Healthy Runner's Handbook

Each year millions of avid runners take to the streets in pursuit of improved performance. While many succeed in pushing their bodies to new physical limits, many more push too hard and end up with overuse injuries.>Healthy Runner's Handbook> was written to help runners put an end to nagging overuse injuries and continue running safely and successfully. Not only does the book show how to diagnose, care for, and rehabilitate 31 specific overuse injuries, it also provides useful advice on how to prevent these injuries from occurring.Author Lyle J. Micheli, a sports physician with more than 20 years of clinical experience treating injured runners, first reviews eight important risk factors seen as the primary causes of overuse injuries. Next, he outlines a program for injury prevention, which addresses these risk factors. The illustrated program includes 11 stretching and 9 strengthening exercises for the lower body and 14 conditioning exercises for the back.The heart of the >Healthy Runner's Handbook> explains how runners can diagnose and care for overuse injuries. After giving general guidelines for both self- and doctor-prescribed treatment and rehabilitation of injuries, the book provides information on 31 specific overuse injuries. Readers will find chapters that explain how to identify, treat, and rehabilitate:- foot injuries,- ankle injuries,- lower leg injuries,- knee injuries,- hip, pelvis, and groin injuries, and- back injuries.The last two chapters of >Healthy Runner's Handbook> discuss special concerns for women runners and nutritional needs of runners. The book also features more than 90 helpful illustrations and photos as well as many informative sidebars on topics as diverse as self-testing for muscle imbalances and coping with allergies.