Running Into Health and Away from Ankle Injury with Physical Therapy
Did you know that running for as little as 75 minutes a week (that’s a little more than 10 minutes a day) could boost your lifespan by about 12 years? Sounds pretty great, right? Running is an incredible way to stay fit and strong well into your "seasoned years.” Of course, runners of all skill levels and ages can encounter injuries, and it can be frustrating when those injuries drive you off track. About 80 percent of running injuries come from repetitive stress, but another 20 percent can come from sudden trips or falls. It’s probably not surprising that leg and foot injuries are the most common runners’ injuries, as one of our determined patients knows all too well.
Physical Therapy for Ankle Injuries from Running
Meet our client, Molly. She is a runner who loves empanadas and is a fierce competitor on her high school cross-country and track-and-field teams. “I am very passionate about running,” says Molly. “So, anytime I am struggling with an injury, I want to fix it as fast as I can and get back into running shape and keep competing.”
Like a lot of runners, Molly has frequently dealt with both ankle injuries and shin splints. After coming to A Life in Balance for PT to alleviate both of those issues, she learned some valuable tips for cutting her downtime: “I learned that you have to strengthen every part of your body to perform at your highest capacity.” By doing this, Molly has been able to spend more time running and less time recovering, which is what she hopes to pass on to other runners.
Understanding the “Why” of Running Injuries
Speaking of which, Molly and our other running clients have been instrumental in inspiring us to develop the injury prevention program here at ALIB in Flemington. One of the first steps to preventing future injuries and staying active is to examine why a previous injury happened or kept happening.
“Most of my injuries have been the result of over-training or falling and rolling my ankle,” explains Molly. “My ankle injuries are sprains that repeatedly happen during cross-country season. It becomes bruised and swollen to the point where it hurts to walk and run.”
“When it came to my shins, I would have pain when running fast or running on hard surfaces, and that pain would grow as time went on until it became unbearable, and I could not run. Both of these injuries seriously affected my ability to participate in the sport that I love.”
What we discovered with Molly is that, as she was over-training, she was also not engaging her core muscles enough. This is a common problem for many runners and one that we were able to help Molly with.
Injury Prevention PT Keeps Runners on Track
By understanding how these injuries kept happening to Molly’s ankles and shins, we were able to collaborate with her on a PT program that helped her get the pain relief and healing she needed to regain her running momentum. We also worked with her on a training strategy that would help her avoid future injuries. And now that Molly has learned that she needs to keep a strong core to keep running without pain, planks are her favorite exercise!
“Going to physical therapy has changed the way I run for the better and has allowed me to continue to do what I love without restrictions. I can maintain a high mileage and maintain my speed along with being able to compete with my teammates,” she says enthusiastically.
February Functional Movement Challenge
Speaking of staying consistent, Molly and everyone here at ALIB want to invite you to join our monthly functional movement challenge! For February, we’re challenging everyone to see how many physical therapist-approved hip hinges you can do in 30 seconds every day! Hip hinges are a great way for anyone (including runners) to strengthen the core, hips, hamstrings, and glutes! And yes, we have adaptations for all skill and fitness levels:
If you’re new to hip hinges, use a dowel to maintain the proper form.
If you can maintain the proper form with hip hinges, go without the dowel.
If that’s too easy, try doing as many deadlifts as you can in 30 seconds.
For our athletes out there, try to do as many single-leg deadlifts as you can!
Molly is excited about this one: “This exercise is important for me because it allows me to compete in the sport I love and finish my high school season off strong before continuing in college!”
Reach out to us on Facebook or Instagram about how you’re doing in the challenge, or if you need advice for doing the exercise in the proper form!
Inspiration for Overcoming a Running Injury
Whether you are a long-time runner who is struggling with over-training injuries, or a new runner with new aches and pains that threaten to keep you away from this incredibly beneficial exercise, Molly has some inspiration and advice: “I know it's hard to not be able to do what you're passionate about, but putting in the work and staying consistent will allow you to get back to what you love and continue getting better. PT has really affected my life for the better, and it has allowed me to stay fit.”
If you are struggling with any kind of injury that keeps you from doing the activities you are passionate about, please reach out to us and schedule an appointment for physical therapy in Flemington today!
