With Athletic Therapy we can do a proper assessment and determine what is causing your back pain. Individualized programs can then concentrate on increasing your range of motion, giving proper stretches that concentrate on flexibility and elasticity in the muscles, ligaments, tendons, and discs and prescribing strengthening exercises will also help make your back stronger and more stable and ultimately prevent future re-injuries.

Athletic Therapy also utilizes the Swiss ball in almost every therapy program. The Swiss ball is an excellent tool that helps with lumbar stabilization and core strength, which are keys to returning to a pain free routine in low pain back cases. Athletic Therapy can also help with regulating activity in your daily life.

Athletic Therapists are very knowledgeable of spinal and neck injuries and can get you back to your normal activities pain free and avoid treatments such as surgery and medication.

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.

• Look at the lasting of the running shoe. The lasting describes the general shape and construction of the sneaker. To examine the lasting, take out the insert of the running shoe. NOTE: if the insert does not come out, this is not an ideal running shoe, it means the shoe probably does not have good cushioning or support. There are 3 types of lasts: 1. slip last you will see one continuous material with stitching around the edges. 2. board last you will see a hard, smooth material, and 3. combination you will see a slip last at the toe of the shoe and a board last at the heel of the shoe.If your foot is stiff or rigid, you will need more cushioning and a shoe with a slip last is best for you.

  If your foot is flat or hyper mobile, you will need more stability and motion control and a board last is best.

  If you have a combination of the two, the combination last will provide both cushioning and stability.

• Walk or run in the shoes in the store. You should feel 100%comfortable in the shoes while walking and running in the store. Do not buy the shoes thinking they will get more comfortable the more you use them.
• Know whether you over pronate or under pronate. While standing still look down at your feet, what is the natural position, do you have flat arches, if so , you are likely to over pronate during walking and running. A high arch might mean you are not pronating enough.
• A high arch needs a shoe with heel and forefoot cushioning.
• A low arch needs a shoe with a stiff hell and a medial heel counter which is located inside the shoe near the heel and will help control overpronation.

If you have a pair of running shoes you like and are injury free, keep them and buy a second pair. You should be changing your shoes once a year.

• Overtraining too much, too soon or increasing the distance you are running in a short period of time.
• Running terrain hill running, running on cement or uneven terrain
• Poor running shoes
• Poor running mechanics
• Muscle fatigue and imbalances
• Body Biomechanics i.e. Flat arches or high arches

An athletic therapist can address each one of these causes. We have extensive knowledge in being able to look at your running routine and being able to pick out factors that may be causing you your pain. We are very knowledgeable in body mechanics, training routines and working and treating the proper muscle groups for your sport. With any type of chronic injury it is important to address the cause as quick as possible. Receiving proper treatment can minimize the severity of your injury and significantly decrease the chance of your injury from happening again.

Head: Keep your head held high, make sure your chin is not up or down. Don t allow your head to come forward, this will only put more strain on the muscles of the neck and upper back.

Shoulders: Keep your shoulders in a neutral position. Do not allow your shoulders to roll forward or be forcefully arched back.

Arms: Keep your elbows at 90 degrees and do not let your arms cross at the midline of your body. Your wrist should be straight and hands slightly cupped.

Trunk & Pelvis: Keep your trunk over your base of support, which is the pelvis. Try to keep the body up right so as not to lean your upper body forward when running.

Feet: Your feet should be directed forward while running. With fatigue and certain muscle imbalances the legs and feet will start to rotate outward. This can create abnormal stresses that contribute to injury.

Breathing: Keep your breathing to a rhythmic pattern and coordinated with your running stride. For example breath in on steps one and two and breath out on steps three and four.