Ongoing running problems

[Lagoonablue]

I started running in Jan and now usually do around 4-5k 3 x pw. However I am plagued by injury.

At first it was shin splints. Then sore, tight Achilles. Now my legs are stiff and sore every day after running and because I run 3 x a week this is pretty much always. Can hardly get out of bed!

I am fed up. I stretch before and after but don't do a full 5 m warm up cool down walk as I did when doing c25k. Should I start that again? Is it just my age? Am 50.

i never bother warming up apart from for intervals but allllways cool down - plan runs so i've got 5/10 mins of walking between finishing and getting to my door, and since i started doing that my dodgy knee and ankle have got much better.

First I would try buying some arch support. Also get gait checked.

Failing that get proper professional (a podiatrist) to look at your gait and check for arches that collapse on impact.

Do you have properly fitted running shoes?

Doing dynamic stretches and foam roller things everyday will help, but mostly you probably need to fix your running gait so that you have a good midfoot landing, and track through properly.

Shin splints might just be due to worn/poor/in appropriate footwear or doing to much too soon.

It's the Achilles you need to be careful with. Maybe have a week or two off to fully recover, then try arch support in trainers that suit your gait

Do you have decent running shoes? It's really worth getting your gait checked and making sure that you have the right insoles in your shoes.

Are you sure you're doing the right stretches? I thought I was, but had lots of problems with shin pain (not shin splints, thankfully), and discovered that I wasn't stretching properly - or for long enough actually, I was a bit perfunctory about it!

My osteopath did lots of treatment on me - and also told me in no uncertain terms that I had to stop running until she'd sorted me out! You may be making things worse if you're just continuing to run.

I don't think it's your age though - or it shouldn't be at only 50! I didn't start running until I was 53, and - injury aside - it's never been a problem. Apart from the motivation ...

I don't know about shin splints, but for Achilles problems I do the following:

1. Get a little heel wedge to go inside my trainers. it just lifts your heel enough to reduce the strain on the Achilles

1. Do the eccentric heel drop exercise - . I do it on the stairs rather than balanced on top of a stool.

I'm 58 and running a similar distance to you, and I find that rehabilitation/strengthening exercises are definitely the way to go for recurrent aches and pains.

When things get really bad, I cross train for a bit at the gym. The elliptical trainer is easy on the Achilles.

Thanks. I have heel wedges in but am going to get gait checked and new trainers fitted. Will also add in a warm down walk. I am thinking of joining the gym and breaking up my 3 runs into 2 runs with a gym work out. I also domPilates which is a nice stretch.

It's all hard work! I wanted to avoid the gym which is why I started running!

regular strength training would prob' help

Best way to warm up cold muscles is walking briskly. I have never seen runners stretching muscles before a run

Foam rollers are great

Shoes.... Get the right shoes and lace them correctly, there's several techniques for lacing

Oh, and are you going through menopause? ( sorry to ask) muscle and joint aches are part of it I'm told!

Try arch supports

Having just been through a massive upheaval in my running because of ever-worsening injuries, and tons of utter stupidity from a stupid GP referral to a stupid podiatrist who tried to get an even more stupid osteopath involved - resulting in considerable further injury and eventually a broken ankle that would have been totally avoidable if things had been looked at properly earlier:

Go and see your GP and get a referral to a reputable sports physiotherapist.

Not a podiatrist. Not an osteopath. A sports physio.

They may be able to recommend ways of making it all less painful, and should be able to tell if you need to do anything about shoes or not (do this before you get told by someone running a shoe shop to buy expensive shoes, and before you get told by someone running a podiatry business to buy expensive orthotics, etc.)

In the meantime while you wait for a referral, I found that the way to improve sore muscles was running much more gently, on the mid to ball of my feet (try to be unable to hear your footfalls), and slightly more often but less hard - 4 times a week for 5km, but in each session include about 1-2km of run-1-walk-1 between lampposts.

Thanks

I get Achilles tendinitis and when it flares up, the best thing for me is to rest. ( frustrating). I do find since I changed shoes I don't get so many flare ups. I wear Nike lunarglides, they cup my heel and keep it stable. Also not too much cushion on the heel either.
I found too much cushion makes my heel bounce around and made it worse.

I found that I was sore after dropping the cool town walks, so reinstated them and was much better.

I can't run atm because of a (non running related) injury, so have been cycling 10k every day instead of running. I don't get any aches and pains after it, so am considering a permanent change!

Though I was very proud of myself for managing to get up to 5k.

Cool DOWN! I live miles from a cool town

I know it sounds a bit of a cliche but you do need to "train to run, not just run to train". I agree with magnificat that before you spend a fortune on trainers/orthotics etc you're best to see if you needs to address any specific stability/balance issues, foot/ankle problems can often be caused by weakness in the gluts and abdominals. Stretching is helpful and can relieve tightness in the muscles, but they will tighten again unless you address the underlying cause. Also continue with the Pilates and maybe some cross-training/strength training will also help