Sufficient stretching will also help. Warm up stretching before training and cool down stretching after training gives any runner the best chance of avoiding muscle strain and other injuries. Muscle tightness varies in any group of athletes. Through years of training, ballerinas appear to bend in half while some bulky athletes can barely touch their toes. Regardless of what is normal for an individual, proper warming up and cooling down is always advisable.
Cross training is also helpful.
It spreads out the impact and varies the stress on the body giving overused areas time to heal. Knee joints are particularly susceptible to overuse injuries. Non-impact exercise like biking, swimming, Nordic Trak or stair steppers greatly reduce stress on the knees and body in general. Sports medicine professionals hope that through education, support, and when necessary, altered activity, our patients will thrive on this prescription.