The Great North Run: a truly global run

The Great North Run has come a long way since 1981, when it was first advertised as a local fun run. It’s now the world’s largest and most famous half marathon with over 57,000 runners running 13.1 miles between Newcastle upon Tyne and South Shields.

Running: the easiest exercise?

Running is certainly the cheapest and most accessible: all you need is a good pair of trainers and you’re set. The benefits of running for your health are numerous, from preventing disease and boosting your immune system to alleviating depression. It might even make you a better bet in the evolutionary race to reproduce; last year Scientists at Cambridge University studied 542 runners at the Robin Hood marathon in Nottingham and found that marathon runners had ‘higher reproductive potential’.

However, that is not to say that running – particularly long distance running – is without its problems, whether that’s the extra stress it puts on your heart, or your knees.

One common problem area when running is the spine. A study of half marathon competitors found that over half of them had experienced back pain. Of that group, 49% found that running alleviated back pain while 27% saw an increase in back pain when they ran.

If you are experiencing spinal pain, you might think it’s time to hang up your trainers, but it doesn’t have to be the end of you running career. At the Fortius Clinic, our consultant spine experts will assess the spinal pain you’re experiencing including the nature and location of the pain. Your running history is also taken into account; whether you are new to this form of exercise or a long-time runner, how often you run, where you run and the intensity of your training.

Training is certainly key to protecting your spinal health. “Up to a certain point, training load optimises performance and doesn’t cause injury; however, beyond that point, fitness drops off, performance drops off and injuries increase,” explains Mr Jason Harvey, Consultant Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon at the Fortius Clinic. “It is important for runners to be in the so-called training ‘sweet spot’.”

Our specialists aim to get you to where you want with your running, whether that’s treating specific radicular symptoms, providing management and guidance in terms of training and competing, or even just providing reassurance for those concerned it might be the end of their running activities.

Running tips from a podiatrist

“Distance running involves putting low repetitive forces through the same part of the body again and again for the duration of the run unlike multi-directional sports, such as netball, basketball and football,” explains Anne Marie O’Connor, Consultant Podiatrist at Fortius Clinic. “It is therefore the most common activity leading to overuse injuries.”

Here’s Anne Marie's lowdown on how to keep on running:

  • Video gait analysis can identify specific problems that can help guide the treatments that specialists can offer, whether that’s simple strengthening exercises or core training.
  • Customised orthotics, a shoe insert that corrects biomechanical issues such as excessive foot rotation, can help.
  • If not customised orthotics, invest in good quality trainers from a running shop that can assess your running style.
  • Special running socks, known as 1000-mile socks, or pressure-relieving plasters can prevent blisters forming that can undermine your running efforts.
  • Knee pain can quickly derail your running, but adjusting your posture, by leaning forwards or backwards slightly, will reduce loading on a specific part of the joint.
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