip onto it to tight and alternate which hand you carry it in – as we all know it’s important to keep hydrated when running.
- Don’t forget to warm up AND warm down after each run
Most important of all, enjoy it!!