Many runners feel occasional aches pop up, especially as mileage increases. Most of the time, with rest, strength training, and recovery practices, you can address the discomfort. But certain types of aches signal early bone stress injuries that can lead to hanging up your shoes... for months.
In runners, these types of injuries most often occur in the tibia (shinbone), but they can also happen throughout the lower body, including in the foot, thigh, and hip bones, Todd McGrath, MD, a primary sports medicine physician with Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, tells Runner’s World. One type of bone stress injury is known as a stress reaction, and knowing the difference between stress reactions versus stress fractures can save you weeks of precious training time. Here’s everything experts want you to know, and what you can do to prevent aches from worsening.
Bone stress injuries are when a bone cannot withstand a load or force placed on it, and as a result, experiences a structural failure, physical therapist Nicole Haas, PT, DPT, founder of Boulder Physiolab in Boulder, Colorado, tells Runner’s World. In the case of a stress reaction, a bone can weaken and swell, but it doesn’t actually crack, McGrath explains. If left untreated, a stress reaction can eventually crack, which is when it then becomes a stress fracture.
Basically, a stress reaction is a precursor to a stress fracture. Bone stress injuries typically occur on a spectrum, though, so sometimes it’s difficult to tell the difference between a severe stress reaction and an early stress fracture, explains John Vasudevan, MD, associate professor and director of the running and endurance Sports Medicine Program at Penn Medicine. Typically, the most common cause of stress reactions is a large ramp-up in training without enough rest, Haas says, as this can overload your bones.
Well, depending on your overall fitness and weekly running volume, increasing your mileage by more than 10 to 20 percent per week can elevate your risk, McGrath says. If your mileage is on the lower end (say, 10 miles a week) then a 20 percent jump week to week may be fine. If you’re logging lots of miles (for example, 100 a week), it’s probably wise to limit jumps to no more than 10 percent weekly, McGrath advises, though what your body can tolerate will depend on your fitness level, plus other factors.
Keep in mind running isn’t the only way to overload your bones. It’s possible to place more stress on them in other ways. For example, by taking lots of long power walks every day, or joining an intramural sports team, in addition to ramping up your running routine, Haas says.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
