Running is a great way to be outside and get a good cardio workout.
However, even though there is no equipment involved in running and it is a non contact sport the susceptibility for injury is still present.
Some of the more common aliments that can occur in runners are shins splints, runner’s knee and Achilles tendonitis.
Shin Splints is a repetitive strain injury which results in the inflammation of the tendons and fascia that attaches to the front of the bone in the lower leg. Some common signs and symptoms of shin splints are; pain or tenderness on the inside of the shin, pain when touching the tender area and pain is most severe at the beginning of the run but then disappears during the run. There are several different factors as to why shin splints can occur. Some of the following are;
- tight and inflexible calf muscles,
- overpronation of feet (feet rotate too far inward on impact),
- running on hard surfaces, hill running,
- incorrect running shoes and training errors such as too much too soon.
Treatment is very important with this type of injury, ignoring this could lead to a stress fracture of the lower leg.
Runner’s Knee is a chronic injury that results in the softening of the cartilage in the knee or misalignment of the patellofemoral joint (where the knee cap connects with the thigh bone). One of the main causes of runner s knee is weakness in the quadriceps muscle, especially the medial quadriceps. The quadriceps play a very important role in tracking the knee cap properly. If the quadriceps is weak the knee cap cannot tract properly and will cause the softening of the knee cartilage. Other causes are training errors, hill running, tight muscles and incorrect running shoes.
You may be experiencing runner s knee if you have some of the following signs and symptoms. Pain beneath or beside both sides of the knee cap, severe pain after hill running, swelling in the knee and crepitus (grinding) in the knee during some movements. Runner’s Knee can respond well with proper treatment.
This is a chronic condition, so the earlier it can be treated the less severe your signs and symptoms will be.
Achilles Tendonitis is another chronic condition that can occur in runners. The Achilles tendon is the tendon that connects your calf muscle to your heel.
Achilles Tendonitis is an inflammation or irritation to this tendon. Some major causes include, tight or fatigued calf muscles, which can result from improper stretching, overtraining, hill running and increasing your distance that you run. Also, incorrect running shoes, such as very rigid, and inflexible shoes which can make you more susceptible to Achilles Tendonitis.
Lastly, biomechanical errors such as running form or over pronated feet can also predispose you to injury.
Signs and symptoms of Achilles tendonitis include, dull or sharp pain along the tendon, limited ankle flexibility, heat or redness coming from the tendon or heel and pain during walking and running.
DID YOU KNOW?
Have you ever wondered where the term that s my Achilles heel came from? Most people refer to a weak spot as their Achilles heel. Dating back to Greek mythology Achilles was the son of a Greek god. His mother wanted to make Achilles safe so she dipped him in magic water, holding him by his heel and immersing his whole body except for his heel in the magic water to make Achilles immortal. However, she forgot to dip the heel that she was holding and years later Achilles died when he was shot with an arrow in the heel.
