Pain While Running is NOT Normal!

Are you a runner that thinks pain is a normal part of running? Do you find you keep running and that pesky pain is slowly getting worse, but you keep trying to ignore it? Have you already gotten to that point where that pain is no longer something you can ignore, but you don’t want to stop running, so now it is bothering you even in your daily life? 

If the answer to any of these questions is “yes!”, it may be time to seek out a physical therapist, hopefully when you are closer to the first of those questions, but especially if you answered yes to all of those questions.

Whether or not you have seen a doctor, if you have pain that starts slowly with no specific injury and has continued to worsen, you may be told you have an “overuse” injury. The term “overuse” injury can be confusing. A majority of the time, the term “misuse” may be more appropriate. Have you or anyone you know experienced an injury and taken some time off from training, only to return and have that same issue come back? It is very common and nothing to be ashamed of, but it should be used as a sign for you to seek proper treatment to prevent falling into this vicious cycle. 

While recovery is very important and it is very possible that rest and allowing tissues to recover may resolve your symptoms, there is usually another component that is overlooked. Most of the time, injuries occur because of an issue with mechanics. This may stem from muscle imbalances, or maybe just a change in biomechanics that has led to increased strain on a body part that has led it to the point of injury. Most of the time, these alterations in your mechanics are small, but compounded over time, particularly those that are training many miles a week, can lead to the breakdown of tissues. (Avoid falling into the cycle of ‘misuse’ injuries by joining our Running Academy to learn the best techniques and strategies for staying healthy on your runs)

If you experience an injury, it will likely be in your favor to seek out a physical therapist who can check your mobility, strength, and mechanics to fully assess if your injury occurred from purely overtraining, or is there more involved that has led to this injury. Physical therapists are experts at assessing the body for assessing movement patterns. They may be able to see something that has led to your injury that you cannot see yourself. If you see a running specialist at Smith Physical Therapy+, they are trained to look at running technique and see if there is something in running form that may have led to this pain and injury, and they will work on you with appropriate strengthening, mobility, and running drills to address the root cause of the pain to prevent it from returning.