5 common running injuries
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Well back into iso we go…
The downside of not having your supervision for your exercise is you may be more likely to experience an injury. Our job is to educate you and ensure you know when to seek help.
Below we have 5 common running injuries to help you recognise the signs and know when you need to seek help from your osteopath.
- Patella tendinopathy
- Shin splints
- Patellofemoral joint dysfunction
- Achilles tendinopathy
- Plantarfasciitis
Read on below to learn more!
Patella Tendinopathy (aka jumpers knee)
- What is it? Patella tendinopathy is an injury to the tendon that runs from your knee cap onto your shin bone (tibia) and is made up of some of the muscle fibres as your thigh (quadriceps) muscle.
- How does it occur? Tendons are often injured due to overuse or incorrect loading
- What does it feel like? Pain is typically over the front of your knee and may be exacerbated when squatting, running, travelling upstairs or with prolonged sitting
- When should I see my osteo? Ideally when the pain is just starting at the front of the knee, it is much easier to resolve if we catch it early
- One tip to prevent it: Foam roll your quads (thigh muscles)
Patellofemoral joint dysfunction/Runners knee
- What is it? Often presenting in runners or people who squat and lunge a lot; this is a change in biomechanics where the knee cap glide through the groove on the thigh bone
- How does it occur? This can be due to a number of reasons such as, overuse of the joint, anatomical abnormalities or muscle weakness/ imbalance.
- What does it feel like? You may feel pain around and underneath the kneecap that is aggravated by stairs, sitting with knees bent, kneeling or squatting (all of which put force through the joint).
- When should I see my osteo? Again, early days in the injury it is much easier to resolve. If you notice tightness under the knee cap then that’s the time to act.
- One tip to prevent it: Ensure you have good squat and lunge technique, make sure your knees don’t travel past your toes
Achilles Tendonitis
- What is it? Inflammation of the achilles tendon which is the thick tendon that connects the plantaris, gastrocnemius and soleus muscle to your heel bone and is the strongest tendon in the human body.
- How does it occur? This can be due to trauma, overuse or lack of training
- What does it feel like? Pain over the achilles tendon and pain or tightness in the calf muscles, particularly worse for the first steps in the morning.
- When should I see my osteo? When you have tightness in the calves or when achilles pain is just starting, it usually starts with tightening of the calves and achilles after a run. Achilles tendinopathy takes 12+ weeks to fully resolve (and yes, you do have to commit to doing the rehab consistently) so lets make sure we catch this one early!
- One tip to prevent it: Keep those calves loose! Foam rolling it our fave way to do this.
Plantar Fasciopathy/fascitiis
- What is it? The plantar fascia runs from your heel into your forefoot and plays an important role in maintaining the normal biomechanics in your foot. The injury occurs when you have overloading of this attachment site to the heel.
- How does it occur? This injury is due to overloading and overuse again (a common theme here!!) and comes with thickening and some degeneration in the plantar fascia itself (along with some inflammation).
- What does it feel like? Pain may be worse with the first few steps in the morning and long periods of standing. Pain may also improve temporarily with activity.
- When should I see my osteo? When you experience the first stages of morning pain, or again tightness in the calves
- One tip to prevent it: Roll your calves with a foam roller and the sole of your foot on a golf or tennis ball
How Can My Osteopath Help?
Assessment: Your osteopath will look at your gait cycle and will perform testing to come up with a diagnosis. Your osteopath will also look at the mobility in the whole lower limb from your ankles all the way up to your back.
Treatment: Treatment will be personalised to your case and may involve some or all of massage, stretching techniques, joint movement and manipulation of the joints. We often use dry needling in the lower limb as well.
Advice: Again this will be individual on a case by case basis and will involve some exercises for strengthening and flexibility in the lower limb. You will also be given guidance on what to avoid and how long for.
Feel free to email or contact us on social media if you have any specific questions about eh above injuries, keep in mind that everyone presents a little differently so it wouldn’t be surprising if you needed a trained professional to help you make the diagnosis.