Running injuries tend to involve the lower extremities and are most often the result of overtraining (or lack of proper recovery). The most common running injuries we see are:

  • IT Band
  • Stress Fractures
  • Runner’s knee
  • Shin Splints
  • Plantar Fasciitis
  • Achilles Tendonitis

Iliotibial Band Syndrome (IT Band Friction Syndrome)

IT Band problems usually present as pain on the outside part of the knee or on the outside of the hip. The main causes of IT band syndrome are due to weak glute/hip muscles that then allow for increased strain across the iliotibial band.

Stress fractures are another common overuse injury that can result in a long rehabilition and time away from running. Most stress fractures occur as a result of repetitive overloading of normal bone. If the overloading occurs for too long without enough recovery in between episodes, then a stress fracture can occur. Catching a stress fracture in its early stages, where there may just be local irritation to the bone is key to limiting the amount of time away from running. Running biomechanics play a large role in the development of stress fractures. A running form that increases the contact force can quickly overload the bone.

Most runners have experienced shin splints (or medial tibial stress syndrome) at some point of their running career. “Shin splints” are an inflammation of the calf muscle attachment to the shin bone. Shin splints often hurt at the being of a run, or after cooling down afterwards, but may resolve temporily during the run. A key concept to battling shin splints is a focused stretching and strengthing program of the calf muscles to decrease the stress the muscles place on their attachment to the shin bones.  

 Plantar Fascitis

Plantar fasciitis often presents as a sharp pain to the heel with the first couple of steps in the morning. The plantar fascia is a band of fibrous tissue that originates from the heel bone (calcaneous) and attaches to the bases of the metatarsals (toe bones). The plantar fascia acts a spring that helps elevate the arch of the foot and distributes the force across the foot during the ground contact time of running. The heel pain can increase and persist throughout the day

  • Runner’s Knee
    • Achilles Tendonitis