Chiropractic Health & Wellness Blog
Running Injury, Lyn Lake Chiropractic
September 24, 2009
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Lyn Lake Chiropractic - 4 Most Common Running Injuries
With the Twin Cities Marathon getting close - running is an activity that picks up in popularity. It’s a great way to boost cardiovascular health. However, it can also place a lot of stress on the musculoskeletal structure of your body.
Lyn Lake Chiropractic often sees improper footwear and over-training as common causes for running injuries, along with misalignment in the hips and pelvis. If you think you’ve incurred one of the injuries described below, consult your chiropractor or Lyn Lake Chiropractic.
You may need to suspend or reduce your running routine until the problem is healed. You can help lessen pain and inflammation of these injuries by applying ice to the affected areas for ten minutes every two hours. Here are the most common problems associated with running:
1. Plantar fasciitis
Is a repetitive strain of the plantar fascia that leads to painful inflammation of this tissue located at the bottom of your feet. The pain is typically worse in the morning, and then tends to ease as the day goes on. What causes it? - Running puts an increased mechanical load on the arch of your foot. If your arch is not properly positioned, or your muscles leading to the foot are too tight, you may be adding abnormal stress.
What can you do? - Besides ice therapy and adjusting your running routine, treatments may also include adjusting you feet, ankles hips and lower back. Extra Treatment - Ultrasound, Laser Therapy, GameReady Ice Compression Therapy, ART, Graston, Kinseio Taping myofascial stripping techniques used to the bottom of your feet. Our Minneapolis chiropractors at Lyn Lake Chiropractic treat runners daily and have great success.
2. Shin splints
Pain or tenderness along the front of the shin where your tibialis muscles attach to your lower leg. The pain is usually sharp when you’re running and often feels achy while you’re at rest. What causes it? - Tendons of the tibialis muscles wrap around the arch of your foot, helping to support it. When the arches experience excessive loads, these tendons are placed under strain. When this happens, your muscles pull away from their attachments to the shin bone. Improper shoes, running on hard surfaces and over-pronation of the feet may aggravate this condition. What can you do? - Avoid running on concrete surfaces. Have our Minneapolis chiropractors at Lyn Lake Chiropractic check the mobility and alignment of the bones in your feet and ankles. If needed get the treatment you need either at Lyn Lake Chiropractic, Sports chiropractor, Sports Medical clinic.
If over-pronation is detected, you may need different running shoes or orthotics. The chiropractors at our clinic will do a free gait analysis to make sure your in the right support shoes. Once your pain is reduced, regular stretching of the muscles in your lower legs can help stop future problems.
3. Runner's knee pain (chondromalacia patella)
Knee pain felt under the kneecap, accompanied by a grinding or popping noise when bending the knee. You may also notice swelling and redness. What causes it? - Improper positioning of the patella over the knee joint. This triggers your kneecap to excessively rub against the surface of your leg bones, leading to repetitive wear and tear of the cartilage and recurring inflammation. Improper knee alignment is commonly caused by instability of the feet or pelvis. Tightness or imbalance in the quadriceps muscles may also cause symptoms. What can you do? - Stop running and get chiropractic advice. Have our Minneapolis chiropractors at Lyn Lake Chiropractic check the alignment of your feet and pelvis. Misalignment in the feet may require orthotics and imbalance in the pelvis may be helped with chiropractic adjustments.
When pain subsides, you may try strengthening the vastus medialis obliquus muscle - one of the quadriceps muscles of your thigh - to prevent this problem from returning.
4. Iliotibial (IT) Band Syndrome
Tenderness and inflammation at the outside of the knee where the iliotibial band crosses the knee joint. The pain usually starts while running and can intensify as your run progresses. Walking on hilly surfaces or using stairs can make the symptoms worse. What causes it? - Anything that creates tightness in your IT band. The result is likely friction, pain and inflammation. Fallen arches are often responsible. This condition causes the lower leg to rotate inward upon a heel strike. This pre-stretches tissue and makes it vulnerable to excessive strain. Pelvic imbalances or restrictions may also contribute to this syndrome. What can you do?- Avoid running on hills, stretch and ice after your run if you feel pain and rest. Have a chiropractor check your pelvis and your feet for imbalances. Although extremely painful, massaging the outside part of the leg may also help reduce the tightness and soreness, Ultrasound, Laser tx., Active Release Techniques (ART) and adjusting your hips, knees, ankle and feet if needed. Once the pain is manageable, stretching the tensor fascia lata muscle, located in your thigh, as well as the gluteal muscles may help halt the return of this syndrome.
Alignment is the key to avoid most running injuries. Be sure to have your chiropractor check your alignment, it's just making sure the biomechanics are working together. Correcting the problem early may help prevent a more painful situation from happening down the road.
Disclaimer: Information contained in this Topic is for educational and general purposes only and is designed to assist you in making informed decisions about your health. Any information contained herein is not intended to substitute advice from your physician or other healthcare professional.
With the Twin Cities Marathon getting close - running is an activity that picks up in popularity. It’s a great way to boost cardiovascular health. However, it can also place a lot of stress on the musculoskeletal structure of your body.
Lyn Lake Chiropractic often sees improper footwear and over-training as common causes for running injuries, along with misalignment in the hips and pelvis. If you think you’ve incurred one of the injuries described below, consult your chiropractor or Lyn Lake Chiropractic.
You may need to suspend or reduce your running routine until the problem is healed. You can help lessen pain and inflammation of these injuries by applying ice to the affected areas for ten minutes every two hours. Here are the most common problems associated with running:
1. Plantar fasciitis
Is a repetitive strain of the plantar fascia that leads to painful inflammation of this tissue located at the bottom of your feet. The pain is typically worse in the morning, and then tends to ease as the day goes on. What causes it? - Running puts an increased mechanical load on the arch of your foot. If your arch is not properly positioned, or your muscles leading to the foot are too tight, you may be adding abnormal stress.
What can you do? - Besides ice therapy and adjusting your running routine, treatments may also include adjusting you feet, ankles hips and lower back. Extra Treatment - Ultrasound, Laser Therapy, GameReady Ice Compression Therapy, ART, Graston, Kinseio Taping myofascial stripping techniques used to the bottom of your feet. Our Minneapolis chiropractors at Lyn Lake Chiropractic treat runners daily and have great success.
2. Shin splints
Pain or tenderness along the front of the shin where your tibialis muscles attach to your lower leg. The pain is usually sharp when you’re running and often feels achy while you’re at rest. What causes it? - Tendons of the tibialis muscles wrap around the arch of your foot, helping to support it. When the arches experience excessive loads, these tendons are placed under strain. When this happens, your muscles pull away from their attachments to the shin bone. Improper shoes, running on hard surfaces and over-pronation of the feet may aggravate this condition. What can you do? - Avoid running on concrete surfaces. Have our Minneapolis chiropractors at Lyn Lake Chiropractic check the mobility and alignment of the bones in your feet and ankles. If needed get the treatment you need either at Lyn Lake Chiropractic, Sports chiropractor, Sports Medical clinic.
If over-pronation is detected, you may need different running shoes or orthotics. The chiropractors at our clinic will do a free gait analysis to make sure your in the right support shoes. Once your pain is reduced, regular stretching of the muscles in your lower legs can help stop future problems.
3. Runner's knee pain (chondromalacia patella)
Knee pain felt under the kneecap, accompanied by a grinding or popping noise when bending the knee. You may also notice swelling and redness. What causes it? - Improper positioning of the patella over the knee joint. This triggers your kneecap to excessively rub against the surface of your leg bones, leading to repetitive wear and tear of the cartilage and recurring inflammation. Improper knee alignment is commonly caused by instability of the feet or pelvis. Tightness or imbalance in the quadriceps muscles may also cause symptoms. What can you do? - Stop running and get chiropractic advice. Have our Minneapolis chiropractors at Lyn Lake Chiropractic check the alignment of your feet and pelvis. Misalignment in the feet may require orthotics and imbalance in the pelvis may be helped with chiropractic adjustments.
When pain subsides, you may try strengthening the vastus medialis obliquus muscle - one of the quadriceps muscles of your thigh - to prevent this problem from returning.
4. Iliotibial (IT) Band Syndrome
Tenderness and inflammation at the outside of the knee where the iliotibial band crosses the knee joint. The pain usually starts while running and can intensify as your run progresses. Walking on hilly surfaces or using stairs can make the symptoms worse. What causes it? - Anything that creates tightness in your IT band. The result is likely friction, pain and inflammation. Fallen arches are often responsible. This condition causes the lower leg to rotate inward upon a heel strike. This pre-stretches tissue and makes it vulnerable to excessive strain. Pelvic imbalances or restrictions may also contribute to this syndrome. What can you do?- Avoid running on hills, stretch and ice after your run if you feel pain and rest. Have a chiropractor check your pelvis and your feet for imbalances. Although extremely painful, massaging the outside part of the leg may also help reduce the tightness and soreness, Ultrasound, Laser tx., Active Release Techniques (ART) and adjusting your hips, knees, ankle and feet if needed. Once the pain is manageable, stretching the tensor fascia lata muscle, located in your thigh, as well as the gluteal muscles may help halt the return of this syndrome.
Alignment is the key to avoid most running injuries. Be sure to have your chiropractor check your alignment, it's just making sure the biomechanics are working together. Correcting the problem early may help prevent a more painful situation from happening down the road.
Disclaimer: Information contained in this Topic is for educational and general purposes only and is designed to assist you in making informed decisions about your health. Any information contained herein is not intended to substitute advice from your physician or other healthcare professional.