Dealing With Pain
Sprained Ankle? Check. Swollen and limping? Check. Urgent Care said to stop running. Check. Ready for another point of view? See Fit For Life Physical Therapy. CHECK!
Miles are going up; how do you deal with stubborn pain?
Those carefree Saturdays of running or walking 3-5 miles are over, and the mileage is going up. We’re getting into the thick of marathon and half marathon training, and it isn’t for the weak of heart. This is the point during training where those stubborn little aches and pains that have been on the back burner are now starting to cause you to stop and think; should I still be running with this?
As a runner and a therapist, I know that the minute someone tells you that you can’t run, that is the ONLY thing you want to do. I’ve been on both sides of that, and neither side is a good one to be on.
So, how do you know what to do? First and foremost, don’t ignore any pain. Your body is trying to tell you something, so make sure you’re listening. If you are having pain, there is a reason for it, and you need to find out what that reason is.
Secondly, the quicker you can start problem solving and treating your pain, the better off you will be. If you start addressing your pain the first day or two that you notice it, you can be back to your old self fairly quickly and maybe only miss a day or two of running or walking. When you look at the big picture of a 20 week MIT program, a day or two is not going to alter your training plans very much.
If, on the other hand, you try to continue to train, you may wind up missing weeks, or even months, of training. The longer you run on an injury, the worse it gets. By the time you start taking the pain seriously, you may have done some real damage that could take much longer to heal. All you will be is disappointed.
When do you NEED to stop running? When you are limping. That is when your body mechanics are changing and you are compensating because of pain. If it’s serious enough to make you limp, you shouldn’t run.
That being said, what can you do for your pain? Here’s what I tell patients: find out exactly where the pain is, then Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate (RICE) the area. When in doubt, ice it out. Take a day or two off from running, and either rest completely, or do some other activity like biking or swimming that doesn’t increase your pain. My favorite saying: If it hurts, don’t do it. If it doesn’t hurt, you’re fine. Foam rolling goes a long way, too.
For some aches and pains, if you ice and rest right away, they will resolve. All it takes is a little tender loving care, and you’re back running or walking in a couple of days. Other, more serious issues may not resolve. If you rest and ice but the pain does not change, or if the pain is increasing in intensity and you have bruising, discoloration, and swelling, you need to get checked out. Don’t feel silly about coming to Fit For Life Physical Therapy for a free injury screen or going in to see the doctor if your injury winds up being something minor. It is always better to be conservative with your pain. Having the peace of mind is worth it, and you will feel better about running with a minor injury when you have been assured you’re not damaging anything.
So, here are the things to look out for: increased swelling, the injury feels warm/hot, bruising or discoloration, sharp pain when you bear weight, or pain even when you’re at rest. Together, let’s keep moving!
Amy San Filippo, PT
Fit For Life Physical Therapy helps people of all activity levels prevent, recover from, or rehabilitate sports and orthopedic injuries. Help for active people - from OTHER active people.
Reach us by email at info@fitforlifephysicaltherapy.com, or call or text us at any of the phone numbers for our three convenient locations inside Fleet Feet/FrontRunner stores:
Polaris Location: 1270 East Powell Road Lewis Center, Ohio 43035 - 614-981-2065
Upper Arlington Location: 1344 West Lane Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43221 - 614-981-1979
New Albany Location: 5792 North Hamilton Road, Columbus, Ohio 43230 - 614-581-7441