Running & Running Injuries

In the UK around 10.5 million people run or jog as a leisure activity and or fitness activity.  Running injuries are common and may variables can contribute.  Running injuries can happen to both experienced and inexperienced runners – up to 79% of runners with get injured in any one year.

Most running injuries occur in the lower extremities as you would expect.  With the knee being the most common injured site followed by the lower leg, foot and upper leg.  The top five injuries are:

  1. Patellofemoral pain – generic term for describe pain at the front and around the knee cap.
  2. Illiotibial band (ITB) syndrome – pain on the outside of the knee.
  3. Tibial stress fractures/syndrome – fatigue induced stress fracture.
  4. Plantar fasciitis – pain in the heel or bottom of the foot.
  5. Achilles tendonitis – pain, swelling and stiffness of the achilles tendon.

All the above injuries apart from stress fractures can be treated with sports massage.

The high rate of injury among runners is a cause for concern so in future posts I will look at the common causes we see in clinic and discuss how to prevent injuries.

Reference

Sports Marketing Surverys Inc (2014) UK’s running population reaches a remarkable 10.5m says Sports Marking Surverys Inc.

A Altman, IS Davis (2012) Barefoot running: biomechanics and implications for running injuries.  Current Sports Medicine Reports 11(5):244-50

JE Taunton, MB Ryan, DB Clement, DC McKenzie et al (2002) A retrospective case-control analysis of 2002 running injuries.  British Journal of Sports Medicine 36(2):95-101

Related Posts

  • How to Prevent Running Injuries – Part 1

    What we see in clinic all the time, is people coming in with running or training injuries that have blindsided them, they have no idea how it happened.  Its like the injury came out of nowhere. Injuries don't come out of nowhere.  Most running injuries produce signals

    • aches
    • soreness
    • persistent pain
    Its up to you not to ignore the signal and to take appropriate action.  That doesn't mean keep on running as you set yourself a goal and want to achieve it.  I consider it crazy to run through pain - all you are doing in injuring yourself further.  If you do push on regardless you will invariably end up with with more enforced rest needing more rehab than if you took immediate action.  Any problems are just amplified the more miles you run. One of they key factors that determines an athletes success is there ability to avoid injuries.  If you look at Kenyan distance runners they are experts at listening to their bodies and knowing when to skip training if they are tired and how to nip injuries in the bud. So if you get any of the above signals book a sports massage.

  • Are you low in magnesium?

    Although we have talked in general about lots of people being low in magnesium, it begs the querstion are you low in Magnesium?  Given we can't take a test, what are the signs you can look for to see if you are low magnesium?

    • Anxiety
    • Times of hyperactivity
    • Difficulty getting to sleep
    • Difficulty staying asleep
    • Muscle spams and muscle cramping
    • Fibromyalgia
    • Facial tics
    • Eye twitches or involuntary evey movements
    In clinic we often see clients who's muscles are really tight or contracted.  Without magnesium in our body our muscles would be in a constant state of contraction.  It should be noted that calcium causes our muscles to contract.  While calcium and magnesium have actions that oppose each other they function as a team.  So you must always consider your calcium levels when considering your magnesium levels. References Seelig M, Rosanoff A. The Magnesium Factor. New York: Avery Books; 2003

  • Do you have tight hips? – part 1

    Many of the clients we see exercise regularly but I have never heard anyone mention including in their workouts exercises that focus on the hips.  Yet, this is extremely important, as sitting for long periods of time can cause your hip flexors to become tight  or weak or both leading to problems with posture and back pain.  In addition weak hip flexors contribute to foot, ankle and knee injuries. Sitting is a primary culprit in tight hips and thighs because the muscles are rarely extended (although they may also become tight from working out). To lengthen and strengthen these muscles, try this move created by Suzanne Bowen, creator of BarreAmped, an internationally taught barre technique chosen by Fitness Magazine and Natural Health Magazine as the best barre workouts in 2015. You'll need a chair or kitchen counter for support. Start out in a kneeling lunge position with your right foot in front and leg bent at the knee in a 90-degree angle. Your left knee should be a few inches behind your left hip. To do the exercise, Bowen recommends:

    "1. Press forward a few inches into your right leg just until you feel a gentle stretch in the opposite hip.
    If you have very tight hips, this might be as far as you go. (Protect the front knee by making sure it doesn't extend out beyond the toes.) For a more advanced stretch, straighten the left leg behind you and then press forward.
    2. When you're ready to move on, reposition the rear leg as needed so you can stretch your right leg straight out in front of you.
    Keep your back straight and lean a few inches forward from the hips and feel the stretch in the right hamstring."
    Hold each position for two to five deep breaths, then switch sides. References Los Angeles Times January 9, 2016 Pop Sugar April 17, 2016 Men’s Health January 28, 2016 Greatist December 15, 2011 Clin J Sport Med. 2005 Jan;15(1):14-21. Los Angeles Times January 9, 2016