“Don’t run and you’ll heal,” are the words that every runner dread to hear.
“Runners don’t want to stop running, and the good news is that you can run through most pain without causing permanent damage. But, if cautions, pain changes your running style, you should stop and see a sports doctor.
Most common running injuries are due to overuse, overtraining, or a biomechanical flaw in body structure and motion.
Here’s how to prevent and treat the 10 most common running :
1. Runner’s knee
Runner’s knee is a wearing away of the back of the kneecap, causing pain in the knee. This can occur because of decreased strength of middle quadricep muscles or shoes that does not give proper support. The condition is typically treated with full-length sports orthotic and strengthening exercises directed at the middle quad muscle. Talk to a sports medicine doctor about getting into physical therapy and learning about the best stretches to heal runner’s knee.
2. Stress fractures
Stress fractures can be caused by overtraining or a shortage of calcium. Common stress fractures in runners occur in the tibia, the femur and in the sacrum and the metatarsal bones in the foot.
The more the miles you run, the greater the stress will be. And this is one injury you should not ignore. We only tell runners to stop when they have a fracture or a stress fracture and then we put them in a pool for water-running because stopping exercise is unacceptable to professional runners.
3. Iliotibial band syndrome(ITBS)
ITBS is a very common running injury among marathoners. Indeed, it’s responsible for as many as 80% of all overuse pains on marathon day. The ITB is a ligament that runs along the outside of the thigh, from the top of the hip to the outside of the knee. It stabilizes the knee and hip during running, but when it thickens and rubs over the bone, the area can become inflamed or the band itself may become irritated which causes pain. It may be caused by running on a banked surface that causes the downhill leg to bend slightly inward and stretches the band, inadequate warm-up or cool-down, running excessive distances, increasing mileage too quickly or certain physical abnormalities.
Stretch it regularly by placing the injured leg behind the good one. If the left side is sore, cross your left leg behind your right one. Then lean away from the injured side toward your right side. There should be a table or chair that you can hold onto for balance. Hold for 7 to 10 seconds and repeat on each side 7 to 10 times.
4. Shin splints
The most common type of shin splints happen on the inside of legs. These medial shin splints are a running injury that results from a biomechanical flaw or overtraining.
It will be good to switch to a motion control or thicker shoe and a make sure to stretch out your calf muscles before and after running. Do this by standing with your rear foot approximately two to three feet away from the wall. Your rear leg should be straight, the front leg bent and your hands touching the wall. Your feet should point ahead with heels on the ground. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat 10 times on each leg. Now do the same thing with your rear leg slightly bent at the knee. You should feel this stretch lower down.
5. Plantar fasciitis
Also known as pain in the middle of arch of the foot, plantar fasciitis is a running injury most frequently caused by an abnormal motion of the foot or too-tight calf muscles. Normally, while walking or during long-distance running, your foot will strike the ground on the heel, then roll forward toward your toes and inward to the
6. Achilles tendonitis
Achilles tendonitis is a running injury that typically occurs from abnormal footstroke in push-off and too-tight calf muscles. “If you are pronating to the side and pulling at an improper angle, it becomes stressed and inflamed
7. Muscle Pulls
Whether hamstring, quads, or any other muscle, pulls come from not being flexible and/or overexerting specific muscles. Basically pulls occur because you haven’t stretched or because you are trying to beat your 18-year-old son in a sprint and you are 45. Pulls are basically small muscle tears, and the best way to treat a pull is to do more stretching before and after a run. To prevent hamstring pulls, place one leg on a chair and get your knee straight and bend over. Hold for 15-20 seconds. For an acute injury, ice and anti-inflammatory medication is helpful.
8. Ankle sprains
Ankle sprains occur because runners don’t always watch where they are going. Pay attention to where you are running or run on a really good, level track where there is less chance of finding a gopher hole. When and if an injury does occur, ibuprofen and ice can help reduce swelling and pain.
9. Dizziness and nausea
Most runner’s drink too much, not too little. This can cause overhydratio, also known as diluting which lowers sodium levels in the body and stresses the kidneys. Common symptoms of diluting are nausea, vomiting, and dizziness. To avoid these problems, drink about one-cup of fluid every 20 minutes while running. This way you will avoid becoming diluted.
10. Blisters
One of the most common sports injuries, blisters on the feet are usually caused by friction combined with excessive moisture. Avoid them by choosing synthetic socks that wick away moisture. Remember that about 90% of running injuries are due to overtraining, so a very slow buildup is important, and so are rest days.
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