Running Injuries Sports Medicine Can Help With

Runners are prone to a number of specific injuries that range from uncomfortable to painful to debilitating. Largely, they’re due to the high-impact nature of the activity, combined with repetitive motion.

Dealing with running injuries can leave you feeling frustrated and diminished, particularly if yours recur. At USA Health & Therapy, we help you treat any issues you experience due to running with sports medicine. In this post, we’re going to detail the most common injuries for runners and the most likely treatment would suggest for each one.

Achilles Tendonitis

Runners may notice pain and swelling in the lower leg area above the heel. Healing is often slow in this area, so it’s important not to play through the pain. We can help you rehabilitate with calf and heel exercises as well as suggesting the best footwear for you.

Ankle Sprain

If your ankle rolls to the right or left, the ligament will be stretched and you will feel pain. Landing wrong can cause this problem. We can show you balancing exercises to strengthen your ankle area, which not only helps you heal, but will also serve to minimize the likelihood of you spraining your ankle again.

Hamstring Issues

If your hamstrings are too tight or weak, you will be prone to injury. Long healing periods are needed to rehab hamstring muscles. We can teach you exercises to get you back to running faster.

ITBS

This is an inflammation of your iliotibial (IT) band which runs from your hip to your knee and termed IT band syndrome (ITBS). Downhill running is the main cause of this problem. Focused massage of the hamstrings and quadriceps can reduce the swelling and inflammation. You can avoid further pain by reducing your downhill runs and switching back and forth between road sides.

Patellar Tendonitis

This condition, otherwise known as jumper’s knee, is common in long distance runners. Physical therapy can stretch and strengthen the knee muscles to heal the problems in the tendon.

Plantar Fasciitis

This condition is very common among runners. The bottom of the foot becomes inflamed and causes sharp pain in the heel. Improper footwear and overtraining can be causes of this problem. Corrective footwear can strengthen your heel. We can also teach you exercises to strengthen your calves and feet to prevent further injury.

Pulled Muscles

Runners can overstretch their muscles and cause tendons to tear. The hamstring and calf muscles are the most common muscles to get pulled. We provide massages and other treatments for sore muscles.

Runner’s Knee

If you feel a consistent achiness under your kneecap, you probably have runner’s knee. Weakness in quadriceps and hip muscles can cause this problem, along with improper shoes and uneven surfaces. You need to rest your knee between runs rather than pushing yourself, or the problem could worsen. We can show you proper stride and form that can help your knee recover.

Shin Splints

Shin splints can be due to inflammation of the muscles and tendons, or from stress fractures in the tibia. Shin splints often occur in situations where a runner has not trained sufficiently or properly, run on uneven surfaces, or worn the wrong kind of footwear. Training too hard and too fast will almost certainly lead to this common injury. We can suggest training programs to get you back on track quickly.

Side Stitches

Seven out of every 10 runners are affected by a pain in their side while running. Why? Poor running posture may be the cause of this widespread problem. We can teach you core-strengthening exercises and better running posture to help minimize the issue.

If any of these sound familiar, reach out today to schedule a free consultation. We’ll form a plan to get you back on the road in no time.

About the Author: 

Dr. Singer has been a practicing chiropractor for more than 20 years, and USA Health & Therapy has been around since 2004. Over the course of his career, Singer has helped tens of thousands of people with all kinds of issues by using a wide variety of treatment strategies. He has extensive knowledge of chiropractic modalities, including Gonstead, Diversified, Thompson Drop Table, and Activator, and in 1997 he earned a special adjunctive Chiropractic Certification in Spinal Trauma (CCST) to better provide care for car crash victims. Dr. Singer is licensed to practice chiropractic medicine in both Florida and New York.