Running is an ideal form of exercise. It requires no specialized equipment, only minimal training and guidance to enjoy its benefits, doesn’t cost a gym membership, and can be done anywhere the weather permits. Accessible and comparatively easy, it’s a great way to improve overall health and build cardio into one’s life.
It’s also commonly understood that running is a form of exercise that can easily put a lot of wear and tear on your body. The impact shocks from running on any remotely hard surface strain muscles and put extra pressure and stress on bones and joints. Most importantly, that extra strain can easily lead to a range of common injuries experienced by runners.
This article will explore these common injuries. We will discuss how they occur and, more importantly, how physical therapy effectively treats injuries from running.
Common Runner’s Injuries and Their Treatment
If you or a loved one are active runners, it’s vital to always look for any symptoms or early warning signs of a possible oncoming injury. The first step in seeking recovery through physical therapy is to identify what specific problems your body is dealing with.
Here are some of the most common injuries that can afflict regular runners.
Shin Splints
Scientifically known as medial tibial stress syndrome, shin splints are a condition caused by the excessive impact force of running. The tibia and the surrounding muscles and tendons become inflamed. The only symptom is discomfort in the foreleg (the shin and calf), ranging from mild aches to stabbing and shooting pains.
Shin splints are easy to treat at home with compression socks, ice, and anti-inflammatory drugs such as Advil. However, while these offer short-term relief, many will need to seek physical therapy for a long-term cure. Treatment often involves manual therapy, guided stretching, strength training exercises to reinforce leg muscles, and professional advice on avoiding future issues.
Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common afflictions causing foot pain and a frequent issue for active individuals. It takes its name from the plantar fascia, the tendons that run along the length of your foot, which, when subjected to enough strain, can quickly develop small tears and inflammation. This causes pain while walking, often most severe after the foot has been at rest for a while, typically in the mornings after sleep or after sitting for several hours.
Similar to shin splints, there are easy, at-home options for short-term relief, including specialized socks or rolling your foot over a frozen water bottle to reduce inflammation. However, plantar fasciitis is a serious issue, and real treatment will require strengthening and stretching the tendon along your foot with guided stretches, exercises, and individualized advice from a physical therapist.
Runner’s Knee
Perhaps the single most common affliction for runners is runner’s knee. Many people don’t realize it, but your patella (knee bone) is not connected to either of your leg bones – instead, it rests on top of them, supported and kept in place by a bed of cartilage.
Excessive activity can easily inflame and irritate this bed of cartilage and surrounding muscles and tendons, leading to deep, aching pains around your knee. Symptoms will flare up during running but can also present when you crouch or bend your knees.
Physical therapists can treat and often cure runner’s knee through exercise that strengthens the upper leg, thighs, and core muscles, better supporting the leg and reducing stress on the knee. Some examples of these exercises include standing hamstring and quadricep stretches, straight leg raises, and wall squats, all targeted at the glutes, hamstrings, and quads.
Achilles Tendinopathy
Achilles tendinopathy is a type of tendinopathy affecting the Achilles Tendon, which famously runs along the back of the ankle, connecting the heel to the muscles of the lower leg. Running can easily cause wear and damage to this tendon over time, especially in people often running uphill or with weaker calf muscles.
Pain, and sometimes minor redness and swelling, is localized to the Achilles tendon and will usually come and go. A faster pace or longer distance often increases pain, but some will find that the tendon hurts at the start of a run, feels better as running continues, and starts to ache again once running ends.
Physical therapy is used to treat Achilles tendinopathy and reduce aches and pains. The first step is often to identify the specific anatomical cause of the pain to figure out how best to approach treatment. The most common treatments include rest, icing, and light stretching of the tendon, as well as exercise to strengthen the calf and hamstring.
Let UpSlope Physical Therapy Help You Avoid Future Injuries Through Physical Therapy
The single most important step in treating these common running afflictions is to avoid them in the first place. As we mentioned earlier, running is an accessible form of exercise that requires little to no special training. However, being informed before starting any exercise regimen will return better results.
Scheduling a meeting with a physical therapist before starting a new exercise regimen will help you be better informed and better able to reach your fitness goals. Two factors will likely lead to injury when someone starts running for the first time.
The first reason is the imbalance of intensity and volume of exercise. If exercise can be considered preventative medicine for the body, just like any medicine, you must take it in the proper dosage and at the correct strength. Going suddenly from minimal exercise to frequent or intensive workouts or overdoing one particular kind of exercise will quickly lead to injury.
Second are structural and strength imbalances in their bodies that they’re unaware of, leading to other muscles and tendons working harder to compensate. This overwork will easily lead to sprains, tears, aches and pains in the affected muscles over time. After some questions and observation, a physical therapist can spot these issues and guide you on how to fix them, avoiding serious injury in the first place.
That’s where UpSlope Physical Therapy’s team of dedicated, professional, and friendly therapists comes in. Contact us today to learn how we can ease your pains or guide you through your fitness goals.
