Whether you’re a seasoned marathoner increasing your mileage or a weekend jogger who went one mile too far on that Saturday run, minor running injuries can happen to anyone. The act of running does put wear and tear on the body, and paying attention to (and caring for) those smaller injuries can help prevent major injuries in the future. While it never hurts to consult a physician or physical therapist, particularly if the pain becomes chronic or particularly debilitating, minor aches and pains are best treated using the RICE method: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.
Rest
The first key to healing your injury is to not run. If running created the problem, “running it off” probably won’t work. Take a couple days off, eat well, get plenty of sleep, and try not to use the affected joint or muscle for at least 48 hours. When you do try running again, come back very slowly, and if there is any pain, take a couple more days off to rest.
Ice
Icing your injury is key to reducing swelling. Apply a cold compress (or that bag of frozen peas in your freezer) to the injured area and leave it for approximately ten minutes. So as not to burn yourself with the cold, put a thin towel or t-shirt between the ice pack and your skin. Another easy way to ice is to make large ice cubes by filling Dixie cups with water. Tear off the top of the cup and you’re left with an ice cube that’s easy to hold in your hand. You can also use ice cubes to give the injured area an “ice massage” so as not to concentrate too much cold at one time. Heat should only be applied when there is no visible swelling.
Compress
While icing helps to relieve swelling, compression (e.g. with the cold pack) can also help reduce swelling. By applying light pressure to the area (think a compression sleeve or a wearable ice pack), blood and fluids are encouraged to flow through the injury rather than pooling around it. However, compression should only be used, like icing, for shorter periods of time. Compression sleeves can be worn for 20-30 minutes or more, but if heat or cold are involved, limit their use to approximately ten minutes.
Elevate
The third way to decrease swelling, along with icing and compression, is to elevate the injured area. If your ankle or knee is injured, lie on the ground and put your leg up on the couch. Keeping the affected area above your heart will make it more difficult to pump blood to the area, and gravity will help drain the injury of any fluids that are causing it to swell.
Of course, if you are still in significant pain after you RICE, please conduct your physician or physical therapist immediately. While RICE is typically sufficient treatment for minor injuries, more serious injuries do occur and should be treated as such.
Source: “Running Injuries,” University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. http://www.uihealthcare.com/topics/sportsmedicine/spor3355.html. Accessed 19 April 2010.
