Tips to avoid injury

Press, 24 April 1986, Page 9

Tips to avoid injury

MARGARET BAKER

talks to a

podiatrist about common runners’ injuries.

No matter how well your shoes fit, how much stretching you do, how fit you are and how you hold your tongue when you run, most runners seem to suffer some kind of injury at some time during their illustrious running careers. The most commonly affected areas are, naturally enough, the foot, shin and knee (running into lampposts and trees is regrettable but more a concern of the mind rather than the body). Christchurch podiatrist. Grey Coyle, has outlined the most common injuries, and given a few hints as to how some can be avoided. Foot • The major long planter ligament can become strained at the attachment to the heel, causing inflammation. This is one of the most common running injuries. • Achilles tendonitis —' this can be avoided by adequate training, stable shoes, and plenty of stretching of the calf muscles and Achilles ten-

don before and after running. • Small joints in the arch foot held together by - ligaments can become strained, along with ligaments. • Sprained ankles — these occur most commonly where the heel turns violently towards the inside body, damaging the ligaments outside the ankle and the two ankle joints themselves. The first thing to do is put ice on the area for 15 minutes, and compress it with tight bandaging to prevent bleeding inside the ankle. Elevate the foot. Repeat the ice every three hours. An X-ray is not necessary immediately, but get medical advice as necessary. • Arch muscles can be torn, and the big toe strained. This could be caused by incorrect footwear or the alignment of the foot. • The second, third and fourth metatarsals, (long bones in the foot) may crack if stressed abnormally, resulting in a stress fracture.

• Older runners may develop bunion problems which can be painful and produce swelling. • The ball joints of the foot can be easily bruised if the cushioning in the shoe is not adequate. • Toe nails can cause friction and pressure, which may be caused by a short shoe or the foot sliding forward into the shoe. Ingrown toenails can easily become infected. Shin • The most common problem is shin splints, which are associated with incorrect balance and faulty mechanics in the foot. There are several degrees of severity of splints. The muscles can be slightly strained where they attach to the covering of the bone; the covering of the bone can be lifted, causing bleeding; or a piece of bone actually being pulled off. This is the most severe form and is another type of stress fracture. The muscles along the inside leg slow the foot down as it absorbs the shock, and if the shoe is worn down on the inside the foot is unable to resist rolling and the muscles attached at the lower leg become strained in various, degrees. • If you have a tend-

ency to run on the inside or outside of the foot the tendons around the ankle can become injured due to this positioning. Knee • Runner’s knee — the undersurface of the kneecap becomes damaged and inflamed, and is irritated by slde-to-side movement of the kneecap on the knee joint If the knee rotates internally at heel strike, this creates an angle which affects the pull of thigh muscles and sets up a cycle of pain: Inhibition of the muscles which place the knee, knee instability, more pain, more inhibition ... • Illiotibial band syndrome — this pain does not involve the knee joint but one of the large ligament structures which traverse the outside of the knee. This band becomes swollen and rubs with friction against the knee joint and can be very distressing. Blisters Blisters are caused by friction between the skin and the shoe or the skin and the bone. Anywhere there is any excess movement of the skin against a resisting force, a blister will develop.