Running injuries
- Physical Therapy International Service
- 14 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Authors: Anna Norton and Ella Bonner
Running is one of the most popular forms of exercise worldwide, but it also comes with a higher risk of injury compared to other fitness activities. Running is a repetitive, high-impact activity that places significant stress on bones, joints, muscles, and tendons. Many injuries are due to overuse, resulting from repetitive loading, training errors, and poor workload management. Reported injury rates among runners vary depending on factors like training patterns, biomechanics, and running level. Additionally, overuse injuries most commonly occur in the knee, lower leg, and ankle and foot region.
The term “running gait” refers to the pattern of movement during running. This is typically characterized by two phases: the stance phase, when the foot is in contact with the ground, and the swing phase: when the foot is off the ground and moving forward. Efficient body mechanics, such as posture, balanced arm swing, hip strength, and core engagement help distribute forces evenly across the body and reduce injury risk. Running gait retraining interventions like cadence adjustments and visual feedback, can correct flawed mechanics and reduce injury symptoms.
Several gait patterns and biomechanical inefficiencies are strongly linked to injury. For example, heel striking and overstriding can increase impact on the knees and hips. Overpronation, which is excessive inward rolling of the foot, can contribute to shin splints and medial tibial stress syndrome. At the hip and knee, increased hip adduction and knee internal rotation are associated with patellofemoral pain syndrome which is also known as runners knee.
Many injuries are also tied to training errors and footwear choices. Rapid mileage increases, lack of recovery, and inappropriate shoes can all raise risk. Research has also shown that shoes with higher levels of cushioning may alter gait mechanics in ways that contribute to injury risk if misused.
Shin splints is an overuse injury that is common in runners and other athletes who put repeated stress on the muscles and tendons in their lower legs. When the tissues around the tibia are inflamed, this causes the pain of shin splints. If not treated properly, the inflammation can eventually lead to stress fractures in the tibia. The biggest thing a physical therapist can do for shin splints is to help strengthen your leg. Education on future prevention is also a key part of the therapy. The exercises can include single leg exercises to work on strength and exercises for your calf or foot. Education on proper footwear including potential insoles in shoes can also be a part of therapy. Preventing shin splints stems from proper footwear and “retiring” shoes that have hit a certain number of miles or obtaining insoles for your shoes that properly support your foot. Also, taking rest days and properly warming up for exercises are easy ways to also prevent shin splints.
Similar to shin splints, achilles tendinopathy is an overuse injury. The Achilles tendon is the tendon that connects the calf to the heel of your foot. If you feel pain in the back of your foot, swelling of the Achilles tendon, or trouble walking or running, these may be symptoms of Achilles tendinopathy. This happens when the Achilles tendon is overly stressed and can have some microtears, leading to degeneration. Treatment for this condition includes taking rest from activities that heighten the pain such as running, icing the Achilles tendon, and going to physical therapy. When at therapy, other than exercises to strengthen the tendon and surrounding muscles, the therapist can also massage the tendon to increase blood flow, or a heat therapy.
Running can be a very enjoyable activity especially in the summer or fall time when the weather is nice but can have some injuries associated with it. We will especially be cautious of overuse injuries since running is a very repetitive motion and prioritize relative rest. It is important to develop proper running technique including your running gait and proper footwear to prevent injury. Additionally, including a purposeful warmup and cooldown can decrease your chances of obtaining an injury and can keep you pain free!
Resources:
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