In today's episode, coach Jessica Marie Rose Leggio addresses the misinformation you will run into online. If you are someone who turns to social media for help with your running injuries, listen up. This episode is for you. 

We've all seen it. A runner makes a post desperately asking for advice to treat their injury. In response, every man and his dog offers up their two cents on what a runner should take "corrective" action. We've seen everything from advising runners to stretch more, foam rolling your IT band, to getting a particular set of stability sneakers. Spoiler alert, these are all terrible ideas. 

"This advice is a huge contributing factor as to why 80% of runners are injured every year."

The reality is you have at best a 1% chance of having a qualified person responding to your post. This statistic means, 99% of the time, you will be taking advice from someone who doesn't have a clue what they are talking about. The result is you are even more likely to exacerbate your injury or develop new ones. 

 This reality is why posting on social media for advice on running injuries is a big no-no. 

Seriously, avoid all advice from runners?  

At #RunPainFree, we are big advocates of runners supporting fellow runners. Running is a challenging sport that requires a lot of will and determination each time you step out the door. So following runners that motivate and inspire you is excellent. 

Tips like local running routes, discussions on race course specifics, and sharing info on local running clubs and coaches are great ways to use social media to run. 

But when it comes to injuries, give any social media advice a wide berth. That's when injuries happen. No two bodies are the same, so no two training regimes or corrective work is the same. Applying whatever worked for Joe Bloggs, the marathon finisher won't guarantee injury free running for you. 

Unfortunately, there is a tremendous amount of misinformation on long-distance running online. 

What makes it challenging for us at #RunPainFree to witness is that it is usually shared by fellow runners who have the best intentions in mind. 

"The best thing you can do is refer the question asker to a qualified professional."

You wouldn't go to Facebook for advice if your spleen ruptured. So, treat your physical body the same way you would treat an organ inside yourself.  Get yourself checked by a professional. 

In response to the mountains of spurious advice online, #RunPainFree developed the runpainfreebootcamp.com. It answers all the common questions runners have on injuries and provides you with the nuts and bolts you need to run pain-free. 

The Bootcamp covers what you need to know from the moment you get injured to the moment you line up for your next race. The course is delivered by our seasoned running injury and correction specialist, coach Jessica Marie Rose Leggio. 

We have an entire section on advice from Facebook's 'running doctors.' It includes real examples of the nonsense that gets posted online. What can we say? It's an engaging course. The more you learn, the more you laugh. 

We want runners to run pain-free. And while we can correct those who come to us, so many runners are injured by applying misinformed advice online to their running regimes. 

We are on a mission to make a dent in the statistic that 80% of runners are injured each year.

That's why we created our Academy. Do yourself a favor and start learning more about what will keep you injury-free. And next time you see Joe Bloggs, the marathon finisher dishing out some wacky advice online, link the person in pain to this podcast. 

As always, comment, share, and ask questions.  We are here to help. 

1:36 – Why you shouldn't ask for injury advice on social media

4:26 – Seriously, avoid all advice from runners? 

14:50 – Direct injured runners to a professional

17:23 – #RunPainFree Bootcamp 

18:18 – Take home lesson

• Don't post online for injury advice

Get an Assessment With Jessica: https://www.runpainfreenow.com.

Resources & Programs To Run Injury-Free: https://members.runpainfreeacademy.com

#RunPainFree Bootcamp: https://www.runpainfreebootcamp.com/

Protect Yourself From The Stability Shoes Scam: https://www.runpainfreepodcast.com/blog/protect-yourself-from-the-stability-shoes-scam

Planta Fasciitis Facts For Runners: https://www.runpainfreepodcast.com/blog/plantar-fasciitis-facts-for-runners