4.3. Load and pain progression scores

Your load and pain progression scores are the core of the app. Let's take a look how to interpret the different visuals. There are three important aspects here:

1. Load progression: the % load you experienced this week, compared to previous weeks. 
   (left on the screens below)
   
   
2. Cumulative load: the total load over an entire running session. 
   (right on the screens below)
   
   
3. Pain scores: the pain score given after your last running session. 

1. LOAD PROGRESSION: the % of load you experienced this week, compared to previous weeks.

1. Values higher than 100% indicate that your load this week is higher compared to previous weeks. 
   
   
2. Consistently high percentages week after week (e.g. > 110%) increase the risk of overuse injuries. The green zone shows your ideal target to reach by the end of the week. When you hit this target, the circle above that week turns green. If you exceed it, the circle turns pink. This makes it easy to track whether your weekly loads are too high, too low, or just right.
   
   
3. This number will 'reset' to 0 every week, so you can track your weekly progression closely. 

Science shows us that building up your load too much is the biggest risk factor for sustaining overuse injuries!

2. CUMULATIVE LOAD: the total load over an entire running session. 

1. Every block represents the total load of one running session (4 weeks are presented).  
   
   
2. The pink line indicates a load progression threshold of 100%.
   
   
3. The number (in %) is your current load progression. 
   

3. PAIN SCORES: the pain score given after your last running session. 

1. Pain scores range from 0 (no pain) to 10 (had to stop running due to the pain).
   
   
2. Pain scores higher than 3 indicate that the load you currently experience might be too much. 
   
   
3. It is advised to visit a healthcare professional if pain scores exceed 6.

Keeping load progression, cumulative load and pain within a safe range is considered to be the most effective way in reducing injury risk. 

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