Runner Therapy: Inflammation and Problems For Athletes
The problems with inflammation are many, but for an athlete, mainly two come to mind:
1. Pain. The pain from inflammation can keep you from running, OR can alter the way you run. Altering your natural running gait to avoid pain can cause further injury elsewhere.
2. Even the smallest amount of fluid’s presence can effect muscle contraction. Studies have even shown that injecting a small amount of saline into the knee joint can significantly weaken quadriceps muscle contraction. So inflammation equals muscle weakness or lack of endurance. Not at all what we want as runners.
Ice is generally used for inflammatory conditions because it is a natural anti-inflammatory. For new injuries, ice is always a good idea, as opposed to heat which is not an anti-inflammatory. Since most, if not all running injuries are followed by inflammation, ice can be used on any painful part.
There are a few exceptions to the use of ice, but they are generally not things you will encounter. For instance, open wounds, certain diseases or afflictions such as Raynaud’s or other specific rheumatic diseases are some. So for runners, the natural rule is ice.
Ice for 15 minutes as often as you have time and try to elevate the area above the heart. Or try an ice bath for the all-over inflammation that accompanies a long run. Sit in the tub full of water and add ice for about 10 minutes. Not fun, but effective!
Do you follow any process when you notice inflammation? Do you go to a doctor or a physical therapist? How ofter do you ignore inflammation and continue to run/train?
- Marisa
(Marisa, a MS PT SCS ATC, is a member of iRunnerBlog’s team and writes the Runner Therapy column, she is a physical therapist in private practice in midtown NYC called Dash Physical Therapy. She one of only a dozen or so physical therapists in the state of NY to be board certified in sports.)
Inflammation is part of the body’s healing process. Active rest, compression for support, and massage around the injury site works for me. Ice just masks the pain which could allow me to further injure myself.
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Dont forget…ice is for after a run, or after stretching, not before. It does not ‘mask’ pain, but does actually actively work to rid pain by ridding inflammation!
I try to do anything but pop pills. I swore by ice baths when I was marathon training.
Running is a good therapy for our body and mind. It fits our body. It also keeps sound mind. Thanks for sharing this post.
Knee problems seem to be the most common ill of runners. I try to do a lot of stretching and warm-up exercises,( especially in cold weather), eat natural anti-inflammatory foods and wear shoes with proper support I also use the natural pain patches from Imbue to treat muscle soreness.
Equine-assisted therapy is also known as the horse riding therapy or the treatment. These are all terms for physical and mental healing procedure or the courses that operated by the horses directly or indirectly as co-facilitators in the treatment or healing process.
for more info click here:- http://centurionsystems.com/equine-therapy/
Hi there,
Inflammation is something that I take really seriously; if you ask me, it’s the body’s way of telling you that you need to slow down and not push yourself too much. Runner’s yoga really helps me bring down inflammation over the course of a few days to a week. Poses such as the pigeon pose and creative vinyasas are perfect for inflammation. Great blog, by the way!
Alana
I’ve known a runner who got a weird injury after running a 30K marathon. His bone below his right knee cracked and made him suffer for several years. How did this happen? This is the first time I’ve heard someone got fractured just because of running.