Do You Run?
Running injuries are one of the most common set of injuries that I treat in my office. Running is both great for our bodies and hard for our bodies. I treat runners of all types from the weekend warriors to the hardcore marathon and triathlete competitors. No matter what level you are currently running at, you have most likely experienced some type of injury. As a Chiropractor I treat the injury as well as show patients how to best prevent injuries. Running injuries are treated with Chiropractic adjustments, which help to align the body structurally as well as provide muscular balance. This is key when running due to the constant pounding stress the body is under. As you increase mileage you must maintain proper muscle balance to prevent injury. The most common running injuries are knee pain, usually IT band syndrome, also known as patella tracking disorder. Other injuries I see commonly are foot pain, numbness in the feet or toes, low back pain, shoulder pain, headaches, shin splints and sciatica. All of these injuries are effectively treated utilizing chiropractic care.
ITB syndrome-Illiotibial band syndrome causes pain on the outside of the knee and gets worse as your mileage or speed increases. The IT band is a very strong band on the outside of your leg and attaches to the knee. If you run and you have muscle imbalance, meaning one side of your body is working harder than the other side, then the IT band on one side is going to be tighter than the other side. This tightness causes a pull on the knee. This increased stress on the knee causes the patella, knee cap, to pull to the side of the tight IT band. The patella is meant to track or glide evenly over the knee joint. When this doesn’t occur it causes inflammation, muscle strains, and pain in the knee. Treatments include chiropractic adjustments to properly align the lower body, massage to help decrease muscle tension, ice, rest, and stretching and exercises.