CEC ARTICLE 1 OF 5 ARTICLES
INJURY & REHAB
COMMON RUNNING INJURIES AND HOW TO FIX THEM
To help clients run without pain and injury , it is critical that the major areas and muscles that control stress to the body when running are functioning optimally . Corrective exercise specialist Justin Price looks at the exercises to help achieve this .
R unning is one of the most popular
forms of exercise around the world . It is also an activity associated with a high risk of injury , with almost half of all runners reporting an injury at least once a year ( Messier et al , 2008 ). Most running injuries are typically found in the lower body , with up to 80 % of all injuries occurring in the lower extremities ( Van Gent et al , 2007 ). The four lower-body injuries runners experience most often are plantar fasciitis , Achilles tendinitis , patellofemoral syndrome ( i . e . ‘ Runner ’ s Knee ’) and IT band syndrome ( Hespanhol et al , 2011 ). These common injuries occur as a result of muscle and movement imbalances compounded by overuse ( Messier et al , 2008 ).
Understanding common running injuries
Let ’ s take a closer look at the four most commonly diagnosed running injuries .
Plantar fasciitis
This condition is characterised by pain in the heel and bottom of the foot . The word ‘ plantar ’ refers to the underside of the foot and ‘ fascia ’ is the term for the connective tissue that wraps around muscles , tendons and ligaments ( see Figure 1 ). The suffix ‘ -itis ’ is medical terminology for inflammation . Therefore , ‘ plantar fasciitis ’ refers to inflammation or irritation of the band of connective tissue located on the underside of the foot called the plantar fascia ( Price , 2014 ).
Figure 1 . The foot , showing plantar fascia
Plantar fasciitis
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