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Derval O Rourke European Championships zimbioThis is a guest post from Don Connigale, a freelance journalist, copywriter and regular runner who is currently working with a number of clients including No Win No Fee UK

KNEE PAIN
Knee pain comes up next, in particular the rather grandly named Osgood Schlatters disease, to which young athletes (below the age of 15) are particularly susceptible, as rapid growth combined with intense exercise can really put a strain on the knee. As with most injuries, it is important to see a doctor and maybe even a sports injury specialist for diagnosis and treatment, as, aside from rest, there may be a number of stretching exercises that can help, as well as aids such as knee supports.
As always, do not ignore pain! It’s your body’s way of telling you to take it easy.

HAMSTRING
Up next is our old friend the pulled hamstring, the injury you’ll often see professional footballers limping off the pitch with before their ashen-faced manager announces to the press that the player will be out for a few weeks. It can occur in any sports where sprinting is involved though. Professional treatment may be required depending on the severity of the injury. As always, prevention is better than a cure though, so remember to warm up correctly, not to train on an existing injury, not to exercise one muscle group (e.g. the hamstring) without also focusing on the corresponding muscles (the quadriceps in this case) as the imbalance in strength can lead to injury, and not to overtrain or try to run when fatigued.


SPRAINED ANKLES
Sprained ankles are very common too, and again these can occur in any sport, but are particularly prevalent where lots of sudden turns and twists are called for (squash, football and other such quick-turn sports can be among the most hazardous here, although you can come a cropper even with straight-line running if you have the misfortune to land your foot in a pothole or similarly uneven surface). You’ll feel this one immediately, and the quicker you can treat it – by elevating the foot and applying ice (a bag of frozen peas should do the job) – to reduce swelling, the better. After that, it’s just a case of resting the joint until the injury is healed.


So most of these are preventable with a bit of common sense and even if sustained, getting the correct advice and treatment can considerably hasten healing. Look after your body and it’ll look after you!

The first part of this post with more advice is here.

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