THE MOST COMMON SPORTS INJURIES WHEN JOGGING – AN OVERVIEW

Do you have pain in your knee and can pinpoint exactly where the pain is with your finger? Then you probably suffer from runner’s knee, like most runners. The cause of runner’s knee is a tendon plate that runs from the hip over the outside of the thigh and the knee to the outer tip of the shin. This tendon plate rubs across the knee joint. Joggers are often exposed to this incorrect load several thousand times per running lap. The cause is often to be found in the bow-legged position, foot deformities or muscular imbalances. The risk of chronic overloading or incorrect loading is particularly high for runners’ knees.

Therefore, if you have pain in your knee, you should stop jogging immediately. You can take immediate action by cooling the knee and rubbing an anti-inflammatory ointment into the affected area. However, if your knee pain occurs chronically when jogging, an orthopaedist must clarify the causes. These could be fatigue factors or damage to the cartilage. Sometimes the muscles in the hip area are too short and thus generate too much tension.

An exact diagnosis can be made after an examination and evaluation of X-rays, ultrasound or MRI. Treatment for runner’s knee focuses on relieving the affected area. Stretching exercises can help, as can fascia and muscle training or other physiotherapeutic measures.

Kneecap pain often occurs not only after or during jogging, but also frequently when climbing stairs, jumping, standing up or even after sitting for long periods in cramped positions such as in a car or aeroplane. For many clients, kneecap pain feels as if the kneecap is pressing against the bone. However, the kneecap is actually pressing against the cartilage in the kneecap. This knee pain is often caused by cartilage damage, and sometimes the knee is also swollen due to the strain.

At the ETHIANUM Clinic, we diagnose your kneecap pain on the basis of a specific examination and an MRI of the knee. In most cases, conservative treatment methods help with knee pain. A combination of physiotherapeutic treatment, a break from running and an optimised training programme often leads to good results. A joint splint, which is fastened with comfortable straps, known as an orthosis, can also significantly relieve the knee under load.

If the medical history reveals cartilage damage, targeted physiotherapy measures and exercises are often the right way to prevent permanent overloading of the kneecap.

A meniscus tear in the knee does not heal by itself. It is therefore urgently necessary to consult an orthopaedist and knee expert. An MRI scan provides a good overview of the extent of the meniscus injury. A meniscus tear often has to be treated surgically. You can find detailed information on the operation here.

In most cases, knee osteoarthritis only becomes noticeable when severe pain occurs. It is only when the knee joints become swollen, ache with every movement and the joints hurt that knee osteoarthritis, which often goes unnoticed for years, becomes apparent. There is a wide range of treatments for knee osteoarthritis, especially for runners and joggers. The specialists in orthopaedics, sports orthopaedics and sports traumatology will advise and treat you individually. For more information, read more about knee osteoarthritis here.

Muscle injuries are one of the most common injuries when running and jogging. These include muscle strains, torn muscle fibres and muscle tears. These sports injuries are often characterised by swelling of the leg or the formation of bruising. If recognised early, these muscle injuries from jogging can be treated very well and conservatively.

Ankle injuries often happen to joggers when they twist their ankle while running. This can result in a pulled ligament, a torn ligament or even a fracture of the lateral malleolus. The good news is that serious ankle fractures are very rare. Nevertheless, an orthopaedic specialist should check the ankle injury. This is because the swelling on the ankle does not provide any information about the severity of the injury. In any case, this type of injury requires a period of rest while jogging in order to heal. A specialist should clarify whether the injury could have been caused by a misalignment of the foot or unsuitable footwear. Suitable insoles can be used to rule out a chronic illness. Furthermore, a specialist must rule out the possibility of a foot malposition. In addition, conservative treatment methods can often help you to recover quickly after an ankle injury.

When treating an injury to the Achilles tendon, two questions immediately arise: Is it a pre-damaged Achilles tendon that needs to be treated or is the patient’s pain caused by continuous overloading of the Achilles tendon? The sports orthopaedic specialist must clarify these options in order to find the appropriate treatment approach.

With a previously damaged Achilles tendon, strains or chronic irritation are not uncommon. In most cases, patients can no longer stand on their toes, for example. Overloading, in turn, leads to frequent twisting of the ankle, misalignment of the axis and causes permanent pain on uneven surfaces, shortened calf muscles or incorrect footwear. You recognise this: There are many causes and effects. Only a specialist can provide you with information about the condition of the Achilles tendon. They can prescribe conservative methods of treatment accordingly. This often requires an MRI and a movement analysis.

Marching fractures are often observed in long-distance runners. The increased strain can lead to spontaneous fractures of the metatarsals. The signs are often only recognisable with an MRI scan. The specialist in sports orthopaedics reacts according to the diagnosis. If a metabolic bone disorder can be ruled out, conservative measures are usually very effective in the treatment of march fractures.

A mismatch between the stress caused by training and the load-bearing capacity of the bone can also lead to fatigue fractures when jogging. In most cases, the metatarsal bone is affected by this type of injury when jogging. However, it can also affect the fibula, tibia or pelvis. After a diagnosis using imaging techniques such as X-rays or an MRI scan, your specialist can plan and carry out further treatment with you.

Hip pain is not uncommon after jogging. The overloading of the tendon insertions strains the muscles. This in turn leads to pain when spreading your legs. Your sports orthopaedic specialist must diagnose whether this is a load-dependent pain or a pressure pain. It is also important to rule out osteoarthritis of the knee or hip joint. Your specialist will then recommend conservative treatment methods to improve your hip pain.

If you suffer from back pain after running, you should find out whether it is due to muscular weaknesses in the back, hip and abdominal muscles or a slipped disc. Depending on the diagnosis, it can help to strengthen the respective muscle groups through targeted training. In the case of a herniated disc, the medical expertise of a specialist is required for precise individual treatment.