Running Injuries

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KEY POINTS

• Running injuries include blisters, ankle sprains, muscle strains, tendon injuries, and stress fractures.
• Treatment depends on the kind of injury that you have.
• To help prevent running injuries: wear the right kind of shoes, warm up before you run, run on safe terrain and softer surfaces, and don’t increase how far you run by more than 10 to 15% each week.

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What are some common running injuries?

Running injuries can affect different parts of the body. Here are some of the more common injuries:

• Foot, ankle, or lower leg
  • Ankle sprain
  • Blisters
  • Plantar fasciitis (painful irritation of the tissue on the bottom of your foot between the ball of the foot and the heel)
  • Stress fracture (a crack in a bone caused by overuse)
  • Calf strain (an injury to the muscles or tendons in the back of your leg below your knee)
• Knee
  • Runner’s knee (pain behind your kneecap)
  • Jumper’s knee (swelling and irritation or tears in the tendon that connects your kneecap to your shinbone)
  • Iliotibial band syndrome (swelling, irritation, and pain on the outer side of your knee)
• Hip and thigh
  • Thigh strain
  • Hamstring strain (a stretch or tear of the muscle in the back of your thigh)

How are these injuries treated?

Treatment depends on the kind of running injury that you have.

• Stress fractures require rest and time off from running, and often requires treatment by your healthcare provider.
• You may be able to keep running with minor muscle strains, but you may have to run slower or not as far as you usually run.
• For some injuries, like ankle sprains, you may need to go to a physical therapist for rehabilitation exercises.
• To keep swelling down and help relieve pain, your healthcare provider may tell you to:
  • Put an ice pack, gel pack, or package of frozen vegetables wrapped in a cloth on the injured area every 3 to 4 hours for up to 20 minutes at a time for the first day or two after the injury.
  • Keep your leg up on pillows so that it is above the level of your heart when you sit or lie down.
  • Take pain medicine, such as ibuprofen, as directed by your provider. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, may cause stomach bleeding and other problems. These risks increase with age. Read the label and take as directed. Unless recommended by your healthcare provider, do not take for more than 10 days.

If you are injured, follow your healthcare provider's instructions. Ask your provider:

• How long it will take to recover
• If there are activities you should avoid and when you can return to your normal activities
• How to take care of yourself at home
• What symptoms or problems you should watch for and what to do if you have them

Make sure you know when you should come back for a checkup. Keep all appointments for provider visits or tests.

How can I help prevent injuries?

• Wear the right kind of shoes. Be sure your shoes fit correctly. There should be some room for your foot to swell a little when you are running. Make sure the shoes have support in the correct places for the shape of your foot. Go to a store that has staff who are knowledgeable about running and can help you choose the right shoes. You can look for these stores online, ask experienced runners, or ask people at your gym where to shop.
• Warm-up before you run. Do not start with stretching. This has been shown to increase the risk of injury. Do dynamic warm-up exercises instead. These exercises increase blood flow to your muscles, lubricate the joints, and increase flexibility. Some examples of dynamic warm-up exercises are jumping jacks, squat thrusts, and walking briskly. Only after you do a dynamic warm-up should you do 5 to 10 minutes of easy jogging.
• Run on safe terrain. If you run on trails, watch out for rocks, tree roots, and uneven terrain. If you run in cold weather, be careful with snow and ice. Run on softer surfaces such as rubberized tracks, grass or dirt trails, or a beach. Harder surfaces such as asphalt, cement, and pavement increase the stress on your bones.
• Pace yourself. Don’t increase how far you run by more than 10 to 15% each week. Adding too much distance increases the risk of stress fracture. Every 4 to 6 weeks include a “back-off” week where you cut your weekly distance by 50%. (For example, if you normally run 40 miles a week, you would run only 20 miles during a “back-off” week.) This “back-off” week lets your body recover.