Common Foot Injuries that are caused by Running

Common Foot Injuries

Common Foot Injuries that are caused by Running

Runners often experience different types of problem with their feet. While their feet allow them to traverse long distances with great agility, they frequently experience serious issues due to overuse. From mild problems like missing or black toenails, calluses and blisters to serious issues like stress fractures, soreness and tendonitis, a runner can experience them all from time to time. Foot injuries from running are quite common and it is not surprising that many professional and amateur runners seek out professional medical help every now and then. While some conditions of the foot can be treated within a short time, there are others that require many months of medical attention.

Here are some of the most common foot problems that are experienced by runners.

Plantar fasciitis:

One of the most common injuries experienced by runners is plantar fasciitis. The tendon named the Plantar Fascia runs lengthwise right across the bottom section of the foot. Tendonitis can give rise to a sharp, stabbing pain felt at the bottom section of the foot. The pain can be very intense, thereby making it difficult for a person to move around. It is mainly a form of overuse injury. Plantar fasciitis is usually caused by improper running shoes, a biomechanical issue or an increase in training intensity or volume too quickly. It can also result from weak or tight calf muscles. When it comes to the treatment of plantar fasciitis, the medical expert will first try to determine the root cause of the tendonitis, thereby making sure that the runner is using shoes that offer sufficient support. It is also important for a runner to use an orthotic or insole.

Stress fracture:

Stress fractures are bone fissures that have subsequent impact on any of the numerous bones that make up the foot. The fractures can also occur in any part of the metatarsals. Typically, stress fractures develop only very slowly. However, they often declare their presence with a sharp shooting pain that comes from the point of the bone fissure. Eventually it can become hard to determine whether the foot pains originate from a bone or if it is some kind of tendonitis problem. In many cases, even X-rays are not able to diagnose the problem with great accuracy. In many cases, nothing conclusive shows up until signs of actual healing starts appearing on the bone. The doctor may recommend MRI scans or bone scans for detecting signs of stress fracture.

Extensor tendonitis:

Extensor tendonitis is caused when the tendons present in the feet get inflamed. Such inflammation can cause intense pains that are quite similar to those resulting from stress fracture pains. In order to determine if the pains are caused by extensor tendonitis, one should try and apply pressure to the toes, since the extensor tendons are connected to the toes. The pain caused by extensor tendonitis tend to get isolated in a region as the toe itself is raised, proving that it is not a fracture.

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