Injuries and contests of runners is a quite common condition, especially in people who are improperly prepared for training. Knee pain after jogging or rupture of the Achilles tendon are associated with considerable discomfort, and often also require long-term treatment. To prevent unpleasant symptoms, you should get good running shoes and stretch exercises before jogging.
Runners’ injuries – why is it coming to them?
Running, like any sport, requires the preparation of a bone and muscle system to undertake physical exercise. If our bones, joints and muscles are not prepared for the loads associated with weight transfer, speed, length of the route and maintaining the correct posture – there is an injury. Not all of them are so serious that there is a necessity to resign from sport, but any disturbing symptoms in the form of pain or discomfort should be carefully observed and, if intensified, consulted with a doctor.
Muscle overload, Achilles tendon inflammation, plantar fascia pain or discomfort in the knees, tibia’s or hips are common problems for joggers and accurate diagnosis and understanding of the cause of runners’ injuries are necessary to develop passion.
Injuries and muscle pain – what causes them?
Muscle injuries usually have the form of overload, ischemia, contracture or inflammation. Muscle rupture or total rupture is rare. Leg muscle pain is acute and long-lasting, due to the good blood supply to the extremities. In runners, muscle pains concern:
- knee flexors – muscles: two-headed thighs, semi-buccal and semi-sinewy, which are responsible for the knee and hip joint function and stabilize the silhouette while running; the cause of the discomfort is poorly performed warm-up, i.e. poor stretching and warming before training or incorrect running technique (wrong step length or attitude); the thigh pain covers its posterior surface on which bruising can be seen; there is discomfort and strong muscle tension;
- adductors of the thigh – their overloads occur during sudden changes in the direction of the run, braking and judgments, they get stretched or torn; symptoms are: pain located on the inner surface of the thigh and appearing when loading the limb and reduction of muscle strength;
- flexors of the foot – as a result of overloading, especially in beginners or those who after a break return to training, there is increased tension and pain in the shin muscles on the inside of the lower leg; the pain is deeply felt; The development of ailments is favored by: bad running shoes, flat feet and running in the winter on wet, slippery ground, when we overly strain the muscles in fear of falling.
Hip pain and thigh pain after running
Pain in the hip joint and ailments in the thigh area may be caused by trochanter bursitis. As a result of the bursa pressing through the surrounding soft tissues, there is a diffuse, burning thigh pain on its upper and lateral surface. It can radiate to the front and inner parts of the thigh and groin. Ailments usually intensify during limb movement and they diminish at night.
A frequent injury to runners, manifested by thigh pain and knee pain, is the hip-tibial band syndrome. In novice runners or those who have uneven or crooked lower limbs or excessive pronation of the foot, there is a trauma to the band due to its friction on the lateral epicondyle of the femur. Inflammation causes pain and discomfort along its entire length, but it most affects the external surface of the knee joint.
What is the runner’s knee and Achilles tendon rupture?
Runner’s knee means ailments of the anterior part of the knee joint, or patellofemoral joint. The disease is associated with overload changes, strong patella insertion to the femur, cartilage damage and low production of synovium within the joint. Discomfort and pain in the knee appear suddenly, without cause, locate in the front and side of the knee patella, and intensify with activity in which the knee is excessively bent. In addition, you can hear crackling and feel the blockage inside the joint. Pain in the runner’s knee can last up to three months.
Strong discomfort in runners often also causes the Achilles tendon rupture. Trauma of its type is the result of training errors, which include: inaccurate and irregular stretching of calf muscles, sudden increase in distance and weakness of the foot muscles. The problem concerns especially people with deformed knees and flat feet and those who run on uneven terrain. The tendon is irritated, overloaded or ruptured and sudden, severe pain, swelling and calf swelling occur. A crack is often heard. It is difficult or even impossible to bend the foot down and stand on tiptoe.
Why do you experience foot pain after running?
Foot injuries are another problem that regular joggers often complain about. The most common cause of foot pain after running is:
- runner’s toe – arises as a result of excessive bending up of the metatarsophalangeal joint, its strong trauma, sudden increase in mileage or wearing of the wrong footwear; there is an overload, the formation of bone growths on the head of the first metatarsus, which rub painfully on the footwear and stiffening of the joint; there is swelling and redness, and running is difficult;
- plantar fasciitis – is an overload of the connective tissue that lines the foot from the heel spine to the base of the toes; thanks to it, the feet are elastic and can bear the weight of the body; dull ache in the heel area occurs in the morning and passes after stretching, but discomfort makes jogging difficult; this applies especially to persons with a low arch and degenerations of the heel spine; in extreme cases, the pain in the calves, thighs or buttocks is perceptible;
- Navel bone injury – the navicular bone is a small bone at the base of the toe, which functions as shock absorbers and reflects the feet from the ground; due to excessive loading of the front part of the foot, they become inflamed or broken, there is persistent, rapid pain on the medial side of the forefoot, redness and restriction of bending of the toe base.
How to avoid injuries while running? How to run?
It is not always possible to avoid injuries and injuries while running. Sometimes simply our organ of movement is not predisposed to perform a specific physical activity. Proper preparation for training can, however, significantly reduce the risk of their occurrence. To avoid unpleasant knee pain or muscle and tendon injury, it’s worth:
- stock up on good running shoes;
- extend thoroughly and systematically before, during and after running, which protects against injury and increases efficiency; emphasis should be placed on the muscles: calves, sciatic, quadriceps and hip and lumbar muscles, and Achilles tendon; in addition, extend the muscles of the back, shoulders and arms;
- Gradually and slowly increase the mileage, so that after each increase, our body can regenerate;
- properly eat and irrigate a lot;
- run on a soft terrain – it puts less pressure on joints and muscles;
- in case of injury and overload, take rest and allow regeneration of damaged tissues and joints.
Picture Credit: skeeze