Running Injuries

[Bluejay]

I know several of us in the last thread have said that we run, or used to run. So I have a question. Were you ever injured? How did you heal?

I keep needing some combination of ice/heat/Voltaren/Tiger Balm/stretching/strengthening to keep going. It is getting that my half hour morning run takes an hour and a half! Any experience, or wise ideas?

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

Pretty consistent runner for the last 10 years. Have run 10+ half marathons and 5 marathons.

The biggest thing is to take your mileage up soooooo slowly. Never more than 10-20% from prior week. And two steps forward, one step back. So two weeks increase mileage, one week plateau or even step back.

When I’ve been injured (and everyone has been injured at some point), best thing was rest, ice, and (sometimes) PT.

My worst injury was training for a marathon about 8-9 years ago. I got a bad overuse injury and tried to not stop training...I blew up my hip. Ended up with multiple cortisone injections and 4 months of PT. It was bad.

So I’ve learned to back off when things hurt more than a day or two in a row.

What specific injury are you currently nursing?


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[Bluejay]

Hmmm. What am I currently nursing. Well, I have had bursitis in my hip for several years. But it is mostly healed now. I put heat on it before I run, ice after, and do a sequence of strengthening exercises and core exercises every other day. That one is 90/95% healed.

The injury that prompted me to write this post is a pain in my right calf. I think I know what caused it, and I've stopped doing that, so my leg is feeling much better. When I am big overweight, my feet get big and I go up two shoe sizes. Now I've lost enough that I am pretty close to my normal shoe size. But, the other day I wore too big shoes that kept slipping, so I clenched my feet to keep them on. Unthinkingly I did this several days, and one day I had a long walk. So, I'm pretty sure that is why the painful leg. And with ice/voltaren/rest etc. it is doing well. My next run is Monday, and I plan to increase my distance, closer to my normal run.

I just wish that my injuries weren't so much part of running. What do you do to prevent?

Do you have an injury right now?

[SoonerTexan]

I haven't run near as much as T&S, but I did a marathon this spring and have been consistently running (with breaks during pregnancy) for 10 years. The biggest takeaway for me has been to get the right shoes. I go to a running store and get fitted. When I started heavily increasing my mileage for the marathon, I tried three different pairs before I found something that worked (moved from a stability shoe to a neutral shoe with an insert). Man what a difference it made! My needs have changed over the years, too. I used to just buy Saucony Omnis until a new version just didn't work for me and I switched to something else. I'm wearing Brooks Glycerin now, and I had to go from a normal to wide in the same size between refreshes. The guys at the store know their stuff.

I have dealt with some pretty painful bouts of plantar fascitis, but found that foot rolling and getting the right shoes made more of a difference than rest. It's actually a sign to me that it is time to replace when I start having pain. For me 250-300 miles is when mine start to go to hell.

Funny this popped up, because I literally just bought another pair of running shoes today and just entered them into Strava. They are the most expensive pair of shoes I own!! ($150 plus $50 inserts, luckily the inserts last 2-3 pairs of shoes)

[civilspouse]

I don’t run a ton, I’ve only done one half marathon. I totally agree on the shoes though. Getting fitted and finding the right shoes made such a huge difference. I’m embarrassed to say this but sometimes I like to watch Casey Neistat YouTube videos. He runs a ton and was told by someone to always buy two pairs of your running shoes and rotate them. The theory being the cushioning needs more than one day to recover. Seems a little over the top but it sounds like an interesting idea.

I’m really no help with injuries. If I get hurt I just stop running till it’s better.


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[poky]

Hmmm. What am I currently nursing. Well, I have had bursitis in my hip for several years. But it is mostly healed now. I put heat on it before I run, ice after, and do a sequence of strengthening exercises and core exercises every other day. That one is 90/95% healed.

The injury that prompted me to write this post is a pain in my right calf. I think I know what caused it, and I've stopped doing that, so my leg is feeling much better. When I am big overweight, my feet get big and I go up two shoe sizes. Now I've lost enough that I am pretty close to my normal shoe size. But, the other day I wore too big shoes that kept slipping, so I clenched my feet to keep them on. Unthinkingly I did this several days, and one day I had a long walk. So, I'm pretty sure that is why the painful leg. And with ice/voltaren/rest etc. it is doing well. My next run is Monday, and I plan to increase my distance, closer to my normal run.

I just wish that my injuries weren't so much part of running. What do you do to prevent?

Do you have an injury right now?

What strengthening exercises do you do for hip bursitis? My right hip bugs me if I don't pre-dose with ibuprofen, even if I walk for more than half an hour straight.

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[Phoebe]

I agree with the right shoes for running. I have a few overuse injuries ( feet, hip and back) from running at the moment and for the past year. I am not even running far, mostly doing Orange Theory. Injuries are very frustrating. I have started to modify my exercise because it is painful otherwise. I am thinking my hip issue is bursitis or an impingement. Stretching is very important. I have orthotics and need to get new shoes every 5 to 6 months. Lately, I have gotten two pairs of shoes to alternate.


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[TulipsAndSunscreen]

Hip bursitis was the original horrible injury that made me buy a foam roller. I don’t use it all the time but I do when I’m sore or injured. A foam roller is definitely helpful for lots of injuries and I would highly recommend.

It’s painful at first but it definitely helps.

To prevent injury, I find a stable mileage where I am not getting injured. I stay there for a while...like 4-6 weeks. Then slowly go up, adding 10-20% a week. It’s hard and frustrating sometimes to find that stable mileage and it can be way, way lower than you’d like it to be. But once you have it, you can build your base.

I’m currently only running 20-25 miles a week. I wish it was more (I used to run 30-35 mile weeks even if I wasn’t training for anything).


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[Bluejay]

What strengthening exercises do you do for hip bursitis? My right hip bugs me if I don't pre-dose with ibuprofen, even if I walk for more than half an hour straight.

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A while ago I was on a running board, and mentioned my hip bursitis. One guy recommended I look at strenghtening exercises. The ones I do are from a website called StrengthRunning. He trains runners for races, and says that his methods reduce injury. Here is the hip strengthening exercises:
https://strengthrunning.com/2011/02/...demonstration/ I also do Core exercises, every other day. Having a strong core is supposed to strengthen and stabilize your hip. Here is the link for that: https://strengthrunning.com/2012/01/...demonstration/ I do those two every other day.

[Elchorrito]

Along with having the right shoes, I find that shoes just need to be replaced sort of frequently (depending on how often you run). I haven't done much running in the last 2 years due to pregnancies and the resulting babies, but when I was running a lot, it was shocking how fast the miles would add up and I'd realize it was time for new shoes.

For me, a lot of the "itis" pains have just required rest. I had bursitis for a while which eventually just went away. Right now I have plantar fasciitis that I'm sort of hoping just rides its course eventually.

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[poky]

A while ago I was on a running board, and mentioned my hip bursitis. One guy recommended I look at strenghtening exercises. The ones I do are from a website called StrengthRunning. He trains runners for races, and says that his methods reduce injury. Here is the hip strengthening exercises:
https://strengthrunning.com/2011/02/...demonstration/ I also do Core exercises, every other day. Having a strong core is supposed to strengthen and stabilize your hip. Here is the link for that: https://strengthrunning.com/2012/01/...demonstration/ I do those two every other day.

Thank you! I'll definitely look into doing those!

[houseelf]

Isn't there some sort of social etiquette about never asking runners about their injuries in polite company as a general rule of conversation? Pull up a chair while we all groan and moan. (Best running group name I've heard of came out of Minnesota: Band of 10,000 aches)

What I have learned as I aged in distance running is that recovery is almost more important than the run. You do hang onto cardio gains if you are running regularly. Don't overdo it just to be a slave to the training schedule.

Treat every small ache like a BFD because it likely could be.

Listen to your body.

Make sure you actively include rest days.

Cross train to include stretching or yoga and weights.

Focus specifically on any imbalances in form because that stuff wears you down over time. If you can afford it, massage. At a minimum, foam rolling and compression tights and socks post long runs. Try to run on softer surfaces if possible. If you can mentally endure it, the treadmill seems gentler on the body. It's hell on the mind though.

Make sure you don't have a strength imbalance. I got piriformis bad so now I specifically do a ton of adductor/abductor work and watch my stride carefully.


This one is controversial and I'm sure people will disagree, but I'm not a huge fan of weekly hill work/sprints during a marathon training. I'm no Olympian so I'm not going for speed, but I feel that when you are carefully navigating distance increases and your body is vulnerable, pounding it out is not a great idea. Others will say that this is a great compliment to distance training by using different muscle fibers. Figure that out for you.

There are a ton of great websites out there to cure what ails you! Good luck.

[SoonerTexan]

If you can afford it, massage.

That was my takeaway from marathon training..."I'm not doing this again until I have the money for a weekly massage and the time to nap after the long run like everyone else in my training group!"

[Bluejay]

Treat every small ache like a BFD because it likely could be.

What is a BFD? I'm not familiar with this term.

[rainbabies]

What is a BFD? I'm not familiar with this term.

Big fu*king deal?


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