Running is one of the most popular activities for a workout and for reaching your fitness goals. Whether you enjoy a light jog around the neighborhood every weekend or are training every day for an upcoming marathon, running can be a great way to stay active. While running is a great way to stay in shape, many runners will experience having to overcome common running injuries. If you are just getting started or you have been running for years, visit an orthopedic doctor in College Park for quality treatment and care for a wide range of running injuries.
5 Common Running Injuries
The top running injuries tend to be related to repetitive stress, especially on the hips, legs, knees, and feet. Every time your feet hit the pavement, the repetitive impact can put a lot of stress on the body’s muscles, joints, and other soft tissues. Here are five of the top running injuries and how to overcome them:
Runner’s Knee
Runner’s knee is the more common term for what is known as patellofemoral syndrome. This injury gets its name due to its prevalence in runners. Runner’s knee can cause pain along the front of your knee and around the kneecap, typically due to overuse with running or jumping.
Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis is a common running injury that affects one or both feet. The fascia is a thick layer of tissue along the bottom of your foot that can become irritated due to repetitive movements like walking and running for long distances. This can cause pain along the bottom of your feet, especially in the heel and arch.
Ankle Sprains
The ligaments that connect your leg and ankle can become overstretched, leading to an ankle sprain. This type of injury can happen more suddenly, like if you were to roll or twist your ankle. If you have an ankle sprain, you may experience pain, swelling, bruising, and even some discoloration in the area.
Shin Splints
Shin splints, also known as tibial stress syndrome, is another type of repetitive stress injury that affects the front part of your lower legs and shinbone. You may experience pain, tenderness, and mild swelling along the front of and inside of your lower legs, especially if you tend to run on hard surfaces.
Stress Fractures
A stress fracture is a type of injury to the bone that involves a tiny hairline crack that can cause pain, swelling, tenderness, and bruising in the area. Runners develop stress fractures most often along the top of the foot, the lower leg, or in the heel.
Treatment Options for Running Injuries
Your orthopedic doctor will need to perform a physical examination of the affected area to determine what type of running injury you are experiencing. In many cases, they may also want to take an X-ray of the area to get a clearer look at the issue. An X-ray can also help rule out other potential diagnoses because many running injuries have similar symptoms in the lower half of the body. The diagnosis will inform the type of treatment necessary for you to experience a full recovery. Here are common treatment options for top running injuries and how to overcome them:
Rest, Ice, Compression, & Elevate
Making time to rest after repetitive stress and overuse injuries gives the body a chance to heal. Apply ice to swollen areas to help reduce inflammation. Compression on a knee or ankle can also help with inflammation and stability. Elevating the affected area can also help reduce blood flow temporarily so the swelling can go down. Here is another guide on how to prevent lower back pain from running and treatment for speedy recovery.
Improve Strength & Mobility
Weakness in other parts of the body can actually make you more susceptible to certain running injuries. Your orthopedic doctor can work with you to improve your strength and mobility after an injury so that your body is stronger and able to provide more stability to your legs and feet. Strengthening the muscles in your hips and around your knees and ankles can provide you with more stability and help prevent future injuries.
Visit AICA Orthopedics near you to find an orthopedic doctor in College Park. Our team of orthopedic doctors can work with you through your running injury and help you avoid injuries in the future.