One of the most common problems for runners is calf pain. The two muscles on the backside of the lower leg are the chief area that will become painful when running. The pain could be a sharp pain or a dull ache.
The calf muscles can rip and tear if you've been increasing the intensity of your workouts suddenly or run without warming up properly first. To reduce pain, you'll need to take steps to change some of your running habits completely while others will need to be adjusted temporarily.
Step 1: Stretches
This step starts before you begin your run. You'll need to stretch your muscles before a workout. Begin each workout by sitting on the ground and doing a calf stretch. Bend one knee and keep the other leg straight. Lift the straight
leg slightly off the ground. Point and flex the foot slowly. The toes should slowly point to the ceiling then point forward towards the horizon. You should do 20 repetitions on each leg before the workout. If you'd rather stand for your stretch, you can do lunges. Instead of bouncing in and out of the lunge, you can slowly bring one leg to the front and squat down to feel the stretch in your back leg. Make the lunge as deep as possible but don't bounce. Hold it for 30 seconds then switch legs. Step 2: Hydration Before, during and after your workout, you have to stay hydrated. If you notice muscle cramps when you're resting or sleeping at night, the cause could be dehydration. Drink plenty of water during the run and add sports drinks to your routine if you've pushed yourself during that day's workout. Step 3: Shoe Inserts If you're noticing continued pain in your calves due to tightness, you can add lifts in the heel area of your running shoes. It'll keep the calf stretched during the run, but make sure to do stretches prior to the run too. Step 4: Adjust Your Stride When you put more pressure on the front of the foot and less on the heel, you're going to see more straining and pain in the calf. Try to ensure that your entire foot has the same amount of pressure and hits the ground with the same amount of force. Any pain that continues means you should see a doctor. It can mean a chronic problem or even a blood clot. The veins in the leg can cause pain, so make sure to visit a leg vein center if the problem persists.
When working you build muscles, but over working can cause strain and pain. The large muscles of the back and hind quarters are used mostly among performance horses. They can strain their muscles if they are asked to work too hard for too long. Most muscles strains are mild and the amount of damage is small. But it is a very common injury and can stop the horse from preforming to his best. A jumping horse may also experience sore muscles due to being put into draw reins for too long and not being able to stretch out his neck and back properly.
You badly want to get your body in shape so you decided to run every morning. However, after each run, your lower leg suffers from pain and the pain seems to occur from the inner side of your lower leg. This might be a case of shin splints.
Musculoskeletal pain affects the bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons and nerves, its commonly but not always it is caused by physical injury, which can be widespread or localised in just one body part. Joint and muscle pain is the probably the number one symptom that prompts people to seek the help of health professionals like osteopaths.
The Achilles tendon is one of the largest and strongest tendons in the human body. It is a tough band of fibrous tissue that connects the calcaneus (heel bone) to the muscles at the back of the calf using the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. Leg muscles are known as the strongest muscles in the body because there are able to pull against the force of gravity in order to keep the body upright and in balance. The Achilles tendon is an important tendon in terms of mobility because it keeps the elastic energy required for running, jumping and walking. When an athlete tightens their calf muscles, it pulls the Achilles tendon which in turn pushes the foot down. Within the body each Achilles tendon is conditional to an athlete’s entire body weight with each movement taken. Generally depending on the speed, pace and additional weight being carried or pushed down, each Achilles tendon may be conditional to nearly three to twelve times the athlete’s body weight during a sprint. The Achilles tendon is very different from other tendons in the body. Compared to other tendons which have a covering that minimises wear and tear to the tendon by friction, the Achilles tendon contains a softer tissue that covers it. Since there is also a short blood supply to the tendon, it is highly prone to injuries and can require a long time to heal.
Muscles need food and oxygen in order to work properly so if they are working hard but have not got enough food or oxygen then it causes pain and cramps.
I have been doing resistance training since past four years and it has always been a bodybuilding type training i.e. training for muscle mass. Stretching exercises both before and after resistance training has been an important factor in improving my flexibility and increasing my joints’ range of motion. When you can flex, extend or circumduct your joints through full range of motion without any pain that is called flexibility. Many individuals often overemphasize flexibility training and not focus on improving the strength of the surrounding muscles which can lead to an injury. I have always ensured that I warm-up properly before any type of stretching. I always do an active warm-up like 10 minutes treadmill walk/elliptical/arc trainer, etc. As research has proved and I have also experienced that static stretching can temporarily lower the strength levels, I do dynamic stretching before beginning my resistance training. Dynamic stretching helps improve strength, flexibility and endurance, speed, neuromuscular activation and coordination. It is especially important if you use higher repetitions, sets and/or heavier weights.
Anterior knee pain plagues the athletic community, the most common being runner’s knee or patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS). One point or another in an athlete’s career they have experienced this kind of pain. When comparing between male and female athletes and who has the higher chance of knee pain, female athletes have a higher prevalence than male athletes (Dolak KL). There are several different mechanisms of patellofemoral pain a few being: pes planus,an increased Q angle, weak, tight or an imbalance in the quadriceps or hip muscles. Recently in my clinic site as the spring sports such as, baseball, soccer and track and field the athlete’s perform a lot of squatting, running, and kneeling which load the patellofemoral joint. We are now starting to see several and treat several athletes with patellofemoral knee pain. Each of them experiencing the pain from a different mechanism. As an athletic trainer we want to treat not only the symptoms, but the mechanism of injury to prevent further injuries down the road. If patellofemoral pain syndrome is not properly treated it can develop into chronic diseases such as chondromalacia or arthritis, maybe eventually leading to a total knee plan. (Lee SE) Treatment while the athletes are young and symptoms aren’t severe is key to preventing further injury.
Cycling is a fun competitive sport, and it helps keep you in great physical shape. However, it can be hard on your feet, especially if you don't take great care in picking out the socks and shoes you wear. Plantar fasciitis is a condition you can develop due to the repetitive motion of cycling. It makes cycling painful, but even worse, the pain stays with you during the day and night, making it difficult to go about your usual activities. Here are a few ways you can treat this type of foot pain.
Running may have a heavier toll on the body than any other sport, literally. With each stride, force of two to three times the bodies weight is hammered on the joint, muscles, and tendons.
Though physical exercise and training such as running can serve as valuable to the human body it can also come with downfalls as well. Running typically involves with using the lower part of the body such as the legs, knees and joints. This causes a runner to put most of its weight on the lower part of the body which eventually causes complications.“A runner usually is putting the weight down incorrectly on the lower body due to poor foot and lower body placement, this causes a person that may be 120 pounds to put double the weight on the lower body”(Davis). The extra pounds exerted to the body can cause problems such a damaged cartilage, tearing, and swelling. “Marathon runners tend to have the most problems with this because they put so much on their body physically for long...
Warm-up: Do 5 a minute walk or do 5 minutes of the movements of the following exercises without the weight and so light full-body stretches.
All muscles come in pairs, each one balanced by another that performs an opposite function. If either the hamstrings or the quadriceps become too strong, it can cause an inordinate pull on one side of the knee joint, predisposing the knee to stress and possible injury (Fox, 148)...
The core muscles are found in your back, the upper body muscles are found in your chest, the upper leg muscles are found in your thigh, the lower leg muscles are found in your feet and calves. There are stretches and sprains to these muscles that could happen. Of course, you never want to get injures, but if you do then you must know what happens to your muscles. You also need to know how to help that muscle when it is sore. There are symptoms of what could happen to you during
Today, millions of people have discovered the benefits of stretching. Over the last years, studies have shown that people that live these active lives live fuller lives. In fact, studies show that a lack of physical activity directly relates to many major illnesses and death. Before the Industrial Revolution, people actually had to work hard to get their needed amount of movement. After the Revolution, it became a different story. People no longer needed to work physically to make a life for themselves. With this lack of movement came lack of flexibility. Now, everywhere you look, you see people out jogging, hiking, and playing golf, tennis, and other sports to stay active. The fitness trend is in; but it’s not a trend anymore. Now, it’s a way of life. Stretching is an important part of this way of life that many people leave out.
Keep an equal distribution of weight between the front of the foot and the heel. The flexibility of the hip and ankle are important for the proficiency and safety of this workout. It is recommended to inhale as you crouch down and exhale as you rise.