1. Knee Pain
This is a common injury that a lot of runners experience. This type of injury is typically referred to as “runners knee.” It can have a variety of causes including swelling directly underneath the kneecap. Prevent knee pain with good fitting running shoes from the Orthotic Shop.
According to Andy Byrne from a Physiotherapy centre in Manchester, knee pain is the single most common condition that he treats in active runners.
What Does This Condition Feel Like?
When you experience “runners knee,” you typically feel a dull pain around your kneecap area. However, the pain can be very sharp depending on the circumstances and your pain tolerance.
What Should You Do About It?
When you are looking to treat this type of pain at home, ice, and stretching work wonders.
You want to place ice wrapped in a towel directly on your knee. You also want to do some light stretching. This can keep the blood flowing to your knee and it can keep it from getting too tight.
You’ll want to hold the ice on your knee for 20 minutes a couple of times per day. Don’t place the ice directly on your skin because it can result in frostbite.
To stretch properly and to avoid further injuring yourself, you’ll want to do it laying down. You can lay down directly on your side with your bad knee on the top. From there, you’ll want to bend the leg on top so your foot is positioned back towards your butt. Try to hold it there and allow both knees to touch for a good and safe stretch.
You want to hold this stretch for 45 seconds. Try to breathe deeply as you stretch and allow yourself to feel your muscles stretching. Do this anywhere from 5 to 6 times per day.
If you are still experiencing severe pain, you’ll want to head to your doctor for an evaluation.
If your pain isn’t too severe, you’ll still want to get it checked out. You can wait around a week to see if things get better on their own. If not, head to the doctor.
Can I Still Run?
You don’t want to run if you are experiencing a runner’s knee or if you have pain in the area. It’s only going to make things worse. If you still feel a lot of pain after a week of rest, visit your doctor to talk about it.
You don’t want to start running again until the pain subsides. This duration will be dictated by the root cause of your pain and how severe it is.
2. Achilles Pain
If you are experiencing Achilles pain after running, you aren’t alone. The Achilles tendon is easy to injure. It’s the tough yet rubbery cord that sits on the back of your foot. It connects the muscle to your bone. When you run regularly, it can result in wear and tear to your Achilles tendon.
What Does This Kind Of Pain Feel Like?
If you are suffering from Achilles pain, you likely have a lot of swelling and pain towards the back of your foot. The pain is likely to be very bad. It’s very likely to be a sharp pain.
What Should You Do About It?
To effectively treat any pain in your Achilles area at home, you’ll want to place some ice on it. You want to do this because it’s going to curb a lot of the swelling. You don’t want to place the ice directly on your skin. You should wrap the ice in a towel to safely apply it to your skin.
You can massage the area if it helps. This can increase blood circulation and reduce swelling. You can even try to use heel wedges in your shoes for added support.
You will want to visit your doctor if you are experiencing this type of pain for longer than 3 weeks.
If you suffer from debilitating pain in the Achilles area and you cannot walk, you’ve likely suffered from one of the more devastating injuries which is torn or ruptured Achilles. If so, you’ll want to see a doctor right away.
Can You Run With Achilles Pain?
You could always run with pain in this area, but it’s not a good idea to do. Any pain in your Achilles is likely caused by something that could cause more problems down the road. Try to wait for the pain to subside to avoid further injuring yourself.
3. Shin Pain
This is another common pain a lot of people experience who run frequently. One of the best ways to prevent shin pain is to invest in orthotic running shoes from the Orthotic Shop. This pain shows up on your shins which sit under your knee on the front of your legs. You will typically find a lot of people referring to this injury as “shin splints.”
What Does It Feel Like?
This is typically a much more dull pain. You don’t typically get the sharp pain you get with other injuries. Because of this, a lot of runners end up continuing to run with it. This can result in further damage and it can cause you to get even worse pain that stops you in your tracks.
What Should You Do About It?
If you are looking to remedy shin pain, you are going to want to apply ice directly to your shins. This will help to curb inflammation and reduce pain and swelling. Once again, wrap the ice in a towel and do not apply it directly to the skin.
You’ll want to visit your doctor if you are experiencing severe pain in your shins and if it doesn’t improve within 2 weeks.
Can You Still Run With Shin Splints?
As mentioned, you are likely to be able to continue to run with this type of pain. However, you want to avoid the temptation because it could result in you causing further damage.
4. Heel Pain
Your heels take a beating when you go running. This is especially true if you are running on a hard surface. When you experience heel pain, it’s typically going to be sharp. It may even feel like you are walking on glass or sharp rocks.
What Should You Do About It?
If you are experiencing heel pain, you will want to use ice and rest. Try to freeze a water bottle and roll it underneath your affected foot for around 20 minutes or so. This can help you reduce the swelling and minimize the pain.
There are also some stretches you can do to reduce inflammation throughout your heel area.
You don’t want to continue running when you are experiencing a lot of heel pain. Try to avoid running until you get the pain under control. Visit your doctor if you are experiencing this type of pain for longer than 10 days.
Can You Still Run With Heel Pain?
Some people can run when they have heel pain and others can’t. It depends if you have a high pain tolerance. The right shoes from the Orthotic Shop will help to keep the pain to a minimum. Luckily, if you treat the pain early enough and you give yourself ample rest, you should be able to have it go away in as little as 2 to 3 weeks.
