Running is a weight-bearing exercise, which helps strengthen your musculoskeletal system. It also helps improve joint stability, but if not practised properly, it can cause substantial damage and injuries to the joints, tendons, and other vital components that make up that system.

While we know running is good for us, it’s hard to get motivated about lacing up your shoes and knocking out a couple of kilometres, when you know as soon as you take a few strides… the pain will appear. More importantly, you could be doing more harm than good. Here’s a list of 10 common injuries that can cause you pain while running:

1) Hip Flexor Tendonitis

Hip flexor tendonitis, also known as iliopsoas tendonitis or hip flexor tendinopathy, causes pain and tenderness in the front of your hip. Hip tendonitis is most common in athletes who participate in sports like running, cycling, swimming, and dancing. You may notice a dull ache in the upper part of your thigh when raising your leg up at the beginning of your stride.

2) Patellar Tendonitis

Patellar tendonitis is an injury to the tendon connecting your kneecap to your shinbone. The patellar tendon works with the muscles at the front of your thigh to extend your knee so that you can run, jump, and kick. Patellar tendinopathy is primarily a condition of relatively young athletes who participate in sports such as basketball, volleyball, tennis, football, and athletic jumping events, which require repetitive loading on the patellar tendon. You may feel this kind of pain when your foot hits the ground with each stride.

3) Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS)

The IT band is a thick band of connective tissue that runs along the outside of your leg from the hip to the shinbone. You may feel a dull pain on the outside of your knee when swinging your leg forward.

4) Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

Patellofemoral pain syndrome is a condition that describes pain felt behind your kneecap, where the kneecap articulates with your thigh bone. This joint is known as your patellofemoral joint. Patellofemoral pain syndrome is mainly caused by excessive patellofemoral joint pressure. You may feel this type of pain when climbing hills and stairs or after sitting for long periods of time.

5) Hamstring Tendonitis or Tears

Hamstring tendonitis occurs when the soft tissues that connect the muscles of the back thigh to the pelvis, knee, and lower legs become inflamed. When hamstring tendons are overused or misused, tiny tears occur, causing inflammation and pain. You may feel a dull irritation behind your knee or up higher by the glutes right after you swing your leg forward, just before your foot hits the ground.

6) Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (Shin Splints)

Shin splints are caused by irritation of the posterior tibialis muscle and/or tendon due to over-pronation and poor ankle and foot strength/stability. You may feel an ache in the inside of your shins and/or ankle right after your foot hits the ground.

7) Tibial Stress Fracture

Tibial Stress Fractures are usually caused by a sudden increase in training volume, intensity, and frequency. You may feel deep, poorly localised pain along your shinbone that increases with the impact from running, jumping or hopping.

8 ) Ankle Sprain

An ankle sprain occurs when the foot rolls, in most cases, inwards and damages the ligaments on the outside of your foot. This is often caused by poor ankle stability when running on rugged terrain. Stiffness is another complication of ankle sprains and usually a consequence of excessive swelling or inflammation.

9) Achilles’ Tendonitis

Achilles’ Tendonitis occurs most commonly as a result of overuse in repetitive loading activities, such as running and jumping. The pain is typically worse at the start of exercise and decreases thereafter. Stiffness of the ankle may also be present. You may feel pain under or at your heel or along the lower part of your calf when landing or pushing off the ground with each stride.

10) Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain. It involves inflammation of a thick band of tissue that runs across the bottom of your foot and connects your heel bone to your toes. You may feel pain in your heel or bottom of your foot when your foot hits the ground or when your foot pushes off to propel yourself forward.

Running just isn’t as enjoyable when it’s painful. If you feel like you might have any of the aches and pains above, feel free to contact us to talk about how we can help get you back on track – Pain free.