Most common running injuries and how to avoid them

For the past few years, running has become the sport of choice for millions. All you need are some workout clothes, a pair of running shoes and some time, and you are ready to go.

Running is a high-impact cardiovascular exercise, which means that it can be tough on your body and cause injury. The most common running injuries that we see:

• Shin splints: If you feel pain on your shin, it is likely caused by shin splints. This occurs when you ramp up your mileage too quick or don't have the right fit for your shoes. Scale back your running (even stopping completely to give your body a rest) and make sure to ice on a regular basis.
  
• Plantar fasciitis: When your plantar fascia gets irritated, it causes pain across the band of tissue that runs across the bottom of your foot. This can cause stabbing pain, often felt in your heel or in your arch. Depending on the severity, you can fix the injury by changing your running shoes, wearing a special sock or icing by rolling a frozen water bottle across the bottom of your feet.
  
• Iliotibial band syndrome: Runners will typically feel pain just above the knee and on the outer part of the leg, which may be commonly referred to as the IT Band. It commonly indicates an overuse of the tissues that run down the leg on the outer part of the thigh.  Take time off running and spend time icing the area. In addition, a foam roller can be used as a tool to help stretch it out.

Luckily, there are a few ways that you can avoid these from happening to you:

• Get the right running shoes. Not all running shoes are created equal. Once you ramp up your mileage, you need to have the right shoes for your body's needs. A physical therapist can conduct a gait analysis to determine your foot strike, stride type and the best shoe that works for you.
  
• Make sure to stretch. Stretching helps to warm up your muscles and will ensure that your body is prepared for the high intensity workout that's to come. Focus on doing dynamic exercises, such as hip circles, walking lunges and butt kicks.
  
• Increase your mileage slowly. It can be tempting to start adding more and more miles to your runs once you get into a routine. Don't scale up too fast, otherwise injuries are more likely to occur. Make sure you are only increasing your mileage by 10 percent week over week.

Contact me to learn more about gait analysis, as well as running injury prevention and treatment. 

Forefoot vs. Rearfoot Running

There has been a lot of talk out there about different running techniques and we are constantly on the look out for the most efficient gait pattern. This month Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, the Official Journal of The American College of Sports Medicine provided a bit more clarity. 

The American College of Sports Medicine just completed a study that looked back at injury rates in competitive college long and moderate distance runners. They compared injuries in rearfoot versus forefoot runners and found higher stress injuries in the runners that hit the ground with the rearfoot. 

With rearfoot running, the knee is in a straighter position when the foot hits the ground and a greater ground reaction force is carried up the leg. Forefoot running requires increased flexion at the knee at the moment of ground contact and provides a built in shock absorber. 

                                                           

Traumatic injuries were not significantly different in the two groups as a whole. 74% of the runners in both groups experienced a moderate or severe injury over the year. 

You can find the article at :

http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Abstract/publishahead/Foot_Strike_and_Injury_Rates_in_Endurance_Runners_.98750.aspx

Elle sweden

This morning I answered questions for readers of Elle sweden. Sofia Hedstrom is a running and fashion blogger for the site and we discussed readers questions about running injuries, pregnancy and exercise, and pelvic floor strengthening. Google will translate the blog for you. You just need to click "translate" in the top right had corner of the page.  Enjoy!
http://sofiaspringer.elle.se/knipovningar/?show=comments

Can your Knee Pain be a Result of Weak "Cheeks"?

Knee pain is a common complaint among female runners. Most of the time it is assumed that the area of pain is also the origin of pain. However, this is frequently not the case and it is important that we look at the big picture. Weak "cheeks" or gluteus and hip external rotator muscles play a large role in knee pain production in females.



Because females are built with wider hips the knee joint does not fall directly below the hip socket different pressures are dispersed thru the knee joint when compared to men. The angle that is created between the hip socket, knee cap, and shin bone make up what is called the Q Angle.





Picture from: smartfeetsavannah.com





Picture from:jmaxfitness.com


You can see from the picture that the Q angle can also be thought of as the degree of "knock knees”. Due to this natural alignment, women are predisposed to abnormal pressures on the knee. To normalize pressures, strong muscles are necessary at the hips to stabilize the knees. These muscles primarily include gluteus maximus whose main function is to pull the thigh back and away from the body, and the deep 6 external rotators. The rotators are responsible for rotating the thighs and knee outwards. These two groups of muscles create movements in the direction opposite the pull of the Q Angle providing fewer abnormal forces on the knees.



Weak "cheeks" can cause:

·         Patellar femoral syndrome

·         Lateral tracking or dislocation of the patella

·         IT band syndrome

·         Over pronation in the feet

·         ACL tears

The larger the Q angle, the more likely you are to experience an injury. New mothers are also more susceptible to these types of injuries due to hormone induced ligament laxity.



In addition to regular stretching after a run, it is important to strengthen the glutes and deep external rotators as well. Below are a couple ideas for doing just that.

Bridge with knee straight and rotated out

Clam Exercise