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

  • Using Positive Psychology to boost Resilience – Part 1

    Sometimes in life we can get trapped, focusing on what we don't have rather that what we do have, which can lead to a state of anxiety and stress.  I know in the past, I have been guilty of believe my happiness will increase when I earn more, find my ideal man, get promoted at work (- obviously I am talking about before I was self-employed), have a bigger house.  The danger is when we get the promotion, pay rise, bigger house etc we immediately focus on the next goal and an increase in our happiness  is now dependent on our next goal. Growing up with mother who suffered from frequent bouts of depression which made her focus on the negativity, I have learned the importance of focusing on the positive.  Now their may be some people reading this, saying that is all well and good for you, but isn't that burying your head in the sand when your have problems.  The short answer to this is no.  It is important to acknowledge your problems & difficulties but rather than focus on life’s BS and pain, focus on what is going right.  At the same time remember that what ever isn't working in your life right now, will pass!  

  • 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.

  • Mundance superfoods – part 5

    My final swap is nettles for spiralina. Spirulina's deep blue-green color reveals its active ingredient — chlorophyll — clearly. Health.com explains it as one of the oldest life forms on Earth and possibly consumed in Aztec and African diets centuries ago. Today it's touted for its ability to strengthen the immune system, reduce fatigue and combat allergies. Nettles are another plant with chlorophyll that even rivals the amount found in spirulina, but they're often found in ditch banks, forests and riverbanks. It's sometimes called "stinging nettle" because it does just that; if you touch it without wearing gloves, the tiny hairs on every surface sting like a bee due to the presence of formic acid, leaving small red welts. But internally, Bon Appetit asserts, it acts like a tonic:

    "Taken over time, nettle will strengthen your circulatory, immune, and endocrine systems to promote peak function. The stronger these systems, the better position our bodies are in to deal with whatever might come our way."
    Cooked or dried, though, this pesky stinging problem goes away completely; good thing, too, because this free foraging food is highly nutritious, containing fiber, lecithin, chlorophyll, sodium, iron, phosphorus, sulfur, potassium and vitamins A and C, according to Mother Earth News. It's been used in birth rooms and battlefields to stop bleeding, both internally and externally, and is considered to purify blood, as well. As a tea:
    "It has been found to help cure mucus congestion, skin irritations, water retention and diarrhea … stimulate the digestive glands of the stomach, intestines, liver, pancreas and gall bladder. Applied externally, nettle tea … relieves rheumatism in both people and animals, makes a first-class gargle for mouth and throat infections, helps to clear up acne and eczema and promotes the healing of burns."
    To complete the series I want to point out that brocalli is arguably one of the most nutirtious vegatables readily available in supermakets.  Not only does it support normal cell function and division, it helps your body detoxify and reduces inflammation and damage from reactive oxygen species (ROS).  Another vegatable that I would highly recommend is rocket.  It has many of the same nutrients and healing compounds, including fiber, vitamins A, C (to boost the immune system) and K (for bone strength), folate, calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and manganese that are found in cabbage and brocalli.  One study showed that rocket can be a powerful aid against gastrointestinal ulcers, psoriasis and skin, lung and mouth cancers. Many more vitamins and minerals help lower blood pressure and improve blood vessel function. References Bon Appétit July 19, 2017 Health December 27, 2016 Mother Earth News March/April 1981