6 kinds of injuries runners are prone to and what to do about them

Dr Miten Sheth Orthopedic Knee Surgeon, The Knee Clinic, Mumbai tells us about the injuries that frequently plague runners.

By: Debjani Arora | | Updated: June 27, 2018 11:12 am

मॉर्निंग वॉक करना सेहत के लिए बहुत फायदेमंद है। .© Shutterstock

If you love running you should know that you are making yourself prone to injuries too. Running and injuries go hand in hand. However, there is no one kind of injury that runners need to be cautious about. The injuries that one can face are distributed over a spectrum. There could be mild, moderate or severe injuries that once can confront. Some injuries might need them to call off their running schedules and plan and rest others might need them to go for rehabilitation and physiotherapy to get better. Here we take a look at the injuries that any runner can be prone to despite age, sex and experience. Here Dr Miten Sheth Orthopedic Knee Surgeon, The Knee Clinic, Mumbai tells us about the injuries that frequently plague runners and how to deal with it:

1. Patello-Femoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS): It is pain or irritation of the cartilage of the patella or knee cap a thick, circular-triangular bone leading to anterior knee pain (around the kneecap). Long distance runners usually face this problem after high intensity workouts or after extended periods of sitting. It is necessary to rest and recuperate from this condition as it could lead to foot over-pronation (excessive inward foot rolling) weak quadriceps, hamstrings, or glutei if ignored.

2. Achilles Tendonitis: This tendon connects the calf muscles to the back of the heel. If one exerts the calf muscles too much by dramatically increase the pace of training (especially like climbing steep steps, hills and or increase speed of sprinting) without taking much efforts to tighten the weak muscles of the tight, calves the Achilles tendon gets irritated and so the pain.

3. Hamstring Issues: Hamstrings run down the back of our thighs, bend our knees and extend our hips. Flexible people can over-stretch their hamstrings. But a runner needs to be careful with his hams. Hamstrings are the most vulnerable in their case. Too much of training can lead to muscle imbalance: strong quadriceps may over-power weak hamstrings and lead to injury.

4. Plantar Fasciitis: This is inflammation of the soft tissue that covers the heels and leads to a dull ache that is usually worse early in the morning. Very high or very low arches are vulnerable. Other causes are foot over-pronation or over-supination, tight hip flexors, weak core muscles and long periods of standing, especially on hard floors without footwear.

5. Shin splints: This refers to small tears in the muscles around the tibia (shin bone). They are common among new runners and those returning after an extended layoff. Wearing the wrong pair of shoes and those with high arches or flat feet are more prone to this kind of injury.

6. Stress Fractures: Stress fractures develop as a result of cumulative strain on bones – tibia (shin) or metatarsals (feet). If you increase duration and intensity of running too soon, bones cannot repair themselves fast enough to keep up and this could lead to fractures. So, always start slow and pick up the pace gradually.

Image source: Shutterstock

Published : June 26, 2018 8:16 pm | Updated:June 27, 2018 11:12 am

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