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There’s some Star Trek episodes that touch on this, maybe in later TNG or DS9. Can’t recall exactly at present.

Edit: here we go: http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Speed_limit

I missed your comment and made a similar comment without the attached episode. Thank you and the below comment on how they solved it. I assumed they just didn't care as it was the delta quadrant and the whole show is an emergency.

Preventing this damage without a speed limit was the function of Voyager's moving warp nacelles. I think they solved it without moving parts in later designs.

The Defiant class's warp nacelles are angled slightly toward the bow of the ship, at least in some parts of the canon. Some speculate this is for the same reason - a fixed-nacelle design that prevents this damage without a speed limit.

Tangential - comparison of warp coils in different Starfleet ships: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXAoIGTQEBY

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