Sports Medicine Experts from Hospital for Special Surgery Give Advice on Avoiding Injury While Training for a Marathon

NEW YORK—September 15, 2009 

What runners don't know can hurt them - especially if they are involved in the strenuous training needed to run a marathon. Luckily for them, a new series of talks debuted by Hospital for Special Surgery provides the expert insight they need in order to prevent health issues that might befall them as they prepare.

The series, available as both online videos and podcasts, offers tips and advice on topics such as knee injuries, hip overuse prevention and strength training.

"Distance running puts high joint loads on the hip, knee, foot and ankle - so that's obvious that is where you'll see most of your running joint injuries," said sports medicine orthopedic surgeon Riley J. Williams, M.D. There is a wealth of injuries that are specific to runners due to the repetitive nature of the motion involved with the sport, according to Williams, who is a member of the Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.

However, despite the repetition of joint movement involved in running, not all serious running regimes will inevitably result in injury, according to the video featuring sports medicine physician Jordan D. Metzl, M.D. In fact, many running injuries are avoidable by creating a running plan and adhering to that schedule of training and stretching.

"Our idea of making your training program as healthy as possible is: how do you set proper goals, how do you keep yourself running for life, how do you recognize when there's an injury… and how do you work on prevention going forward?" Metzl said.

According to Metzl, a successful training program with realistic goals considers:

• A runner’s starting point
• Any prior running experience
• "Building" as the runner trains to go further
• "First timer" programs especially for marathons

The focus of the talks lies in the types of injuries that may occur, but the speakers also provide insightful tips about prevention, especially Polly de Mille, R.N., exercise physiologist, and Rob Maschi, DPT., Sports Rehabilitation and Performance Center, Hospital for Special Surgery, who both discussed the values of aerobic and strength training as means to improve running mechanics and, therefore, lessen the chance of injury.

"If you want to take it to the next level, running 10 Ks or even marathons, you really need to develop a good strength base to do that," Maschi said. "Unfortunately a lot of the injured runners I work with take the philosophy of running to train versus of training to run."

Other tips include a detailed running plan, descriptions of common injuries, such as tendonitis, sprains, strains or lower back pain and their symptoms as well as specific exercises to incorporate into training for maximum preventive value.

See the video series online at HSS.edu.

Be sure to download the podcasts, also available on iTunes.

About Hospital for Special Surgery
Founded in 1863, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) is a world leader in orthopedics, rheumatology and rehabilitation. HSS is nationally ranked No. 2 in orthopedics, No. 3 in rheumatology and No. 24 in neurology by U.S.News & World Report (2009), and has received Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, and has one of the lowest infection rates in the country. In 2008 and 2007, HSS was a recipient of the HealthGrades Joint Replacement Excellence Award. A member of the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System and an affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS provides orthopedic and rheumatologic patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital at New York Weill Cornell Medical Center. All Hospital for Special Surgery medical staff are on the faculty of Weill Cornell Medical College. The hospital's research division is internationally recognized as a leader in the investigation of musculoskeletal and autoimmune diseases. Hospital for Special Surgery is located in New York City and online at www.hss.edu.