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

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    What is a foam rolling? A foam roller readily available from the likes of TK Maxx is a tool for self massage.  Foam rolling is basically a cheap and easy way of keeping your muscles flexible. How do you foam roll? You place the foam roller under the area you’re targeting and use a gentle, flowing backwards and forwards motion to apply pressure to the area. How does it work? You know how if you visit us for a massage, we apply pressure to release the knots in your muscles.  You use the same principle with a foam roller except you use your body weight to apply pressure. Are there any downside to foam rolling? While I fully recommend foam rolling it will never replace the precision and experience of a massage therapist.  It can be difficult to target small areas with a foam roller so a spikey ball is a better alternative. How often should you foam roll? The simple answer is as much as you can.  When exercising a foam roller should be used both before and after exercise for best results.  Please try to remember foam rolling isn’t a chore it’s a therapy you will gain benefits from it!

  • Does massage help tense muscles or muscle soreness?

    A lot of clients visit it us in clinic with tense muscles, which over time can lead to achy muscles and this in turn can then lead to episodes of muscle pain.  Muscle tension refers to the condition in which muscles of the body remain semi-contracted for an extended period.  Muscle tension is frequently caused by the physiological effects of stress.  Massage is well documented to reduce muscle tension  (see top two references).  In addition what is also known to help are

    1. hot baths
    2. yoga
    3. stretching
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  • So how does massage reduce pain? – Part 2

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    Unpleasant cutaneous sensations stimulate nuclei within the mid brain.  These nuclei in turn initiate activity in the descending spinal tracts that release endogenous opiates (inhibitory neurotransmitters) within the spinal segment receiving the painful input.  This diminishes the intensity of the pain transmitted to the higher centres. Sports and Deep Tissue massage techniques can reinforce a naturally occurring discomfort, causing much greater release of opiates and achieve a more profound pain suppression.

    References Basbaum A, Fields H.  (1978) Endogenous pain control mechanisms: review and hypothesis.  Ann Neurol 4: 451-2. Watson J (1982) Pain mechanisms: a review.  3. Endogenous pain mechanisms.  Australian Journal of Physiotherapy 27: 135-43