Do you get pain during or after running?

Running is a great, full body exercise! Running is good for your heart, lungs, and mind! So why do I have pain during or after running?

Running has a lot of moving pieces (no pun intended) that are slightly different for each of us. Some of us are natural forefoot runners, others are natural heel strikers. Some of us use a lot of arm swing to facilitate acceleration and others have a rigid arm pattern, propelling entirely from the lower extremities. Our bodies have wonderful individuality and variation which means our running patterns are individual as well. With different running styles come different muscle and energy requirements and different risks for varying aches, pains, and injuries.

What can I do?

Try 1 or all of the following:

1) Lighten your feet. Often joint pain at any level while running is from our feet striking the ground with more force than we can handle. If you have “heavy feet” slow down, intentionally land as quietly as possible, see how you feel.

2) Reduce distance and pace. Sometimes the aches and pains that coincide with running are just our bodies telling us to reduce intensity. It takes our muscles and joints time to adapt to activity. Be patient with yourself.

3) Take shorter steps. This goes directly with reducing speed but may actually increase pace and muscle energy requirement so if you try this, combine with step 2 and reduce distance.

Still in pain and would like an individual assessment? We are happy to work with runners at all levels of running experience and personal goals. Pain is often our bodies telling us of some dysfunction. We are happy to assess and work with you to resolve this dysfunction as well as optimize your experience with this fantastic whole-body activity. We analyze the running pattern, assess strength and mobility for your biomechanics, and work with you to identify the optimal pattern and activities to help you reach your running goals.

If you are interested in a running evaluation/consultation visit absolutekinetcspt.com and schedule an evaluation with Dr. Vincent. He has experience with runners of all levels including running for weight loss, marathon running, and sprint specific running for track athletes. If you have questions please call or text (513) 208-2257.

Blog post written by Dr. Justin Vincent, PT, DPT