What are Runners’ Injuries?

While there are many health benefits to running or jogging, the repetitive motion involved (particularly when you’re logging hundreds of miles or more each week) can cause damage to your muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons in your feet, ankles, knees, calves, thighs, hips, and even your back.

This range of issues can vary from minor bruising and swelling to more serious injuries such as torn muscles or fractured bones. Here is a list of common injuries that you may have which will need treatment. It’s important to correctly diagnose the specific type of injury you may have.

Types of Runners’ Injuries

Gotham Footcare can treat all of the following medical conditions:

Achilles Tendinopathies

This condition occurs when there is an injury to the Achilles tendon, which connects the calf to the heel. It’s caused by overusing the Achilles tendon, which is common for runners, particularly if they are wearing incorrect shoes, have incorrect running techniques, have changed their running routine, or are running on hard or sloped surfaces. This can lead to Achilles tendonitis.

Signs include pain, swelling, and stiffness in the tendon.

Metatarsalgia

This condition manifests with pain and inflammation on the ball of your foot, usually from overuse or repetition (which is common in running).

Signs you have metatarsalgia include sharp pain in the ball of your foot, located just behind your toes on the bottom of your foot, shooting pain or numbness in your toes, feeling like you’re walking on a rock, or increasing pain when you try and run that goes away when you’re off your feet.

Fat Pad Syndrome

This is a condition that affects your knee and causes pain due to pinching of the soft tissue under your kneecap (patella) and either the thigh bone or shin bones. This can be an extremely painful condition because of the cluster of nerves around the area.

Signs of fat pad atrophy include swelling around the knee, pain straightening the knee all the way down the leg, pain during long periods of walking, kicking, or squatting, or pain while wearing certain kinds of shoes like high heels.

Plantar Fasciitis

One of the most common injuries to your foot, plantar fasciitis refers to irritation or degeneration in the fascia, or tissue, that is on the bottom of your foot.

Signs of this condition include slowly developing pain or a burning sensation on the bottom of your foot, pain under your heel or midfoot, increased sensitivity when you get up in the morning, or pain after being on your feet for a while.

Stress Fracture

This condition is when a hairline crack forms in one or more bones of your foot, in your heel, or in your lower leg, though it can occur elsewhere. It usually happens because of the repetitive impact from running on your foot.

Signs you may have a stress fracture include swelling, bruising, tendering, or slowly increasing pain in the affected area at all times of the day.

Benefits of Treatments for Runners’ Injuries

While running in and of itself shouldn’t be harmful, there are still proper running techniques to learn and follow that will help minimize possible injuries.

It’s also important to slowly increase the distance you run so as not to put extra stress on your body. Treating your running injury does more than just ease pain or restore range of motion - it allows you to keep running. It can also reduce the chances for a more serious injury that may take years to recover from, keeping you from an activity that you love.

Recovery from Runners’ Injuries

While there is a wide variety of medical issues that can confront runners, most of them require time to heal. This is because the health of our feet, ankles, knees, and legs is essential to our continued mobility.

Whatever treatment plan your doctor at Gotham Footcare curates for you, it is designed to carefully restore function to whatever ailment you have. This means that the timeline will usually take from a few weeks to several months long. It’s important to be patient with yourself to have a successful recovery.

Runners Injuries FAQs

Do I have a runner’s injury?

Generally speaking, you will likely experience aching and soreness from your regular routine of running, so it’s important to pay attention to your body when the pain doesn’t subside, or is always present, particularly when at the beginning of a workout. You may also notice a loss of motion or sharp pains associated with certain movements.

If you do not break up your running with other kinds of workouts, then there is also a good chance the constant repetitive motion of running - especially on hard surfaces - may begin to wear and tear on your body.

How much does it cost to treat runners’ injuries?

Depending on the severity of your injury, the location, and the type of treatment needed, the cost will change from person to person. Most medical injuries are covered at least in part if not in full by your insurance provider.

However, if you do not have insurance or may struggle with your deductible, there are payment plans or financing available. Make sure to ask about these options during your consultation at Gotham Footcare.

Your First Step to Getting Better

At Gotham Footcare in NYC, we strive at recognizing your individual needs and desired outcomes while formulating an effective and personalized treatment plan with the highest quality care available.

What sets Gotham Footcare apart from other podiatry offices is our dedication to providing you with the education you need to make well-informed decisions regarding your care. Regardless of what your foot and ankle trouble may be, at Gotham Footcare our team will work tirelessly to help you feel better. At Gotham Footcare, we help you put your best foot forward.

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Runners’ InjuriesIn NYC