Sometimes going back to the basics can help the most when it comes to protecting your knees and feet while you run.
Running, as you can tell on any decently nice day out, is a popular form of exercise.
Outside of the pair of shoes, it’s free to do. It’s convenient, and it gets the heart pumping.
Warning signs of injury
Running, despite its many benefits, is also a common culprit of orthopedic injuries, says Josie Stockland, a sports physical therapist at Sanford Health in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Stockland says experiencing slight discomfort is normal when running. After all you are exercising, and let’s face it, running can be hard.
But if the discomfort turns to pain, that’s when intervention is needed.
She said runners should take notice if they experience:
- Pain lasting longer than two to three days
- Sharp pain or worsening pain with activity
- Pain that affects sleep or other daily activities
Treatments depend on site of injury
Stockland says she often sees knee and foot pain in association with running. There are ways she and her team can help.
“For knee pain, some of the things we first recommend would almost always be some form of strengthening for the hips and the core, but also in terms of running, you really need to treat the whole kinetic chain,” she said.
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Instead of taking away activity, Stockland says she focuses more on adding exercises.
“Focusing on the muscles around the knee, the calf is huge for running. There’s pretty much always some kind of exercise prescription depending on where that pain is,” said Stockland.
Stockland says she likes “to keep runners running.” But sometimes a simple reduction or modification in their training is what’s needed, along with the additional exercises she teaches.
“There can be certain strategies we use to shift that work to a different joint. So, make the hips take up a little bit more of the work, or the ankles, to offload the knee a little bit.”
Tackling foot pain
When it comes to foot pain, it’s pretty straightforward, Stockland says.
“Shoes and surface. It’s appropriate to replace shoes if they’re in that 300-500 miles on them. Sometimes a change in the type of shoe is appropriate, depending on the running style or where that person has an injury,” she said.
Surface is an interesting conversation. You would imagine that the harder the surface, the harder it is on the body.
However, Stockland says there isn’t any evidence to support that.
Instead, she simply recommends running on the surface that feels best.
Stockland says warming up, and not going straight into exercise, is key.
Footwear is where it’s at
Darrel Richards, D.P.M., a podiatric surgeon at Sanford Health in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, said finding the right shoe goes a long way in preventing, and working through, foot pain while running.
“What we put on our feet matters,” said Dr. Richards. “Our feet crave stability. A lot of times I will see runners with stress fractures, with ankle injuries. A lot of these injuries are based on not listening to your body, listening to your feet.”
Dr. Richards said the older one gets, the more important footwear becomes.
“I always tell people when you’re younger, you feel like you can do anything, right? Your feet never hurt. You could run in Skechers shoes and Converses and have no issues, right? But as we age and get older, our feet start to experience a little bit more tenderness, a little bit more sensitivity, a little bit more pain,” said Dr. Richards.
What to look for in a running shoe
Running shoes can get expensive.
But there’s a good reason for that.
“Wear a good stable shoe that doesn’t bend. That’s why some of the shoes are expensive, is because the material they get, they’re stiff,” said Dr. Richards.
“The other thing I like for a shoe, depending on if you have a lot of ankle instability, you may need more of a high-top shoe. That gives you more support.”
The type of support one needs of course depends on each individual’s foot. A higher arch means more, I’m sure you guessed it, arch support.
People with flat feet tend to need a wide-fit shoe.
Dr. Richards’ recommendations
A few name brands that Dr. Richards often suggests to patients:
- New Balance
- Asics
- Saucony
- Brooks
- Hoka
Last but certainly not least, they’ve got to look cool. If you’re going to be wearing these shoes a lot, you might as well turn some heads in the process.
“Find a shoe that you like color-wise. They look so cool these days. So, find a shoe that you would love to wear because if you love it in the store, you’re going to wear it outside,” said Dr. Richards.
Recovery is arguably the most important component of training and performance. Dr. Richards said when runners aren’t running, it’s important to have a supportive sneaker.
“Days that you’re not running, have good support. Always,” he said. “Wear a good sandal. Don’t wear a flimsy sandal on your foot. Don’t wear a bad shoe. Have a shoe that you run in, but also have a really good shoe that on your days of rest, your foot’s still being supported and not being beat up by your day in, day out grind.”
Learn more
- Diabetes diagnosis motivates runner to train differently
- Advice from a podiatrist: Match your shoes to the occasion
- The best summer shoes, according to a foot doctor
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Posted In Orthopedics, Running, Sanford Sports, Sports Medicine
