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What do my symptoms tell me about my injury?

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What do my symptoms tell me about my injury?

By Steve Manning – Podiatrist BPod (Hons), Level 4 Coach

Injury is an unfortunate side effect of running.  Every runner who trains consistently will eventually have to deal with an injury.  When pain occurs bad enough for you to reduce or stop training then your niggle may have progressed to an injury.

 

However, you can not stop running at every incidence of aching muscles. The training principle of overload states that for adaptation to occur you need to stress your body beyond its accustomed level of stress. The result may be aches and pains.

 

In fact there is some evidence that “No Pain – No Gain” is true. A research study had runners sprinting downhill to cause delayed onset muscle soreness. They gave half the runners pain medication then had them do the same downhill sprint session 2 weeks later. The group who had the pain relief had the same symptoms and the group who went through the pain process had reduced pain the second time.

 

Another example of this is the remodeling of your bones that comes with training. When you stress a bone with an increased training load it responds by trying to make itself stronger to better cope with the increased stress in the future. This “normal” bone stress may show up on an MRI as patchy whiteness in the cortex. You may not have any pain when running but have some bone pain on palpation. However, if runners have inadequate recovery from their hard sessions then the bone stress can become pathological and cause pain when exercising. If runners ignore this pain and push through it then the bone stress becomes a stress fracture that will show white patches in the cavity inside the bone on an MRI. Continued running with a stress fracture can even lead to a complete fracture on rare occasions.

 

The real difficulty is figuring out when you are experiencing normal pain and when you have an injury. 

 

What may start as normal post exercise pain can start to hurt when running and stick around and hurt at other times.  The sooner an injury is addressed the less time you will have off from your normal running routine.  Early, accurate diagnosis from a sports medicine professional is critical to making sure that the correct intervention is applied to get you back running ASAP.

Here are some questions you need to ask about your symptoms to determine if you can manage the injury yourself or need to seek help.

1. How did the injury start?  Was there a traumatic event like a fall or sprain that proceeded it?  Did it happen within 6 weeks of a significant increase in training?  Did it have a sudden onset without any reason?   Pain related to an acute event is more likely to need proper evaluation.

2. How much does it hurt?  Is there significant pain when running that makes you start limping or forces you to stop?  Does the pain wake you at night or hurt during the day?  This level of pain will require an effective treatment plan to resolve.

3. Is the injury getting better or worse?  All injuries have a lifecycle.  Acute injuries either heal or progress to the chronic phase. With mild pain you may be able to manage it yourself with Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation (RICE).  If this self treatment has been ineffective then an accurate diagnosis will be needed.

4. How long has it been hurting?  Niggles and minor injuries go away quickly with a short reduction in training.  Pain that sticks around for more than 2 weeks, even if minor, should be checked out with someone who understands running injuries.

Getting help with your injuries is the first step in getting back to running and preventing future injuries.  Not all injuries follow the same symptom pathway.  While diagnosis is critical to creating the best treatment plan it is also important to understand the factors that led to the injury in the first place.  We do not want to just cure the injury, we should also be focused on preventing it from occurring again.

 

Addressing injuries is crucial for returning to running and preventing further setbacks. Injuries often vary in presentation, and I frequently see runners with issues ranging from hip discomfort to foot pain. Early consultation is key to avoiding worsening conditions. Schedule an appointment with me at the intraining Clinic in Indooroopilly.

Steve Manning 1

Steve Manning Podiatrist BPod (Hons), Level 4 Coach

Steve Manning, a podiatrist at the iHealth Centre in Indooroopilly, specializes in running-related lower limb injuries. He is also available for footwear consultations at Athlete’s Foot Indooroopilly on Thursday evenings. As the Coaching Director of the intraining Running and Triathlon Club, Steve offers expertise on super shoes, injury prevention, and tailored running programs to optimize your training.