Tag: injuries

IT band syndrome – what is it and how you recover?

Posted on by Mohsin Salya

Hi, and welcome back to the Mohsin Salya blog.

Have you ever been on a run, and started to feel an ache down the outside of your thigh? And has the pain got steadily worse – usually by the side of your knee – until you can’t run any more? If so, then there’s a good chance you’ve fallen victim to IT band syndrome. It’s an incredibly common complaint among runners – both amateur and experienced – but it can side line you for weeks at a time if you don’t pick it up early.

A problem area

So, first things first – what on earth is your IT band, and what happens when things go wrong? Well, the iliotibial (IT) band is the long length of ligament that runs all the way down the outside of your thigh from your hip to your shin. The IT band attaches to your knee and helps to keep it stable as it moves – but it can sometimes become tight or inflamed.

There are a few things that can cause this – running up and down hills, running on surfaces that are banked, causing your foot to turn inwards, or just overdoing it. The key is to make sure you rest as soon as you start feeling the ache on the side of your knee – either a complete break for a few days or just fewer miles. In terms of treatment, rest, foam rollering the IT band or deep tissue massage is recommended.

Avoiding the problem

Luckily, there are also a few ways to avoid getting it in the first place – don’t run on concrete, banked surfaces or on hills (where possible, for a while at least).  Another tip I’ve heard is to run in the middle of the road, where you’re not running with your foot banked on the camber for miles, but obviously this carries its own risks, so I wouldn’t recommend it.

The best piece of advice I can give is to warm up properly – a good walk before you run always does the trick – and don’t try and run through the pain if it does happen to you.

Until the next time,

Mohsin Salya

Should I Try Acupuncture?

Posted on by Mohsin Salya

Hi there, and welcome back to the Mohsin Salya blog.

Running can be very rewarding, helping you lead a healthier lifestyle. However, you put a lot of strain on your muscles when you run, and it’s crucial that you find ways to deal with it, otherwise you could do some damage. People try various techniques to alleviate sore muscles, one of which is acupuncture. To find out if acupuncture could be the right solution for you, carry on reading.

Handling muscle cramps

Muscle cramps are often a reality for runners, especially those of the long distance variety. There are two kinds of running muscle cramps you need to be aware of, the first of which is muscle overloading. This is where you overuse your calf muscles, as they’re the ones you depend on most for running, and this leads to painful fatigue cramps. The second is electrolyte imbalance muscle cramp which affects all muscle groups and is caused by excessive sweating – a common by-product of running.

If you don’t manage muscle cramps, there could be consequences later down the road that stop you from running. Obviously proper hydration management is key to dealing with an electrolyte imbalance muscle cramp, so you have enough fluids to replace lost sweat. For muscle overloads, you can try stretches and massages, improving the blood flow to your calf muscles so they can get some relief.

Warming up and down

It’s important to create a personalised warm up and cool down strategy. This will prepare your muscles for the rigours of running and stop any injuries from getting worse. It doesn’t take long to warm up – you can prepare your body for running in five minutes. Exercises such as ‘knee lift hip rotations’ (where you extend one leg out from your body 15 times, then repeat for the other leg) are a great way to warm up.

Cooling down’s not quite as straight forward. You should base your cool down strategy on the amount of time you spent running. If you had a gentle jog, a five minute stretch should do it, while if you’ve just completed a marathon, it’s a good idea to put aside a few hours for cooling down. Doing stretches after you run gives them time to recover, and replenish both lost energy and essential fluids.

Runners and acupuncture

But sometimes doing regular warm ups and cool downs isn’t enough. Just think of how much strain you can put on your muscles by using them every day, especially if you’re training for a marathon, where it’s common to run tens of miles in a single session. You’ll need to take some extra measures to keep your muscles in tip top shape, and industry source Runner’s World suggests that you try acupuncture.

So what exactly is acupuncture? Acupuncture is a medical practice which originated in the Ancient Chinese medical tradition. It works by stimulating key points in your body, most typically by using a needle to penetrate your skin, providing you with pain relief. It’s also employed to treat certain medical conditions, ranging from migraines to insomnia.

But how much can it help a runner? A lot, according to the experts Runner’s World spoke to. The publication notes that the needles used in acupuncture produce a large amount of anti-inflammatories, so it can be used to treat various running-related conditions. The treatment can also promote better blood flow to a muscle, allowing it to access the oxygen and nutrients needed to enable healing. It’s common for many elite runners to go in for a 30 minute acupuncture session each week, and you can see real results after about three weeks.

Is acupuncture right for you?

Yes, acupuncture can be great for runners, as it’s known to relieve muscle cramps, promoting better performance, but is it right for you? It definitely gives you the ability to embrace endurance running. But it’s best to speak to medical experts before trying ‘alternative’ treatments such as acupuncture, just to be on the safe side, as it may not be appropriate for everyone. But it is a great way to take care of your muscles and be the best runner possible!

Until the next time,

Mohsin Salya

What Are The Signs of Overtraining?

Posted on by Mohsin Salya

Hi there – welcome back to the Mohsin Salya blog.

Like all things that are good for you, running is good in moderation. If you clock up the miles too quickly without letting your body recover properly, you could end up tired, injured or in extreme cases chronically sick. In this post I’ll be sharing tips on how to spot the signs of overtraining.

What is overtraining?           

Put simply, overtraining occurs when the intensity and/or frequency of your runs exceeds your body’s ability to recover from the training load. There is a risk of seriously hurting yourself if you do this for a long period of time. Overtraining can affect you mentally, physically and emotionally, and every runner is at risk – whether you are a beginner or a professional. It’s more common for serious runners to go too far and overtrain, especially if they are aiming to hit a specific goal or preparing for an important race.

However, there’s no need to panic. If you only run three or four times per week at an easy pace, the chances are you aren’t at risk of overtraining. But, if you also run a lot and workout at the gym, then there are a few signs of overtraining to watch out for.

What are the signs of overtraining?       

  • Poor performance – if your running performance has suffered despite all of your hard effort. This is most noticeable when you feel your training is going according to plan, but your usual runs suddenly feel too hard.
  • Persistent aches and injuries – Even though soreness and stiffness are part of being a runner, you must not ignore the aches and injuries that just won’t go away. When you are overtraining, your body doesn’t get enough time to recover between runs, and so you start to train in a weakened state.
  • Insomnia – You may notice your sleep pattern becomes disturbs – this is due to the impact overtraining has on your body’s natural biorhythms. Other symptoms will include lethargy, waking up much earlier than usual or having difficulty sleeping or staying asleep.
  • Loss of appetite – If your appetite has diminished somewhat lately, then this could be another sign of overtraining. As a result, you’ll notice unwanted weight loss, so this is something else to watch out for during your training stages.
  • Lack of motivation – It’s important to note that there is a difference between occasional wanting to skip a run and suddenly becoming disinterested. In some extreme cases, you might lose interest in running altogether.
  • Chronic sickness – A quite obvious sign of overtraining is a high susceptibility to illness. Overtraining will hamper your immune system, which will leave you with more illnesses than usual. In particular, repeated bouts of colds, the flu and other viruses.

Overtraining is not clear cut, and so please bear in mind that none of these symptoms will be a definite indicator of overtraining. If you’re worried that you may be overtraining, it’s best to decrease the number and intensity of your workouts immediately and seek advice from a healthcare professional.

Until next time,

Mohsin Salya

The Most Common Running Injuries

Posted on by Mohsin Salya

Hi there and welcome back to the Mohsin Salya blog.

It’s a fact of life that if you’re a runner, there’s a good chance of injury at some point. Some estimate that up to 80 per cent of runners are injured at some point each year. With a statistic like that, it’s a good idea to get clued up on the different kinds of injury you could potentially fall victim to, as well as how to prevent them and treat them.

In this post I’ll be taking a brief look at each common injury, so that you know the essentials if you’re ever affected.

Runners Knee

Prevalence rate: 40%

Symptoms: Irritation of the cartilage under the kneecap

Causes:

  • Any extra pressure on the knee
  • Long runs
  • Extended sitting
  • Descending hills or stairs

Treatment:

  • Reduce mileage
  • Avoid downhill running
  • Train using: elliptical, bike, pool

Prevention:

  • Shorten your stride
  • Land with your knee slightly bent
  • Stretch your hip flexors
  • Strengthen glutes

Plantar Fasciitis

Prevalence rate: 15%

Symptoms: The tendons and ligaments running from your heels to your toes receive small tears or inflammation

Causes:

  • Very high or very low arches
  • Pronation (foot rolls inwards)
  • Supination (foot rolls outwards)
  • Long periods of standing
  • Weak core strength

Treatment:

  • Ease up on running until fully recovered
  • Ice the affected area
  • Use a foam roller

Prevention:

  • Increase core strength
  • Wear the proper shoes for your foot type
  • Stretch your arches

Achilles Tendonitis

Prevalence rate: 11%

Symptoms: The tendon that connects your calf and heel becomes tight and irritated

Causes:

  • Dramatically increased training
  • Weak calves

Treatment:

  • Stop all running
  • Apply ice regularly

Prevention:

  • Do calf raises
  • Avoid excessive calf training
  • Avoid wearing high heels or flip flops for long periods of time

Iliotibial Band Syndrome

Prevalence rate: 12%

Symptoms: The band that runs along the outside of your leg from the hip to the knee becomes irritated and achy

Causes:

  • Increased mileage too quickly
  • Lots of downhill running

Treatment:

  • Reduce mileage
  • Use a foam roller
  • Train using a pool

Prevention:

  • Strengthen abductors
  • When running on a track, change direction every few laps
  • Limit hilly runs and shorten your stride

Stress Fracture

Prevalence rate: 6%

Symptoms: A strain on the bone that results in an achy feeling in your shins, feet or heels

Causes:

  • Drastic increase in mileage or speed
  • Nutritional deficits or inadequate calorie intake

Treatment:

  • Take a significant break from impact exercises
  • Pace yourself, even when walking
  • Train using a pool

Prevention:

  • Consume enough calories and nutrients
  • Weight train to improve bone density

Until next time,

Mohsin Salya

How to Prevent and Treat Shin Splints

Posted on by Mohsin Salya

Hi, and welcome back to the Mohsin Salya blog.

Shin splints are some of the most common injuries for runners, and it’s very rare that a runner will go through their life without suffering this at some point. It’s not just runners that suffer – shin splints are common among dancers, gymnasts and military recruits too.

In runners however, shin splints are a more common injury for beginners and long-distance runners, but are both curable and preventable. In this blog post I’ll be explaining what shin splints are, how to treat them and how to prevent them in the future.

What are shin splints?

‘Shin splints’ is actually a term used to describe a wide range of lower-leg injuries and lower leg exercise-induced pain. However, in the running world, shin splints injury is usually the medical condition known as medial tibial stress syndrome – MTSS for short.

The main symptom of shin splints is a dull, aching pain in the front of the shins. This is usually felt in an area measuring roughly 5 inches in length on either side of the shinbone or in the muscles surrounding it.

What causes shin splints?

Shin splints occur in most cases as a direct result of the repeated impact to the bone tissue, tendons and muscles surrounding the tibia. This leads to inflammation of the connective tissue that covers and joins the muscles of the lower leg to the shin bone.

How do I treat shin splints?

Shin splints are not a serious injury, provided you treat it before it has chance to become chronic. Doing the following as soon as you start to feel any shin pain should do the trick.

  • Rest: If you start to feel any shin pain, rest. You shouldn’t be doing any type of running or high impact exercise until it can be done pain free.
  • Ice therapy: Ice the affected area for 15 to 20 minutes, three to four times a day to reduce pain and swelling. Keep icing on a daily basis until the injured area is no longer inflamed or painful.
  • Medication: In cases of severe pain, you may have to take anti-inflammatory medication to soothe pain and speed up recovery. However, it’s always important to check with a pharmacist first.
  • Recovery: It can take anything from two to four weeks to recover from shin splints, depending on how severe you were injured. As you start to notice improvements, opt for alternative low-impact exercise such as swimming or yoga.

If the pain persists and symptoms fail to improve, you should always seek medical advice.

How do I prevent shin splints?

It’s true that prevention is better than a cure. Here are a few measures you can take to try and prevent shin splints:

  • Make sure you have the right running shoes
  • Start a comprehensive strength training regime that’s aimed to strengthen the muscles and the tendons in the lower legs and feet
  • Consider getting a biomechanical analysis (conducted by a professional, typically using a motion capture video) to pin down and isolate the exact problems with your running biomechanics
  • Make sure you perform a wide range of stretching exercises for the hamstrings, calves, and the Achilles

Until next time,

Mohsin Salya