How To Naturally Treat Running Injuries


For every runner, either a novice or even pro, injuries like meniscal injury in the knees, plantar fasciitis or iliotibial band friction syndrome can always be expected. But among all running injuries, the “runner’s knee”r also known as Patellofemoral pain syndrome is one of the most common among adults.

Patellofemoral pain syndrome causes inflamed connective tissues in the joints. So runner’s knee isn’t a specific type of injury. This term is simply used to describe a collective group of pain symptoms in the knee. Anybody who works out can experience this issue.

Although most adults get this injury, experts strongly believe that here are other causes of this injury other than just simply running or doing repetitive physical activities. According to them, runner’s knee can also be caused by wearing improper footwear, errors in training techniques, muscle imbalances, aggravated old injuries or exercising on uneven surfaces.

If you are experiencing this painful injury, below are some of the natural treatments you can use to alleviate the symptoms:

Rest Your Knees And Give Yourself A Break

The likelihood of new injuries increases when the body didn’t have enough rest or recovery time. Participating in more exercises will simply put a lot of pressure on your knees, and the inflammation and other symptoms can get worse. If you are starting to feel some slight pain in your knees, it is your body’s way of telling you to slow down.

Stretch and Strengthen Quadriceps and Hamstrings

After a warm up, make sure to stretch your leg muscles to prepare them for the vigorous activity ahead. If you are still a beginner make sure that before doing any intense workout,

your quadriceps and hamstrings are not weak. If your quadriceps are not strong enough to carry your weight, what happens is all the pressure will get dumped on your hamstrings and knees. Strengthen these two muscles so that your patella or the “knee cap” won’t wobble or misalign. This prevents joint injury from happening.

See Your Doctor Or A Professional To Correct The Injury and Provide Treatment

Form and posture have also something to do with running injuries. Getting some professional help to correct this will also help your knees get better. Consider seeking the help of a chiropractor or a physical therapist. Some doctors will recommend special inserts in your shoes to provide better support.

Consider Prolotherapy Or Other Soft Tissue Therapies

Prolotherapy is a treatment that can ease acute and chronic leg injuries. This treatment uses platelet-rich plasma injections taken from your own blood. The platelets, stem cells and growth factors collected from your blood will speed up the repair of the damaged tissues.

For older injuries that have stopped responding to treatment, another prolotherapy treatment can be given. This second option uses dextrose or glucose injections to trigger inflammation in the injury. The triggered inflammation is expected to help your body release more growth factors to help heal the injury.

There are numerous types of soft tissue therapies. Talk to your doctor to know which kind you should get.

Go For Anti-inflammatory Diets and Supplements

To help carry out the natural healing process of the musculoskeletal system, a healthy diet of anti-inflammatory foods will provide you with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and electrolytes your body requires. Normally, people don’t associate allergies and poor diet to knee injuries, but certain nutrient deficiencies contribute to the deterioration, inflammation, aging and reduced blood flow linked to certain injuries.

To obtain this, you need to eat more whole foods, fruits, vegetables, fish, healthy fats, and lean proteins. You can also take resveratrol to obtain more antioxidants. Certain supplements like turmeric curcumin, berry extracts, omega-3 fish oils, and bromelain can also help protect the health of your joints and connective tissues as you get older.

Increase Collagen Intake

You can up your intake of collagen by taking bone broth protein powders, glucosamine chondroitin and hyaluronic acid. They contain antioxidants and anti-aging effects that promote tissue and cell repair. Supplements that contain type 1, 2, and 3 collagens are also an ideal way for repairing injuries faster.