Running injuries
Running injuries will reveal themselves as soon you start putting more miles in your training runs at some point or the other. While injuries come in many shapes and sizes, some of the most common ones are listed below:
Plantar fasciitis
Symptoms
Pain at the base of the heel - most severe in the morning
Causes
Flat feet and overpronation
Running in worn out shoes
Stress, tension and pulling on plantar fascia
Treatment
Icing
Rest
Shin splints
Symptoms
Pain in the shins
Causes
Overpronation
Running on hard surfaces like concrete sidewalks
Improper running shoes
Tired or inflexible calf muscles
Treatment
Icing
Rest
Chondromalacia
It is a wearing away and cracking of the cartilage under the kneecap resulting in pain and inflammation.
Symptoms
Severe pain after running hills
Swelling
Pain beneath or on the side of the kneecap
Causes
Overpronation can cause the knee to twist sideways
Overtraining
Downhill running can aggravate the condition
Treatment
Rest
Icing
Stretching after the pain is gone
IT band syndrome
Symptoms
Inflammation and pain on the outside of the it band
Dull ache starts during the run initially, lingers during the run and disappears when you stop
In severe cases, outside of the knee can be tender or swollen
Causes
Overpronation
Worn-out shoes
Workouts on downhill
Treatment
Stretching the IT band
Icing
Self massage
Rest
Achilles tendon
Symptoms
Limited ankle flexibility
Dull or sharp pain along the back of the tendon
Causes
Tight or fatigued calf muscles that transfer much of the burden of running to the achilles
Excessive hill work or speed training can cause stress to the achilles
Runners who overpronate
Runners with improper shoes
Treatment
Icing
Rest
Self-massage
Most treatments also suggest taking painkillers like ibuprofen or aspirin. However, using these is a personal choice and should be done after consulting a doctor.
Avoiding running injuries
While it is common to get injured during running, the following tips will help prevent injuries:
- avoid running on concrete surfaces since concrete is much harder than asphalt
- warm up and stretch prior to starting a long run
- cool down and stretch after finishing a long run
- take adequate rest between runs
- cross train
- get properly fitted for running shoes
- use good high quality
running socks
- use
body glide
where applicable to avoid blisters
Reference for injuries
Runners world complete book of running
Return from Running Injuries to half-marathon-running.com
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