Talofa Samoa and welcome back to your Sunday health column! Today's column is taken from Submit Physiotherapy in Canada.

Have you ever experienced pain in your ankle or foot while running? That pain may be caused by an injury. There are two main causes of injuries that runners should be aware of:

1. Overuse Injuries

2. Traumatic injuries

What is an overuse injury?

An overuse injury happens when repetitive activity stresses tissues such as muscles, tendons or bones, to the point where they break down and become inflamed. Examples of overuse running injuries are: Plantar fasciitis, heel spur, Achilles tendonitis, tibialis posterior tendonitis, IT hand friction syndrome, and patellofemoral syndrome.

What is a traumatic injury?

A traumatic injury is a more sudden and often violent form of injury, resulting in tissues being rapidly over-stretched or damaged. Some examples of traumatic injuries include sprains (torn ligaments), strains (torn muscles), lacerations or even broken bones.

How can I prevent a foot or ankle injury when running?

There are many things you can do to prevent a foot or ankle injury. Use the following tips to help decrease your risk of injury:

Listen to your body (slowly progress your running technique)

One of the most important tips for any athlete, not just runners, is to listen to your body. Don’t over-exert yourself. It’s common for people to run too much, too soon, so that their bodies can’t adapt to the stresses of running and their tissues break down and become inflamed. We recommend runners, especially new runners, start slow and pace themselves. Over time, as your body’s tissues evolve to withstand the stresses of running, you’ll be able to increase your pace without injuring the muscles, tendons or ligaments in your feet or ankles (and other areas of your body). We recommend starting with a walk and run program where you walk for 30 seconds then run for 30 seconds and repeat this five times. Gradually work your way up to 15 repetitions. Then you can begin to increase your run time and decrease your walk time. We recommend a 15-second walk and a 45-second run, starting with low repetitions (around 7 or 8). From there, you can work your way up to 15 repetitions. Continue this practice until you find the right walk-to-run ratio that works for you.

Use the proper running technique

There’s no one right way to run as everyone is built differently, but our best advice is not to let your heel be the first part of your foot to hit the ground. You should run more flat-footed or even land toward the ball of your foot (not on the ball). This reduces the amount of force transmitted into your foot up through the ankles, knees, hips, and back. Your foot will make contact with the ground under your centre of gravity, making it easier to propel yourself forward with each step.

Some other running techniques to help you avoid injury are:

•             Don’t let your knees collapse inward as you step down.

•             Maintain good posture as you run.

•             Swing your arms — but not so much that each hand is crossing the midline of the body.

•             Reduce excessive body rotation and lateral swaying (when your body sways back and forth) and vertical displacement (how much your body moves up and down).

•             Keep your head facing forward.

•             Make sure your back, shoulders, and arms stay relaxed.

Wear the proper footwear

There is no universal type of footwear that will work for every runner, but we do recommend wearing a flatter shoe with little to no heel that promotes the running technique (minimalist approach) we discussed above. A flatter running shoe makes the foot, ankle, knee, hip, and spine work in the way they were designed. Our bodies are meant to run and handle the stress and strain of running as long as it’s not excessive and beyond what our tissues are used to. Our muscles, ligaments, tendons, bones, joints, and connective tissue actually become stronger as a result of the usual stresses of running.

Running shoes with extra cushioning, a larger heel, or both, make it more difficult to land towards the ball of your foot and promote incorrect biomechanics of the foot, ankle, and knee which can lead to injury. To explain this better, try running in high heels, but don’t let your heel be the first point of contact! Hard isn’t it? This is what happens when you run in shoes with a large heel or cushioning. However, some people have significant issues regarding their feet requiring them to wear shoes with arch support or shoes that are supportive in other ways. Remember to do what is right for your body. If you are used to wearing highly cushioned shoes or shoes that control your arch and want to change your runners to a minimalist shoe, you need to slowly work your way into it or you’ll likely run into other injuries.  You would slowly start wearing these flatter shoes using the same program that was mentioned in the proper running technique section.

Don’t forget to stretch

Stretching is an important step in keeping your muscles both strong and flexible. By increasing your flexibility you improve your range of motion. When you don’t stretch, your muscles become tight, your range of motion decreases, and your risk of injury increases. All stretches should be held for 30 seconds, repeated 3 times, twice a day.