Common Causes of Injuries
- Overuse Injuries:
- Account for 70-80% of running related injuries
- Repetitive movement or activity that puts a certain tissue or body part under more stress or strain than it is able to comfortably tolerate.
- Patellofemoral joint reaction force
| Activity | Load Across Front of knee |
| Walking | 0.9 x body weight |
| Going down stairs | 2.8 x body weight |
| Going up stairs | 3.2 x body weight |
| Running | 5.2 x body weight |
- Training load:
- Improper rest and training duration
- Improper Training programs: no stretching, no progressive loading
- Improper Footwear
- Poor Biomechanics: Flat foot or high arch foot
What does Physio can do and suggest?
The Physiotherapist will make a detailed assessment, consider your training plan and what you are aiming to achieve, and be able to assess your movement patterns, strength, flexibility, and running technique.
- Stretching & strength and conditioning can be a really important factor, and often overlooked.
- Rest can be as important as running and is an absolutely vital consideration in your training program. Some balance in the overall load to your body also is part of the running components
- Therapist will advice about proper running form while this can be a bit of minefield and the truth is that there is no ‘one fits all’ approach. Most appropriate shoes for you will depend on your foot shape, width, running style and the type of running and distance you want to run.
It is clear from the research that the only way to improve or change a certain running style, is by retraining the runner to use a different pattern. These gait retraining programs usually have 3 phases (Louw, 2023):
- Phase 1: This phase takes a lot of thinking and concentrating as you learn the new pattern. You usually have to use feedback from devices or video to help keep you on track and make adjustments.
- Phase 2: During this phase you consolidate and practice your new pattern and you usually become progressively less reliant on feedback from devices etc.
- Phase 3: This is when the new running gait pattern has been practised so much that you can maintain it without having to think about it.
References
Complete Physio. (n.d.). Retrieved from Complete-physio.co.uk: https://complete-physio.co.uk/fix-knee-pain-when-running/
Donohue, M. (2023, April 17). Runner’s Knee. Retrieved from Healthline: https://www.healthline.com/health/runners-knee
Jean-Francois Esculier, L. J.-S. (2022). Running gait modifications can lead to immediate reductions in patellofemoral pain. Front Sports Act Living, 4: 1048655.
Leandro Fukusawa, R. S. (June 2020). There is no difference in footstrike pattern distribution in recreational runners with or without anterior knee pain. Gait & Posture, Volume 79, Pages 16-20.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2020.03.020
Louw, M. (2023, May 9). Running style tips that can help patello-femoral pain (runner’s knee). Retrieved from Sports Injury Physio: https://www.sports-injury-physio.com/post/running-style-tips-that-can-help-patello-femoral-pain-runner-s-knee#:~:text=Patello%2Dfemoral%20pain%20(or%20pain,mechanics%20and%20decreased%20muscle%20strength.
Neurohr, S. M. (2019). Evidence based treatment options for common knee injuries in runners. Ann Transl Med, 7(Suppl 7): S249.
Teh Qi Shun
Your Physio Alam Damai