How to Properly Deal with Common Injuries Involved in Training

Whether you are a professional runner training for a national competition or a newbie who is working your way to your first 3K run, having an injury during your training can be very challenging, both physically and emotionally. Lucky for you, on this blog, the experts at Valencia Sports Medicine will address some of these common training injuries and try to explain how to deal with them to help you get back on track faster.

5 Common Injuries from Physical Training

Let’s look at some of the most common injuries for athletes:

1. Achilles Tendonitis

Achilles tendonitis is, by far, one of the most common injuries for athletes. It happens because of overusing the Achilles tendon, which often results in inflammation. With continuous application of stress on the tendon, this injury is most likely to occur.

Athletes, who suddenly increase their activity levels without giving the body enough time to adjust, are at risk for this injury.

2. Patellar Tendonitis

Also called jumper’s knee, Patellar tendonitis occurs when you overuse your patellar tendon, which connects your kneecap to your shinbone. Like Achilles tendonitis, this happens when there is a sudden increase in the frequency and the intensity of the training.

3. Shin Splints

Otherwise called Medial Tibial stress syndrome, Shin splints is a condition, where the pain is present along the shinbone. It usually happens during race training because of the repetitive stress applied to the shinbone and to the other tissues that connect the muscles to the bone.

If you are a starting runner, you might be at a higher risk for this injury. However, running on uneven surfaces with sudden stops and starts may also trigger it.

4. Stress Fracture

Often characterized by tenderness and pain in the bones, stress fractures happen when there is repeated stress applied to the bones. Though this is very common when running long distances, it may also be the side effect of other underlying bone problems like osteoporosis.
Like most injuries experienced by athletes, stress fracture occurs when there is a rapid increase in the intensity and the duration of a training.

5. Runner’s Knee

Otherwise known as “Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome”, runner’s knee is a type of injury, wherein the cartilage under the kneecap is damaged, causing pain. You can tell if the pain is caused by a Runner’s Knee injury when you notice that as you walk down the stairs, the pain in your knee alleviates.

While it is often the result of an existing injury like bone dislocation or fracture, it can also be associated with frequent training.

Dealing with Common Training Injuries

Obviously, most of these running injuries happen when you overuse your muscles or there is repeated stress applied. Well, the good thing is that these conditions can be treated. Though getting adequate rest is advised, you can always go for various treatment options, such as acupuncture, chiropractic care, physical therapy, sports medicine, and cupping therapy.

Get Your Injuries Treated in Santa Clarita Valley

Even if injuries during training sessions are normal and may be inevitable, you can’t just let them win over you. Contact our Santa Clarita Valley sports medicine clinic today to schedule an appointment so that you can get back to training as soon as possible.