Running injuries are very common, and can be easily prevented or fixed if diagnosed early enough. Unfortunately, the nature of most running injuries make it so that people don’t realize they have one until their injury has progressed to the point of being severe. As with most injuries, the best way to avoid them is to prevent them from occurring in the first place by being diligent about caring for your body during and after running. The following guide to common running injuries includes information on how to treat and prevent them, as well as how to overcome an injury that has already begun limiting your daily life or exercise regimen.
Patella Tendinitis
The patella tendon is the thickest and most superficial of the three tendons that attach the quadriceps muscle to the tibia. The tendon is located behind the kneecap, or patella, on the front of the knee. Patella tendonitis is an inflammation or irritation of this tendon, which can be caused by repetitive use of your leg muscles. This can lead to pain at any time during a run, but typically will worsen as you progress through your workout. There are some ways to prevent these injuries from happening. Proper running technique, increasing mileage gradually and ensuring adequate recovery periods between workouts may help prevent injuries. When experiencing pain or tenderness in your knees it is important not to keep going because doing so could make the injury worse.
If you have already experienced these symptoms, there are some steps you can take such as icing the area (10-15 minutes every two hours) and resting until it feels better. You should also try to avoid activities that cause increased pressure on the knee such as squatting down all the way while lifting something heavy with one hand or jumping onto a couch with both feet off the ground simultaneously, for example.
Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS)
ITBS, also known as iliotibial band syndrome, is a common injury among runners. The injury can be caused by many factors but it’s always the result of excessive friction between the iliotibial band and the bursa on the outside of your knee.
The most common symptoms are pain on the outside of your knee, especially when you bend your knee or cross your legs. You might also experience pain when you walk up stairs or hills.
If you’re experiencing these symptoms, use these five steps to get back on track 1) Decrease your mileage 2) Increase the amount of time spent walking 3) Ice 4) Massage 5) Take anti-inflammatory medication.
Achilles Tendinitis
- -Ice the area after activity to help decrease pain and swelling
- -Wear compression socks
- -Elevate your heel with a pillow or rolled up towel when lying down
- -Stretch your calf muscles . If you feel pain during this stretch, stop. You might be stretching too far and over-stretching the Achilles tendon.
- -Consider using crutches if you are unable to walk without significant limping. Crutches will keep pressure off of the tendon while it heals. They also take weight off of your injured foot so that less stress is put on the injury.
- -Don’t cross your legs at the ankle, as this can make things worse by putting more stress on the Achilles tendon.
Plantar fasciitis
The most common injury for a runner is plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is the inflammation of the plantar fascia, which is a thick, fibrous band of tissue that runs along the bottom of your foot. The plantar fascia creates tension on your toes to help you push off while walking or running; this tension can lead to inflammation if you over-exert your feet too much. Heal faster by rest, ice, stretching, and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication like ibuprofen. If symptoms persist, see your doctor. Icing should be applied every 2 hours for 15 minutes at a time and it will reduce pain. Anti-inflammatories will also reduce pain from inflammation and help decrease swelling. Prevention of future injuries requires easing up on the frequency and duration of workouts, using proper footwear, getting orthotics (if necessary) to address gait problems that could result in injury, such as pronation or supination (where your arches fall excessively inward), strengthening core muscles with Pilates (to prevent hamstring strains), properly warming up before working out (to prevent muscle pulls), and adding flexibility exercises into your routine so muscles don’t tighten up during workouts (to prevent tendonitis).
Your body will thank you!
Gluteus Medius Injury
Gluteus medius injuries are caused by an imbalance between the strength of your gluteus medius muscle and the opposing hip rotators. The gluteus medius, also known as the dance muscle, is located on your outer hip. It helps rotate your leg outward when you walk, run or kick a ball. For example, if you’re running down a hill and have one leg that’s slightly ahead of the other, or if you stop suddenly while running up a steep hill, or if you try to do too many exercises at once without warming up first. You can also injure this muscle by sitting for long periods with one hip flexed (bent) more than the other which causes the pelvis to tilt to one side and put strain on this muscle.