Are you a runner that has been sidelined with an injury? Have you been thinking about returning to running for fitness, or maybe a race? At Rose City Physical Therapy in Portland, Oregon, our team of physical therapists understands the physical, mental and emotional benefits of running. We use the current best evidence to guide your rehabilitation and return to running progressions to ensure you resolve your injury and get back to running without pain!
Running is one of the most popular ways to exercise and get into shape. And in Portland, with the presence of Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour, there are many professional runners that get others juices flowing and motivate them to get out there and run. For some, the goal is to get off the couch and complete a 5k or 10k race, or perhaps the Hood-to-Coast reply, whereas others just want to get outside and enjoy nature and feel the runner’s high. It seems like it should be straightforward, but some considerations need to be addressed.
Too often, novice runners make training errors that lead to injury, whereas experienced runners tend to ignore early signs of overuse and push themselves right into an injury. Fortunately, our physical therapists at Rose City Physical Therapy in Portland understand runners, resolve old wounds, and prevent new ones.
Set up an appointment today to have one of our running injury specialists’ physical therapists help you run pain-free!
Common running injuries
The popularity of running is a worldwide phenomenon, especially during the COVID pandemic. Some estimates indicate that around 50% (and as high as 80%) of runners experience an injury each year.
The risks for running are well documented, and research has consistently shown that what people perceive are the risks are not actually what is causing injuries. For example, runners believe the following reasons cause the following their injuries:
- Not stretching
- Not warming up
- Lack of strength
- Wearing the wrong shoes
- Excessive training
Out of the five reasons listed above, excessive training is the only one that puts a runner at a higher risk.
According to multiple studies, the main risk factors for runners are:
- Previous injury
- Lack of running experience
- Excessive weekly running distance
- A slow cadence (number of steps taken per minute)
- Over-striding
Our physical therapists understand how important running is to the individual and use education on running injuries and the early recognition of overuse symptoms to empower our runners to find solutions that work.
There is no doubt that if you are injured, your primary focus should be on completing rehabilitation with a physical therapist who specializes in running injuries. Once your injuries are resolved, a deliberate, focused return to run program will ensure a safe return to running.
If you are new to running or have not run in years, learning from our experts on how to go from the couch to a 5K and how to progress speed and distance can prevent future injuries and keep you running. And collaboration between a local running coach of running club is also high on our priority.
The majority of runner’s injuries (i.e., up to 80%) are overuse injuries. Although traumatic injuries like a rolled ankle or a broken bone from a fall do occur, these injuries don’t account for most running-related injuries.
The most common overuse runner’s injuries include the following:
- Runner’s knee (aka patellofemoral syndrome)
- Iliotibial band (aka IT band) syndrome
- Shin pain
- Plantar fasciitis
The most common running-related problems result from a mismatch between the tolerance of the tissue and the volume of load/forces caused by running. This is why having one of our specialists help is so beneficial; we can assess your body’s ability to handle loading and teach you how to manage it safely.
How physical therapy helps runners
A comprehensive evaluation includes a detailed history of previous injuries, how experienced the runner is, their weekly mileage, overall health, and individual goals. Assessment of the specific condition is critical to identify the impaired tissue and rule out other more severe conditions.
Our team of physical therapists are experts on movement and will perform tests to challenge the injured side and compare it to the non-injured side. For lower extremity injuries, testing strength, joint motion, and functional movements like squats, step-downs, and single-leg balancing activities can help identify deficits and weak links which can contribute to the injury and set the stage for the most effective treatment.
Our treatments focus on identifying what the runner can tolerate, beginning with strengthening and pain relief techniques. In this phase, manual therapy, instrument-assisted soft-tissue mobilization via ASTYM or Granton technique, and manual soft tissue mobilization to restore normal tissue mobility are often beneficial. We may also use modalities such as cold laser therapy.
Rose City Physical Therapy also uses the Alter-G decompression treadmill to help our runners keep up mileage while in rehab and begin a return-to-run program. The Alter-G treadmill was developed by engineers from NASA and used advanced technology to lift a runner and decrease body weight on their bones, joints, and soft tissues.
The differential air pressure technology allows precise adjustments of the runner’s body weight, up to 80% reduction, safe, pain-free running. Research shows that ground reaction forces and muscle strain are decreased, but mechanics for walking and running remain similar.
Our team uses evidence-informed treatment and advanced technology and methods to help runners safely return to what they love. We will educate you about your specific condition and use solutions that work so you don’t have to waste your time, and money, following the latest fad shoe or other equipment.
Call today to schedule an appointment.
We understand running and runners at Rose City Physical Therapy in Portland. We can help you resolve injuries, old and new, and guide you through a return to run protocol or a safe way to increase your mileage, using methods that work.
Contact us today to get answers and guidance so you can do what you love, run!
Sources:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6193581/
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00913847.2018.1507410
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2468781218301498
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6829001/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254621001150