Running with Pain

Do You Know When to STOP?

Running with pain does not have to be inevitable, learn what you can do to keep those nagging pains at bay.

With the onset of pain either sudden or gradual, what do you do? Ignore the discomfort and hope it will go away only to be plagued with a never ending ache. How do you determine the difference between a normal ache and a serious long term injury?

With the stress and pounding of each stride, aches and pains are no strangers to runners. Too easily the pain is ignored until the injury prevents a runner from doing routine activities.

After reading any running website, forum or magazine, injuries are top on the discussion list. Along with the injuries is the cause, which typically is from overuse. Consider shin splints, runner's knee, tendonitis, plantar fasciitis and stress fractures, the commonality among all of these is too much too soon. Although injuries come with the territory of running, a majority of long term injuries could have been prevented.

The typical scenario is a steady increase in training and you are in excellent shape. Then after or during a run you feel either gradual or sudden discomfort, yet the pain is ignored because you have worked hard to achieve your level of fitness. The warning signs are ignored and the necessary prevention steps are sidelined. So instead of backing down the intensity or mileage for a few days because of an up coming race or not wanting to lose out on fitness, further stress is endured.

Often it takes 6 months after an injury for a runner to seek professional help. Unfortunately, ignoring the symptoms for only a couple of days can be the difference between a speedy recovery or a chronic injury. Instead of letting the injury stop your training and racing schedule, visit the Running Doctor with the first sign of pain and you will be glad you did.

What about running with pain during a race? Should you complete it? The real question is whether you want to grit through a race in order to finish or take yourself out of training for a month? The advice remains the same whether an easy training run or an important race.

What to do after the initial aches and pains?

With the joy of running comes running with pain and all runners are deeply familiar with the feeling. Track workouts, hill repeats, long runs, marathons and ultra-marathons all show that runners thrive on pain. A general weakness or leg pain is typical after a tough workout, not to worry. But a more centralized location may be cause of concern.

With all the conflicting information, the best advice is to be in tune with your body. Use common sense to read the body's initial warning signs. Pain is an obvious red flag, whether an ache, tightness, gradual or sudden. To reduce losing out on training and races, immediate treatment is essential.

Keep Moving

If the injury is tissue related, remaining active is important. Continual blood flow and movement encourages healing. Instead of completely stopping, consider lessening the intensity and running on softer surfaces. Although most paths in the Peachtree City and Fayetteville area are asphalt, this is a better surface than concrete. The best surface is dirt or grass. If the pain affects your walking and normal range of motion or if it is severe, stop. If the injury is a stress fracture, the condition will only worsen with every step.

To Run or Stop? Steps to Running Success

When the pain begins, take action and stop the injury in its initial stages. Depending on the pain and severity, listen to your body and seek professional help. Begin the action plan below and you will be on your way to recovery before the injury gets a chance at slowing you down.

With the initial feeling of discomfort, document the feeling and the location. If the pain does not interfere with your stride (no limping or overcompensating) continue training for three days. In the meantime stretch adequately and apply ice. Also elevate the area if possible.

Evaluate your current training regime. Are your shoes over 500 miles? Are you wearing correct shoes or do you need more support from custom orthotics? Have you taken a down week in the past month? Is your body simply telling you it needs a few easy days?

Whether injured or not, a training log is very useful. Writing down mileage, time, workouts and how you feel will greatly help in both injury avoidance and what works for you. Whether you run 10 miles a week or 100, a log will help you know what mileage is right for you and your daily schedules.

If the discomfort does not diminish, take the next step. Be proactive and begin treatment at the Fayetteville Running Doctor's clinic.

For the next three days, slow your pace and only do easy runs. Consider running alone if you have trouble slowing down with groups. If a week passes and your pain is gone, then maybe your body simply needed to adjust to the training. If the discomfort persists, do not hesitate to seek professional attention and take the next step.

For the next week, reduce your overall weekly to half of the previous week. If you want to maintain your fitness, cross train with an activity that does not aggravate the injury. Biking, elliptical, aqua jogging or swimming laps are all options depending on the location and severity of the pain. Still in pain after two week?

More drastic actions are in order. You should have sought out professional help by now. Your focus should turn to recovery mode rather than the next training phase. The persistent pain is a message to your body and it needs downtime to heal. Begin rehabilitation and correcting any biomechanical or imbalance discrepancies. Finding the root cause is essential and treating the issue is needed to prevent a relapse. Too often an injury may subside with time, only to return as soon as the intensity increases again.

Running Pain Free

Whenever a twinge or ache strikes, ask yourself would you rather back down for a day or two or for weeks? The worst thing to tell a runner is to stop running. Dr. Thomas' goal is to not have to say those words and to keep you training. Next time the pain begins to creep up, stop it in its tracks and make an appointment with the Running Doctor 770-460-1911.

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