Pain treatment for a running injury

Types of running injuries

There are two types of injuries, acute and chronic. An acute injury is an injury that just happened. A chronic injury is an injury that happened over time or is lasting a long time.

Running injuries or pains are usually a chronic injury like shin splints (MTSS), foot pain, or hip pain. These injuries are caused by imbalances, compensations, and overloads that occur over time while you are doing lots of running. These pains are very treatable, but sometimes it can be difficult to keep these pains away. In this situation you will need to do rehabilitative training.

At Athlecare we have an hour-long analysis where we can locate all the imbalances and then you give you a specific plan to correct them quickly and efficiently.

Treating running pains

To treat running pains we always recommend start with three things:

• Muscle Releases
• Muscle Scraping
• Eccentric Exercises

Doing these things multiple times a week will resolve the majority of running pains. For pains and injuries that cannot be resolved with these three things then you will need to get a free injury evaluation to figure out the best next step for your running pain.

Running Warmups

One of the best ways to prevent running injuries is to have a proper warmup. The key components to a good warmup is the RAMP principle:

Raise body temperature and heart rate
Activate mind and muscle
Mobilize through working range of motion,
Potentiate by activating the nervous system

Learn more about warmups from one of our trainers by booking a free fitness evaluation.

When to start running after an injury

Knowing when to start running after an injury can sometimes be difficult to know. There can be a worry that if you start running too early then you can make the injury worse or make it come back.

To feel confident going to back to running we recommend testing your strength, stability, proprioception, and functionality. If all four of those components are strong then you can feel confident about running.

Reduce running injuries

There are four main ways to reduce the risk of injury while running:

1. Do proper warmups (RAMP)
2. Strength Training
3. Stability Training
4. Do consistent active recovery

Reduce running pain

Having pain while running is very common, but there are a few things you can do today to start reducing your pain, or even preventing pain.

Foam rolling should be a part of your daily routine. When you do foam rolling correctly, it will lengthen muscles and get rid of soreness.

Find the right pairs of shoes. Different brands of shoes are made for different types of feet. It is important to find the right kind of shoe that fits your foot anatomy and running style.

Create blood flow every day. Whether it is  a really good cool down, a hot Epsom bath, or compression boots, it is important to find a way to create blood flow in your body to promote healing and muscle growth.

Strength training for running

The two muscle groups that cause the most issues for runners are the calves and the glutes. When these two muscle groups are not working correctly then they make other parts of the leg or foot to compensate and then become injured.

By doing strength training for these areas you will help prevent injury or even get rid of some of the nagging pains that occur during running.