Injury-Free Running: How to Build Strength, Improve Form, and Treat/Prevent Injuries

A no-nonsense guide to help readers effectively treat and prevent injuries. We were not born to run. If we were, injury rates among runners wouldn't be so high. Of the 12 million runners in the United States, the annual injury rate is close to 50%. This translates into nearly 2 million stress fractures and 4 million sprains/strains. To run injury-free for decades, you have to be strong, coordinated and most of all, well informed. While various experts will give you advice based on anecdotal information (e.g., wear minimalist shoes, strike on your midfoot, and never stretch), this book reviews the scientific literature to show you how to:

* Develop a running form based on your alignment, prior injuries, and desired running speed.

* Design a personalized rehab program you can do at home by evaluating your arch height, flexibility, strength, and coordination.

* Choose a running shoe that is right for you.

* Select the best preexercise warm-up routine.

* Treat 25 of the most common running-related injuries with the most up-to-date, scientifically justified treatment prototocols available.

Since graduating from Western States Chiropractic College in 1982, Dr. Michaud has published numerous book chapters and dozens of journal articles on subjects ranging from the treatment of tibial stress fractures in runners, to the conservative management of shoulder injuries in baseball players.

In 1993, Williams and Wilkins published Dr. Michaud's first textbook, Foot Orthoses and Other Forms of Conservative Foot Care, which was eventually translated into four languages and continues to be used in physical therapy, chiropractic, pedorthic, and podiatry schools around the world. His latest textbook, Human Locomotion: The Conservative Management of Gait-Related Disorders, has over 1100 references and is one of the most detailed reviews of running biomechanics ever published.

In addition to lecturing on clinical biomechanics internationally, Dr. Michaud has served on the editorial review boards for Chiropractic Sports Medicine and The Australasian Journal of Podiatric Medicine. Over the past 30 years, Dr. Michaud has maintained a busy private practice in Newton, Massachusetts, where he has treated thousands of elite and recreational runners. His home is in Wayland, Massachusetts.