Injury is the most common reason for runners ‘retiring’ from the sport, especially as far too many attempt to run through pain without thought for the consequences. Chronic injuries – that is, long-standing ones – are invariably more difficult

It's a familiar story: you return to training after injury aiming to be faster and stronger than before. Then reality kicks in as your decreased fitness becomes apparent. You begin to wonder if you'll ever be able to repeat your pre-injury

, muscles and bones of the legs hips and back, severe running injuries such as stress fractures, muscle tears, iliotibial band problems (involving the hip as well as the knee), Achilles tendonitis and plantar fasciitis. Rheumatologists specialise

Q I’m just about to return to running after three months out with a lower-back injury (disc and sacro-iliac joint problems). What sort of training should I do to return to running fitness without risking more injury?A When returning to training

Q I have a triple injury. First I got a pain under my hip, then a swollen ankle and now a pain in the back of my knee. All on the right side. I recently switched from trail to road running – could it be due to the camber?A There could be two

. This will cause acute pain on the inner side of the knee. In some runners a more chronic injury can occur if they have knock-knees, or those who always run on a camber. Continuing to run will not only prolong your pain but could cause secondary injuries through a

Most injury is avoidable: the first rule is not to kid yourself that it's outside your control.Beginners need to take double care, because their muscles and tendons may need many months to adapt to the forces and range of movement of running

and the rest of us, he quotes author Ralph Waldo Emerson: "There is a crack in everything God has made." With all the amazing advancements in sports medicine, you'd think that our rates of injury would have dropped since then. But 30 years after running's first

from a stress fracture. Muscle injuries and strains may occur between the bones, but you can often run with them, unlike a stress fracture.Self-treatmentRest! You may be able to swim or cycle as long as it doesn’t provoke pain, but running – which

Exclusive online content The Secrets of Good Form RunningLearn how to run better and injury-free, using the principles of the New Balance concept: Good Form RunningMost runners have never been taught how to run. This is the simple idea that lies