Running Injuries – An Overview Of The Different Injuries And How To Avoid Them

Running is one of the sports most often associated with injury. Most often a running injury is caused by overuse or improper running gear. This means that while they may be common injuries, they’re also easy to avoid. Let’s take a look at the most common running injuries and the steps you can take to avoid them.

Runner’s Knee. Running can be hard on the joints and the joint which receives the most abuse are the knees. Every time your foot hits the ground the impact reverberates up your leg causing your knees, and your hips, to absorb the majority of the impact. You know you have runner’s knee when you feel pain in the back of your kneecap. The good news is that a little, ice and ibuprophen, or other NSAID, can relieve immediate pain. To prevent runner’s knee, make sure you stretch, have strong quadriceps, and are wearing the right shoe for your foot. If you’re doing everything right and still suffering from runner’s knee consider seeing a physical therapist who may prescribe an orthotic.

Stress Fractures. Stress fractures are caused by overuse (running too much for your body and level of conditioning), by a calcium shortage, and by biomechanical issues. Stress fractures can be extremely painful. They take a long time to heal, six to eight weeks, and require a person to stop running – an alternative may be to swim or to run in water during recovery. Prevention requires proper running shoes, getting enough calcium and by cross training and making sure to not overdue it.

Iliotibial Band Syndrome aka ITBS. Your Illiotibial Band is a ligament that runs from the top of your hip to the outside of the knee along the outside of your thigh. Its job is to stabilize your knees and hips while you run. However with overuse it can become thick which causes it to rub on the bone, an extremely painful irritation. To prevent it, runners must stretch the band, warm up their muscles and make sure they’re wearing the proper shoes for their foot and running style. If you suffer from ITBS it’s important to stop running until it heals, take NSAIDS and ice it.

Shin Splints. Shin splints are extremely painful and are often caused by wearing the wrong shoe. It can also be caused by overtraining. The good news is that shin splints can be easily avoided by wearing the right shoe for your foot and running style, by stretching, and by paying attention to your body. If you start to feel a strain on the front of your shins, your lower legs, then stop running. Shin splints take time to heal and an anti-inflammatory and ice are common treatments as well as time off of running.

Blisters. Blisters are almost a given. Blisters are caused by friction and at some point most runners find themselves dealing with them. There are many factors which contribute to getting blisters, the wrong socks, new shoes, extra sweaty feet, and even plain old soft feet can cause blisters.

Prevention is the key to avoiding them. Wear moisture wicking socks. Break in your shoes. Don’t over train and be sure to protect those vulnerable areas of your foot. You’ll know they’re vulnerable because you’ll feel hot spots or rubbing. Treatment involves placing a protective barrier over the blister. This can be anything from duct tape to mole skin. Some people prefer to pop them while others don’t. If you do pop the blister make sure to keep it clean to prevent infection and to cover the exposed skin.

While running injuries are fairly common the majority of them can be easily prevented with a little bit of preparation and a healthy amount of common sense. Listen to your body, don’t over train, stretch, and wear the proper gear and you could very well be one of those people who stays injury free.