The Real Cause of Running Injuries

Real cause of running injuries
Another running injury? What is the cause this time--weak hip flexors, too much training, incorrect shoes, not enough stretching? Maybe we are looking in the completely wrong direction for the answer to this question.

Perhaps we should be looking within and how we have been feeling and thinking lately. Yes I know, that sounds a bit woo-woo, but hear me out. I believe it will make perfectly good sense to you. And, there is a exercise below you can do to quickly determine if this is true for you or not.

First of all our bodies do not change rapidly. They may become weaker over time as we age, but if you ran last month without any issues and the same runs this month have caused a hamstring injury, it cannot be as a result of a change in your body.

Our bodies do not change that quickly, but our thoughts, feelings, emotions do. We have multiple situations in our lives that constantly reflect change in our personal and professional lives. How can we stay the same emotionally? It is very difficult unless we have developed the peaceful, mental tenacity of a Buddhist monk!

If you believe it is just slightly possible that your current injury might have been caused by your thoughts or emotions, try this test and you may discover the real cause of running injuries!

Discover the Real Cause of Running Injuries

Sit somewhere quietly for a few minutes, where you won't be disturbed--a private bathroom works well for this :) Relax for a few moments. Focused breathing will help quieten your mind.

Then mentally ask yourself if anything has been upsetting you lately, playing on your mind, worrying you, disturbing your peace of mind, causing you stress, etc. Go with the first thing that comes to mind.

Think about the situation and notice the thoughts and emotions that go with it. How does thinking about this situation make you feel--angry, guilty, fearful, worried, anxious, tense, frustrated? Be honest with yourself and then consider the possibility that these emotions could have contributed to your sudden injury. Could these undesirable emotions be the real cause of running injuries?

The inspirational book, You Can Heal Your Life, written by self-help pioneer Louise Hay, has helped millions of people by increasing their awareness of the affect that the mind has on health and wellbeing, and specifically how pain and disease in our bodies are related to our thoughts and emotions.

Louise provides invaluable insight into the relationship between the mind and body using cases she has documented during her lifetime of working to help others heal. Over the years, she has witnessed many healings resulting from a change in thought patterns and emotions including her own cancer diagnosis.

"If someone wishes for good health, one must first ask oneself if he is ready to do away with the reasons for his illness. Only then is it possible to help him."

-- Hippocrates

Our emotions can be very complicated, but one thing is for sure--they do effect our bodies and in ways that we do not expect. For example, we can have back pain because we are holding onto resentment, we can develop knee problems because we are inflexible or stubborn, or we can have foot problems if we are fearful of the future.

But it doesn't have to be this way. If we can identify the emotional cause of our injury, we are already on our way to healing. We can only deal with an issue if we become aware of it. The more consciously aware we are of our emotions and reactions to situations and events in our lives, the sooner we can deal with them and release the real cause of running injuries.

Body awareness - is another effective technique to help us become more aware of what is going on in our bodies. When we learn to listen to the specific signals our body gives us, we can use them to help us prevent running injuries and illnesses.

The Mind and Body Connection - demonstrates how our emotions affect our bodies and how we can use the strength of our mind to heal our bodies.

Can Fear Create a Running Injury? - This article is about a fear I became aware of which I really believe resulted in a foot injury.

What about you? Do you have a story to share about how a fear or emotion showed up as a running injury? Please share your story in the comments below.