Colchester half marathon is this weekend, and the London marathon is just around the corner. This means the weekly mileage is high and that those training are waking up most days with something that’s sore or stiff.

if you came to see a physio every time something was sore when training for these things, you would constantly be in the treatment room. So the big question is; ‘IS THIS JUST A NIGGLE, OR AM I ABOUT TO CAUSE A SEASON ENDING INJURY?’.

At Reflex-18, we see lots of runners, some that push through when it was perhaps sensible to rest and some that rest, when they could have pushed through. So here are my 3 steps to check before going on that next run.

The warm up test

How does the pain respond in the first 10-15 minutes of a run?

The things that we would ALWAYS say to rest with, are ones that get worse with exercise. These are the injuries that generally need to be checked out. So if you start out on a gentle run and find that the pain is gradually building, this is often a sign of injury and you should stop.

If however, in the first 10-15 minutes you find that the pain eases until is disappears completely when you have warmed up and increased blood flow, then this may well be just a niggle. the caveat to this is that you should end the run feeling better than before you started, and the pain should not flare up after the run.

Are you limping?

If you start to run and find that you are limping, then this is a sign that you should stop. This is your body trying to move the load somewhere else. This is a sign that something needs a rest, and by transferring the load somewhere else you could cause pain in another area of your body.

If you can’t maintain your regular running form – it’s not a niggle.

The next morning audit

If you wake up the next morning and feel tired, a bit achy but the pain has not worsened, it’s probably just a niggle and what you are feeling is normal.

If you wake up with significant morning stiffness and hobble down the stairs or to the toilet, the tissue involved has probably been overloaded and it needs some rest or assessment.

When to see a physio

If you have checked the ‘injury box’ on any of these sections, then it’s probably best to rest and get it looked at. So:

Sign	Action
Pain clears up after 1 mile	Monitor and continue (gently).
Pain causes a limp	STOP. Book an assessment.
Pain is worse the next morning	Rest and seek advice.