Ask me how I am, not only how much it hurts: Narratives of injured recreational runners

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Running-related injuries (RRI) are common among recreational runners, but research exploring lived experiences of a RRI is limited. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the psychosocial aspects experienced by recreational runners hindered in usual running because of RRI. METHODS: Individual semi-structured interviews based on a qualitative phenomenological methodology explored injured recreational runners experiences, reactions, thoughts, and feelings. Systematic text condensation was used as the analysis method. RESULTS: Three main codes were identified: Reasons for running: ‘Calm for me is a feeling of my body just relaxing. It may sound a bit weird because you run, but it is kind of a feeling of just being able to unplug‘, Daily life during an injury - besides running: ‘When I couldn’t run at all, it was super annoying. Several months it was completely empty. It was like there was a hole. There seemed to be missing something because I usually ran‘, Running while injured: ‘Do I feel pain? Or is it something else? And should I navigate regarding the length of the route and where I run, how fast I run, and with whom I run? ‘. CONCLUSION: The recreational runners experiences explored in this study support the importance of bio-psycho-social awareness when physiotherapists meet runners hindered in usual running because of RRI.