Fellas:
I just got a new job being a lifeguard and a big part of our training is beach/sand running bare foot. I have been hearing conflicting points of views about it. The main viewpoints either contend, that if you do it too much you will tear up your knees and ankles or it's good for you because the sand doesn't put as much of that jarring stress on your legs. Either way, it seems to be making my extremely weak ankle and shin spints stronger and less painful. But my main concern here, is what types of injuries can arise from soft sand beach running and How I can prevent them? Also I want to know the tell tale of signs of something serious occuring because I want to be able to catch it before it becomes a serious problem. Thanks...

My understanding is that beach running can be really good for you. Sand both absorbs shock instead of transferring it back into your body when you land, and also when you push off making you work harder than you would have to on asphalt. The main injury I have heard of is IT Band injuries, but that is because of the incline of the beach rather than the sand itself. In other words you want a flat beach. IT Band injuries are very common and the symptoms and treatments can be easily found.

JRC, you forgot to mention that IT bands SUCK when they're inflammed!. The illio-tibial band runs down the outside of the thigh. If this becomes tight the tendon starts to rub on the bone at the knee. Eventually this will become inflamed until running becomes very painful. If you rest, the inflammation dies down but when you start to run again, because the band is tight the tendon will once again become inflamed.

runners knee

Beach, sand running also builds muscles in your legs that you dont normally work out from normal running, ie. stability and power muscles. Awesome for doing duck walks in. Just my nugget of info.

Thanks for putting a link on there AAneeded. I had some problems with ITBS and stretching, iceing, and strengthening my hip abductor muscles has helped tremendously. Here's another link: http://www.csuchico.edu/phed/atc/Projects/ITband/ITBFS.html

Hick, you should know that most of the time, this type of injury is due to non-normal feet like flat feet. I have flat feet, but only endured this pain during high school while on Xcountry.
Very nice link JRC.

Thanks for the great info. I'll let you know how it goes. The links are awesome. I'm a little bitter that the Cadaver moving his knee link didn't work on the one site though.

HICK