Preventing Track and Field Injuries with Physical Therapy
Track and field involve a variety of events that involve running, throwing, and jumping, which can place unique stress on the athlete’s body and contribute to injury. Track injuries are most often chronic overuse injuries such as runner’s knee, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, and hamstring injuries. Physical therapists can help track and field athletes manage and recover from overuse injuries and prevent injury through therapeutic exercise, strength training, gait analysis, and manual therapy. Check out our 10 tips to prevent injury this track season!
Track and Field Events
Track and field involve a variety of events that involve running, throwing, and jumping. The running events can be long-distance, mid-distance, and sprints, which each require specific strengths. Distance runners need excellent cardiovascular endurance to perform at their best, while mid-distance runners need both speed and cardiovascular endurance, and sprinters need speed and power.
Some track and field athletes engage in the long jump, triple jump, high jump, and pole vault, all of which require lower body power, core strength, flexibility, speed, and good landing technique. Throwing events include the shot put, discus, hammer, and javelin, which require speed, power, strength, and balance to perform well.
Common Track and Field Injuries
The various events in track and field competitions can place unique stress on the athlete’s body, contributing to a variety of both overuse and acute injuries. Track injuries are most often chronic overuse injuries, although acute injuries may occur due to straining the shoulder or back when throwing, falling when hurdling, or landing improperly during pole vaulting.
Overuse injuries occur when an athlete overworks the muscles and tendons without adequate rest between activities, leading to pain, inflammation, and decreased function. The six most common track overuse injuries include:
Runner’s Knee (Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome): Up to 57% of runners experience runner’s knee, or PFPS, at some point. PFPS involves irritation of the cartilage under the kneecap that often results in runners due to inward foot rolling during walking along with upper leg muscle weakness. It can occur after a runner suddenly increases the amount and intensity of training.
IT Band Syndrome: The IT band is a thick band of connective tissue that extends from the pelvis to the tibia. It is a common overuse injury in runners in which the IT band becomes inflamed due to repetitive stress on it from repetitive running, excessive or incorrect training, faulty biomechanics, and muscle tightness and weakness in the core and hip muscles.
Shin Splints: Shin splints develop when too much stress is placed on the shinbone and the muscles that attach to the shinbone, causing the muscles to strain and microtear where they connect to the bone and resulting in shin pain. Shin splints often occur when a runner starts the sports season or increases the intensity and frequency of their workouts suddenly.
Hamstring Injuries: The hamstring muscles are the most important muscle for runners, allowing runners to propel forward with power. Hamstring strains and even tears can occur with high-speed running or during the acceleration or deceleration phase of the run. When sprinting, there are rapid, high-force muscle contractions across the lower body. If these forces are greater than the capacity of the hamstrings to absorb the force, injury can occur.
Plantar Fasciitis: Plantar fasciitis affects 15% of runners and involves small tears and inflammation of the tendons connecting the heel to the ball of the foot. Plantar fasciitis can result in those who have low arches or if the foot rolls more inward or outward. Repetitive stress on the foot from long-distance running can lead to this condition as well as weakness and dysfunction in the muscles and tendons of the foot or the hip, which can change your gait and cause weight to be distributed differently on the foot, causing strain.
Achilles Tendonitis: Experienced by 20% of runners, Achilles tendonitis involves tightening and inflammation of the Achilles tendon, which is often due to repetitive stress on the tendon from weak calf muscles in those who sprint and run hills.
Preventing Track Injuries
Physical therapists can help track and field athletes manage and recover from overuse injuries and prevent injury through therapeutic exercise, strength training, gait analysis, and manual therapy. Physical therapists can identify and address strength and flexibility imbalances in the body and help runners adjust their running techniques to reduce stress on the body and minimize overuse injuries.
For injuries like PFPS, hamstring strains, IT band syndrome, and shin splints, strength training targets the hip muscles, gluteal muscles, core, quadriceps, and hamstrings to minimize strain on the injured area and address muscular imbalances that may have contributed to the injury.
For plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis, strength training targets the knee, ankle, foot, hip, and lower leg muscles (calf muscles). Therapists may use custom foot orthotics to reduce pain and address ankle and foot mechanics when running.
Here are 10 tips to prevent track injuries this season:
Increase your weekly running distance by no more than 10% week to week. Increasing training too quickly can lead to injuries like shin splints or plantar fasciitis. A gradual increase in the distance and intensity of your runs allows your body to adjust to the demands placed on it safely.
Recovery is a critical part of training. Rest and recovery days from your workouts allows your body and muscles to repair, heal, and grow stronger.
Cross-train with cycling or an elliptical to improve strength and aerobic capacity without placing additional strain on your running muscles.
Do not run through persistent pain. While some muscle soreness is normal, pain that persists for hours after a run or worsens during activity indicates that you should rest and consult with a physical therapist.
Wear your race shoes 1-2 weeks ahead of time to break them in.
Wear proper footwear that provides sufficient support to your feet and ankles, using orthotics if necessary. Change your shoes every 300-500 miles.
Always warm-up and stretch your muscles before running. Cold muscles are more prone to injury.
Stay conditioned during the off-season, building up base mileage gradually for long-distance runners and engaging in resistance training to ensure strong, balanced muscles for power and speed.
Eat a balanced, nutritious diet of healthy fats, protein, complex carbohydrates, and vegetables and fruits.
Do a proper cool down with stretching to reduce muscle cramps and stiffness and allow your body temperature, blood pressure, and heart rate to return to normal levels.
