In last week’s article, we discussed some basic guidelines that runners should follow when starting to prepare for their upcoming summer race. Unfortunately, like every sport, there are common injuries runners may experience at any level of training. Here is some information on a few of the most common injuries and information on how to treat and/or prevent them.
- Achilles Tendinitis: The Achilles tendon connects your calf muscles to your foot. Often times in runners, pain, irritation, and/or inflammation takes place due to repetitive stresses from increasing your running distance or speed too quickly. It may also become irritated due to improper footwear and/or arch support.
- Treatment:
- Ice the affected area for 20 min at a time. You can also use an ice cup on the most painful area and gently massage for 5 minutes.
- Rest: Take a small break from running or reduce your running mileage/pace to decrease irritation and allow healing to occur
- Stretch your calves regularly- hold for 30 seconds at a time.
- Ensure that you have proper footwear/arch support- this may include a possible orthotic and doing exercises that will help strengthen your arch.
- IT-Band Syndrome: The IT Band is a band of fascia that runs from the outside of the hip, down your lateral leg, and inserts just below the knee. It is commonly associated with lateral knee pain in runners. It too, may be irritated due to several different factors, including muscle imbalances, improper footwear that causes increased friction into the knee and/or hip, and running downhill.
- Treatment:
- Strengthen your hip abductors, especially your gluteus medius. These muscles provide pelvic stability during running and will decrease irritation to the IT-band.
- Release tightness in the surrounding muscles of the IT-band using products like a foam roll or The Stick®
- Avoid running downhill or on one side of the street to decrease irritation.
- As said before, ensure you have proper footwear and arch support!
- Shin Splints: This is a term commonly associated with pain along the front or inside of the shin. It may be caused by several factors associated with running, including overuse and/or too much stress being placed on your muscles too quickly, tight calf muscles, and poor arch support.
- Treatment:
- Ice the affected area regularly.
- Rest- decrease your volume of running to allow proper healing.
- Stretch your calves- hold for 30 seconds at a time.
- Strengthen your muscles in your medial arch to increase support
- Ensure proper footwear
- Treatment:
- Treatment:
- Treatment:
If you are experiencing any of these injuries, or an injury not listed above, contact a therapist at ProActive Physical Therapy for further information on treatment and prevention.