Courtesy of Becca Huesman, PT, DPT & the physical therapy/sports medicine team at MedStar NRH Rehabilitation Network, Federal Hill – Baltimore, MD

Fall marks the end of Baltimore’s humid season. As the weather turns slightly cooler, runners look forward to a season full of long-distance events and running festivals. Whether you have your sights set on an early fall event in October, such as the Baltimore Running Festival, or waiting on cooler weather, such as during the Philadelphia Marathon event series, remaining injury-free up to race day is a major priority.

Early detection of injuries significantly influences the rate at which that injury can be resolved. Experiencing muscle soreness is a normal side effect of any training program that pushes you beyond your current physical limits. Muscle soreness typically onsets within the first 24 hours following an intense work out. That soreness may linger, but should begin to subside within 24 hours after the soreness onset. Muscle soreness is usually described as “aching,” “deep,” or “sore.”

Sharp pain is not associated with a hard workout and could potentially be a sign of an injury starting. If you experience sharp pain in a bony area with every foot fall while running, and potentially walking, this may be a sign of a stress reaction developing. Stress reactions tend to occur most commonly in the tibia (shin bone), metatarsals (foot bones), and femur (thigh bone) in runners. If you are experiencing consistent, sharp pain, this should be examined by a medical professional.

Numbness, tingling, and burning sensations are also unusual sensations not associated with tough training. If these words describe symptoms that you are having, then a nerve-type issue may be occurring. A common nerve that can be affected in runners is the sciatic nerve, which travels from the base of your spine down the back of your leg. Symptoms typically experienced when the sciatic nerve is affected include pain or tingling in the buttock and/or down the back of the thigh. This is also a condition that should be examined by a health care provider.

MedStar Health, located at 1420 Key Highway, has a team of medical professionals organized to address the needs of neighborhood runners. Dr. Ken Veenema is a sports medicine primary care physician with over 20 years of experience working with athletes in all sports. He partners with Mike Zarro and myself, both physical therapists who combine personal running experience with current medical technology to comprehensively treat runners. At this physical therapy location, there is video technology to provide runners with a detailed assessment of their running style as well as Alter-G Anti-Gravity Treadmill technology which is used to return to running in a low impact environment.

For more on our MedStar NRH Rehabilitation Network, Federal Hill site click here – http://www.medstarnrh.org/our-network/locations/federal-hill/

Contact info is below:

Federal Hill
1420 Key Highway, Suite 300
Baltimore, MD 21230
410-230-7830
[email protected]