Cross Country running injuries are common and there are a few types of injuries that are more common than others. Running is a repetitive motion and impact related sport which makes Cross Country running injuries difficult for many understand, diagnose and treat properly.
Diagnosing Cross Country Running Injuries
At the San Diego Running Institute I have treated and fixed Cross Country runners and running injuries for over 10 years. I understand the complexity of Cross Country runners and how to accurately diagnose and fix their running injury in the shortest amount of time in order to help them get back into racing and achieve their goals. Generally speaking, the Altered Gravity Treadmill is the best way to rehabilitate cross country running injuries.
Two Types of Cross Country Running Injuries
There are two types of Cross Country running injuries:
- Impact or bone related injuries
- Repetitive motion or overuse injuries such as tendonitis.
While both types of injuries may be painful and cause the runner to stop running Cross Country they are much different in how they affect the athlete and how they can be treated.
Cross Country Running – Bone Injuries
Bone injuries are common in Cross Country running. Common bone injuries that affect Cross Country runners are stress fractures, bone marrow edema, and bone swelling. These painful conditions will usually affect the same area even in different runners. The feet, ankle, knee, hip and pubic region seem to be the most common areas affected by Cross Country running injuries that affect bone.
Stress Fractures
Stress fractures are confusing to many Cross Country runners and doctors because the athlete will often say it does not hurt when they run. If pressed they will admit it hurts worse at the end of a long run of AFTER running. An ominous sign is a Cross Country runner that limps after running, later that day or is unable to run the following day because of the pain. Stress fractures can usually not be seen on x-ray. It is common for Cross Country runners and their parents to be given a false sense of security when the x-ray shows “nothing”.
The gold standard for imaging a stress fracture in a Cross Country Runner is an MRI. At the San Diego Running Institute we have a thorough examination that will usually reveal whether or not a stress fracture is present without the aid of MRI evidence. If we feel an MRI is warranted we will provide you with a prescription. In the past Cross Country runners with stress fractures would have to stop running and other weight bearing activities for 4-6 weeks. This resulted in extreme emotional stress as well as physical deconditioning and loss of running performance. At San Diego Running Institute we employ the most modern technology in order to get the Cross Country runner back to running more quickly than ever before possible.
The Altered Gravity Treadmill (AlterG) allows for us to lessen the Cross Country runners body weight which results in less impact on the injured bone. By reducing the impact beneath the threshold for pain and injury the AlterG allows the runner to continue running while their body is healing. The AlterG also takes advantage of Wolfe’s Law which states that bone and other connective tissue such as ligament, tendon and muscle will be stimulated to grow and repair in response to appropriate stress. In this way the AlterG allows for the Cross Country runners body to accelerate the healing process and return to full function in less time.
Bone Marrow Edema
Bone marrow edema is swelling inside the cavity of the bone that creates pressure and pain within the bone. Cross Country runners will usually describe pain associated with bone marrow edema in a similar fashion as they describe the pain associated with a stress fracture. Typical complaints are pain that gets progressively worse with running or jumping, pain at the end of longer runs and pain that may result in limping after running. Bone marrow edema will not show on x-ray but may show on MRI.
At the San Diego Running Institute we have a thorough examination that will usually reveal whether or not a bone marrow edema is present without the aid of MRI evidence. If we feel an MRI is warranted we will provide you with a prescription. At San Diego Running Institute we employ the most modern technology in order to get the Cross Country runner back to running more quickly than ever before possible.
The Altered Gravity Treadmill (AlterG) allows for us to lessen the Cross Country runners body weight which results in less impact on the injured bone. By reducing the impact beneath the threshold for pain and injury the AlterG allows the runner to continue running while the bone marrow edema improves. The AlterG also takes advantage of Wolfe’s Law which states that bone and other connective tissue such as ligament, tendon and muscle will be stimulated to grow and repair in response to appropriate stress. In this way the AlterG allows for the Cross Country runners body to accelerate the healing process and return to full function in less time. As the Cross Country runners body repairs and heals we can increase the runner’s weight on the AlterG so that as they near 100% resolution they are running near 100% of their true body weight. This allows the athlete to return to full form and function almost immediately upon healing!
Fractures
Sometimes a Cross Country runner suffers a hairline fracture or some other form of fracture while participating in another sport. Fractures always resulted in 6-8 weeks of no running which could easily end a season for the Cross Country runner while the bone heals. When you consider 6 weeks of no running then another 3-4 weeks of progressive training just to get back to where the athlete left off it is hard to imagine them competing competitively following a fracture. At San Diego Running Institute we employ the most modern technology in order to get the Cross Country runner back to running more quickly than ever before possible.
The Altered Gravity Treadmill (AlterG) allows for us to lessen the Cross Country runners body weight which results in less impact on the fractured bone. By reducing the impact beneath the threshold for pain and injury the AlterG allows the runner to continue running while the fracture heals. The AlterG also takes advantage of Wolfe’s Law which states that bone and other connective tissue such as ligament, tendon and muscle will be stimulated to grow and repair in response to appropriate stress. In this way the AlterG allows for the body to accelerate the healing process and return the Cross Country runner to full function in less time. As the Cross Country runners bone repairs and heals we can increase the runner’s weight on the AlterG so that as they near 100% resolution they are running near 100% of their true body weight. This allows the athlete to return to full form and function as soon as the bone is healed!
Cross Country Running – Repetitive Motion Injuries
Repetitive motion or overuse injuries are also common in Cross Country running. Common overuse injuries that affect Cross Country runners are plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, Posterior Tibialis tendonitis (shine splints), Patella tendonitis, Patella tracking errors, Hip flexor tendonitis, Hip Bursitis, Adductor Strains and Piriformis syndrome.
Overuse Injuries are also referred to as Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI’s) or Repetitive Motion Injuries. The idea is that the cross country runner overused their body by running to far or too often without enough recovery time in between training. On the surface this may seem like a plausible reason to explain the injury but if we use simple logic to analyze this diagnosis we can find a major flaw in it. Since the cross country runner ran on both legs then a true overuse injury would affect both sides. However, most Repetitive Strain Injuries occur on one side which brings into question how it can be from overuse.
It is my belief that there is something unique about the cross country runner’s side that was injured making it different from the non-injured side. This could be a foot larger than the other, one leg longer than another, one knee more “knock-kneed” than