Note: For more information see the book ”Running Injuries”, by Hannaford and Galloway, available at www.jeffgalloway.com
Note: ice bags, or gel ice don’t seem to do any good at all
If you stop running at the first sign of a knee problem, it is common that it will go way after 3-5 days off. Try to pinpoint the causes. Make sure that your running courses don’t have a slant or canter. Look at the most worn pair of shoes you have, even walking shoes. If there is wear on the inside of the forefoot, you probably overpronate. If you have repeat issues with knee pain, you may need a foot support or orthotic. Ask your doctor whether prescription-strength anti-inflammatory medication could help.
This band of fascia acts as a tendon, going down the outside of the leg from the hip to just below the knee. The pain is most commonly felt on the outside of the knee, but can be felt anywhere along the I-T band. I believe this to be a “wobble injury.” When the running muscles get tired, the leg motion becomes sloppy. The I-T band tries to restrain the wobbling motion, but it cannot and gets overused. Once the healing has started (usually a few days off from running), most runners I’ve worked with tend to heal as fast when running gently as from a complete layoff. It is crucial to stay below the threshold of further irritation. Rolling with a foam roller has often moved the healing along at a faster pace.
“The most effective treatment is putting your foot in a supportive shoe before supporting your body weight on the foot each morning.”
This very common injury (pain on the inside or center of the heel) is felt when taking the first few steps in the morning. As the foot moves and blood flow increases, the pain gradually goes away, only to return the next morning. Be sure to get a “shoe check” at a technical running store to make sure that you have the right shoe for your foot. If the pain is felt during the day, and is quite painful, you should consult with a podiatrist. Usually the doctor will construct a foot support that will surround your arch and heel. This does not always need to be a hard orthotic and is usually a softer one, at first, designed for your foot with buildups in the right places.
The “toe squincher” exercise, can help develop foot strength that will also support the foot. It takes several weeks for this to take effect. The “squincher” is done by pointing your food down, and contracting the muscles in the foot similar to making a hard “fist” with your hand.
The achilles tendon is the narrow band of tendon rising up from the heel and connecting to the calf muscle. It is part of a very efficient mechanical system, and functions like a strong rubber band to leverage a lot of work out of the foot, with a little effort from the calf muscle. It is usually injured due to excessive stretching, either through running or through stretching exercises. First, avoid any activity that stretches the tendon in any way. It helps to add a small heel lift to all shoes, which reduces the range of motion. Every night, rub a chunk of ice directly on the tendon for about 15 minutes (until the tendon gets numb). Bags of ice or frozen gels don’t do any good at all in my opinion. Usually after 3-5 days off from running, the icing takes hold and gets the injury in a healing mode. Anti-inflammatory medication very rarely helps with the achilles tendon, according to experts.
There are a variety of elements that can result in aggravation in the hip area. Since the hips are not prime movers in running, they are usually abused when you continue to push on, when very fatigued. The hips try to do the work of the leg muscles and are not designed for this. Ask your doctor about prescription strength anti inflammatory medication, as this can often speed up recovery. Avoid stretching and any activity that aggravates the area.
The calf is the most important muscle for running. It is often irritated by speedwork, and can be pushed into injury by stretching, running too fast when tired, speed sessions, inadequate rest between hard workouts, and sprinting at the end of races or workouts. Bouncing too high and running a lot of hills can also trigger this injury.
Deep tissue massage has been the best treatment for most calf muscle problems. Try to find a very experienced massage therapist who has helped lots of runners with calf problems. This treatment can be painful but is about the only way to remove some bio-damage in the muscle. The “stick” can move some of the damage out of the calf muscle (see our website for more information on this product).
Don’t stretch! Stretching will tear the muscle fibers that are trying to heal. Avoid running hills or speed workouts, and take very frequent walk breaks as you return to running.
Most of the runners I’ve worked with who have been injured, have been able to continue training while the injury is healing. But first, you must have some time off to get the healing started. If you do this at the beginning of an injury you may only need 2-5 days off. The longer you try to push through the problem, the greater the damage and the longer it will take to heal. Stay in touch with the doctor at any stage of this healing/running process, follow his/her advice, and use your best judgement.
To promote healing, once you have returned to running, stay below the threshold of further irritation. In other words, if the injury feels a little irritated when running at 2.5 miles, and starts hurting a little at 3 miles, you should run no more than 2 miles. And if your run-walk ratio is 4 min run/1 min walk, you should drop back to 2-1 or 1-1, or 30 seconds/30 seconds.
Take a day of rest between running days. With most injuries you can cross train to maintain conditioning, but make sure that your injury will allow this. Again, your doctor can advise.
Before doing any of these ask your doctor. Most are fine for most injuries. But some run a risk of irritating the injured area and delaying the healing process. For more information on this, see the chapter on cross training, in my GALLOWAY’S BOOK ON RUNNING SECOND EDITION. Gradually increase the amount of cross training, because you have to condition those muscles gradually also. Walking is a great way to maintain conditioning if the injury and the doctor will allow it.