Q&A with American Chiropractic Clinic: YOU ASK, WE ANSWER!
Many thanks to the American Chiropractic Clinic team for helping to answer our runners’ questions.
Hello ACC, I have been running for 1,5 years. 1 month ago, I over exercised (running too much) and because I didn’t stretch carefully my right calf started to have pain. I rest and take medicine but the condition still not better. Should I go to see the doctor or keep resting and it will recover itself?
“Thank you for your question. this particular injury in the calf muscle is very common for runners. There are two muscles in the calf, and the injury usually occurs where these two muscles join. The injury between the calf muscle often does not heal very quickly by its self. If it persists for more than one month, it will usually be treated with a combination of shock wave, laser, and specific rehab. Dry needling technique is often also very helpful in treating this injury.” – Dr. Wade Brackenbury (CEO at American Chiropractic Clinic)
I have been running for more than a year but lately I ran distance of 10km, at the end of the run my right knee starts to have pain and pain when I bend my knee. After 3 days, my pain was gone but a month later, in the 3rd km I felt the same symptom as before.
“Knee pain associated with running can develop for may reasons. The most common two reasons are
- Over training. This means not getting the right rest after each run.
- A biomechanics problem. This could include wrong shoes or an improper method of running. Usually the knee joint will have to be assessed with a physical exam and sometimes an MRI. If there is no serious injury to any of the structures, a gait analysis can be performed using a treadmill and cameras. This will enable assessment whether the knee injury has to do to improper running form, or is due to another cause.” – Dr. Wade Brackenbury (CEO at American Chiropractic Clinic)
I have pain at the ankle, knee and hip. How to treat and exercise to recover from the pain?
“Ankle, knee and hip pain together, especially on one side, usually indicate that there is something wrong with the shoes or there is an improper running form. Both can be assessed through gait analysis, and treatment as well as exercise advice can be rendered on the findings. Most of these kinds of problems can be cured permanently with the proper treatment program.” – Dr. Wade Brackenbury (CEO at American Chiropractic Clinic)
In 2013, I had a car accident and injured my left ankle (above ankle a little bit). Right now, when running long distance (above 10km), my left leg starts to have pain at left ankle, normally 2/ 3 days later the pain would be gone. But 2 week ago, I ran for 21km and my leg started to have pain as usual, I rested for 3 days but I continued the run when my pain was still there but when I ran about 5km the pain appeared more strongly. I have been rested for half a month since then but still haven’t recover yet, still have the pain and have difficulty in moving. I hope HCMC Marathon 2020 will help me. Thanks
“With this kind of very long term ankle injury, what usually happens is that the initial injury causes the person to run in an imbalanced way. Over time the problem will begin to get worse. Usually the initial pain needs to be treated, then the person should run on a treadmill and be filmed how they run. Based on this analysis, treatment and proper rehab can be prescribed. Usually the problem can be over come with proper diagnosis and coherent treatment.” – Dr. Wade Brackenbury (CEO at American Chiropractic Clinic)
I have been running for more than a year already. Recently when running about 5-6km (speed about 10-12km/h) my leg start to have pain in the left knee and the ligament outside doesn’t stretch. This condition continues in trail running. I was able to walk normal again until I rested in the next day. I hope ACC staffs can help me find the reason and solution for this injury. Thank you.
“Thank you for your question. When a knee begins to hurt in one specific location and the other is normal, it indicates one of several problems. The first possible problem is that the foot on that side is over pronating or over supinating. This can be caused by the kind of foot they have, for example flat foot or by having too soft or the wrong kind of running shoes. The other possibility is the way the person run that can be asymmetrical or wrong. Usually, we need to examine the knee and see where exactly the damage is, either ligament or meniscus. Then we need to have the runner run on a treadmill while we film it. The film can be analyzed by special software and the appropriate treatment, the correct shoes, or proper running style can be advised by the doctor.” – Dr. Wade Brackenbury (CEO at American Chiropractic Clinic)
My left knee when doing knee rotation have very clear sound like two joints collide each other. Please tell me the reason and how to treat it. Thanks.
“When there is a loud cracking or popping sound coming from the knee, there are 3 possible causes. The first one is damage to the meniscus, second the joint becoming loose from stretched ligament and the last possibly fluid in the joint and swelling. We must examine the joint physically in order for us to know how to best treat it. Most of the time this type of problem can be treated without drugs or surgeries though it depends on how severe the problem is.” – Dr. Wade Brackenbury (CEO at American Chiropractic Clinic)
My left knee has pain at back ligament, and when stepping up the stairs I feel stinging at the front. When running for a while (run in anticlockwise circle), my knee start hurting at the left ligament. But when I run in clockwise, I feel better and I can continue to run. I do feel when turning left, the knee have to suffer more pressure.
“From the description, we can guess some things about the injury. Without knowing your age however, or the exact location it is hard to know for sure. Most likely the foot needs to be examined to see what has caused the pain. Usually the problem can be easily treated, as there was no strong force in the injury.” – Dr. Wade Brackenbury (CEO at American Chiropractic Clinic)
When doing strong exercise, I feel the stretch in my 3rd toe to middle of my sole. I feel very stinging but when running for few steps more, I feel normal again. Does anyone experience the same condition? Thank you.
“The most common cause of this symptom is Morton neuroma, which is an inflammation of the nerve and swelling between the metatarsal bones. The symptom is usually felt in the toe when the toe is stretched back, or when the foot is squished together. The problem is easy treated with physiotherapy, and usually responds very fast to treatment.” – Dr. Wade Brackenbury (CEO at American Chiropractic Clinic)
I’m 25 years old, I have started to run for a month. Lately my left leg is hurt at the knee (2 weeks ago) and instep (5 days ago).
“This is most likely a number of problems developing because of too much stress on the knees, when you are just starting to run. It takes some time for a runner to build up his knees and muscles so that he can run more distance without developing injury. Quite often a new runner does not rest enough between runs, and so his body cannot rebuild. Usually the joints needs to be examined to make sure there are not severe problems. Then the runner will be treated for inflammation and pain. After the runner has recovered, he should be started on a running program that includes adequate rest days.” – Dr. Wade Brackenbury (CEO at American Chiropractic Clinic)
When finishing the distance of 25 – 30 km run, my thigh area and my instep hurt. Please explain the reason and way to treat as well as preventative method. Thank you.
“There are several possible reason for this problem. Since you are running very long before the issue starts, it is most likely inflammatory following some kind of mechanic imbalance. The instep usually hurts because of a worn shoe fit, or a bad running pattern for the feet. Use of a specific foot orthotic can often really help the problem. Sometimes a different kind of shoe may need to be worn. Treatment to get rid of the inflammation is also sometimes prescribed, but may not be necessary.” – Dr. Wade Brackenbury (CEO at American Chiropractic Clinic)
I feel normal when finishing the run (10km) but when walking few hundred meters more I have cramp. So with the distance of 21km run, can I still keep the pace like in 10 km?
“This will depend on where you are in your running career. If you are a beginner and you feel cramps after stopping at 10 K, you better get stronger and train longer before attempting a 21km. When you can easily run 10 or 15 K in practice without cramps, then most likely you can run a 21K.” – Dr. Wade Brackenbury (CEO at American Chiropractic Clinic)
I’m practicing for Full Marathon. Few weeks earlier, every week I practiced average about 60-80km. One week ago, when running 25km, I have pain in my ankle. The pain appears when stretching the foot. Also when moving it hurts a little bit and knee has slight pain. I took a day off. After that I run 6km, I felt normal but about 15km I have pain again. Until today the pain hasn’t reduced yet. Doctor please tell me the reason and how to treat that. Thanks.
“In this case, the first thing we need to know is that there’s a specific injury. Usually we can tell by examining the ankle joint and knee joint. Most often when you have an ankle pain and later knee pain, the knee pain is a result of compensating for the ankle pain. In a case like yours, we would examine the ankle and the knee and depending on what we found, we may in some cases take an MRI or X-ray exam. If the problem seems to be mostly stable, we may also do a gait analysis on a treadmill to see if the shoes are correct, or if there are some other problems with the way the runner is running. In most cases, we can treat with chiropractic, and physiotherapy.” – Dr. Wade Brackenbury (CEO at American Chiropractic Clinic)
