Running Injuries

A runner can suffer from many running injuries during his lifetime. These can happen on or off the course. They can occur while training or during a race. A knee injury, while running on a treadmill to improve your skills and build up your leg muscles, is not beyond the realm of possibility. Runners can hurt their ankles, their knees and their feet. A shoulder injury from running is not as common as an ankle injury from running, but you can harm your body in this way.

A running injury can put you out of commission for days, weeks, months or even years. Common running injuries include shin splints, chrondromalacia or runners’ knee, Achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis and Iliotibial band syndrome (ITB). Other possible injuries include stress fractures, strains, sciatica, side stitch or runner’s stitch, blisters and ankle sprains. You can also suffer from a lower back injury in running, although this is less common than either knee injury in runners or injuries to the foot.

Knee injury in running, such as runner’s knee, is almost a normal part of life for runners. In fact, knee injuries are among the most common types of injuries for runners. While the term “runner’s Knee” is frequently used as a catchall phrase for many different types of knee injury from running, it actually refers to a specific injury. Essentially the grinding of this cartilage against others reduces the knee cartilage to sand paper fineness. Doctors and running specialists can relieve the pain and the problem in a number of ways. This includes anti-inflammatory drugs, orthotics to correct overpronation and a strength-training program directed towards building up your quadriceps muscles. If you are an overpronator, a partial cure for a knee injury is running shoes that correct your feet from repeating the same pattern of running.

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Running foot injuries are common. If you understand your foot, you will be better able to know where the problem is and how to address it. If you want to help prevent a running injury, train but do not strain and do not push your body too soon. Although ankle injuries are usually from accidental tripping, you can help decrease the possibility of a more serious injury if you wear the proper running shoes. You can also avoid such things as blisters by ensuring your footwear, shoes and socks are made for you and the type of running you wish to do.

It is far better to prevent runner injuries than to suffer from them. In some instances, runner injuries and weight gain directly co-relate. Other times, it is improper training, the wrong gear or careless abuse of the body. Do not continue to run if you suspect an injury. In many instances, if you push through the injury, you can increase the damage and, therefore, ensure your “off time” will also increase. Use common sense, wear the proper gear, do not over train and get rest.