Every runner deals with it: aches and pains that linger before, during and after a morning spent pounding the pavement.
While most of these injuries are annoying at best, you can land your self in the medical tent if you’re not careful.
Learn how to recognize the following injuries and take care of them before they turn into an acute injury that might sideline you for a very long time.
Achilles Tendinitis
The Achilles is a tendon that attaches the calf muscles to the back of the heel. When this tendon is stressed too much, it tightens, causing irritation. That’s tendinitis.
Runner’s Knee
Runner’s knee is simply when the cartilage under the kneecap becomes irritated. It’s caused by long runs, descending down hills and stairs and can even flare up after sitting down for an extended period of time.
Hamstring Injuries
The hamstring is a muscle that runs down the back of your thigh. It helps bend your knee, pump you up a hill run, extend your leg and kick it up a notch for a superb finish. If this muscle weakens or becomes tight, it causes an irritation that can lead to an injury if ignored.
Plantar Fasciitis
Do you feel a dull ache along the arch of your foot when you wake up in the morning? Every morning? If so, you probably suffer from plantar fasciitis. This injury is caused by small tears and inflammation of the ligaments and tendons on the bottom of the foot. It’s probably the most common complaint among runners.
Iliotibial Band Syndrome
This band runs from your thigh along the outside part of your thigh all the way to your knee. This band rubs against your femur when you run, which can cause irritation if you amp up your mileage too quickly. Hill training and too much track work can irritate this band, too.
Stress Fracture
In the world of sports medicine, a stress fracture is the condition where the bone starts to break down. Unlike a break or fracture, the bone, under constant stress, begins to splinter with tiny cracks. Pounding the pavement in shoes that are in poor condition can cause stress fractures.
Shinsplints
A common sports injury shin splints–an inflammation and pain on the inner side of the shin–occur when you raise the intensity of your workout too fast, wear worn-out shoes or run and jump on hard packed surfaces like concrete.
Unfortunately, many athletes blow off the early signs of stress fractures like shin splints. Either they themselves or their coaches believe it’s best to just work through the pain.
That can cause major problems.
Want to know more about your running injury and the best treatments (like PRP therapy) available to you? Either give us a call or visit our office in St. Louis.
We look forward to hearing from you.