Run Well Juliet McGrattan (microsoft ebook reader TXT) 📖

help rotate the hip and turn your legs outwards. If the muscle becomes tight, swollen or spasms, then you can get buttock pain. You might also get pain down the back of your leg and tingling or numbness due to irritation of your sciatic nerve, which runs close to the piriformis. The pain can be worse if you’ve been sitting for a while and it can also be triggered by running, particularly uphill, and going up stairs. We don’t really know why it happens, but prolonged sitting is certainly a risk factor. Treatment focuses on stretching out the piriformis. You can do these lying or seated.

You may need input from a physiotherapist if simple home stretches aren’t enough to ease your symptoms.

Did you know?

The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body. It is the widest too, measuring 2 centimetres at its widest point.

Q Can I run with sciatica?

A No. To understand this answer, it helps to know exactly what sciatica is. Running irritates sciatica, but it doesn’t directly cause it. The sciatic nerve comes out from the lower part of the spinal cord and travels down through the buttock, down the back of the thigh to the calf and under the foot. When it is squashed it causes pain, tingling, numbness and occasionally weakness in the area below the compression. It most commonly becomes compressed at the spine by a ‘slipped disc’. Discs are basically gel pads acting as shock absorbers between each of our vertebrae (back bones). When a disc ‘slips’, some of the disc bulges out (prolapses) and compresses the nerves at their root. This can then cause symptoms anywhere along the nerve. Remember, the sciatic nerve can be compressed by the piriformis muscle too. Sciatica tends to cause a pain in the buttock and down the back of the thigh, but it can extend down to the lower leg and under the sole of the foot, and be associated with reduced sensation and tingling.

Knowing this, it’s easy to see why running is not a good idea if you have sciatica from a prolapsed disc. The impact of running will put extra stress onto the bulging disc and further compress the sciatic nerve. It’s not all bad news, though, because not all cases of sciatica are from prolapsed discs. Most will resolve and we know that generally being active helps to prevent back pain. Plenty of runners have had sciatica in the past and are no longer bothered by it. What is crucial is that you don’t try to run through any pain and you allow long enough for the sciatica to settle (four to six weeks). A physiotherapist to identify the cause of your sciatic nerve irritation, and help you properly rehabilitate and return to running gradually, is invaluable.

Q Why does running give me pain in the back of my neck?

A Do you wake up the day after a long run with pain and stiffness in the back of your neck? This is another perfect example of how what goes on in one part of your body affects another. Running is a high-impact activity and pain in your neck suggests that your running posture isn’t ideal. Sometimes the pain is purely muscular, but it may also be from the cervical spine (neck bones) and surrounding structures. It suggests that the way you are landing when you run is placing excess stress on your neck. This is most prevalent in people who run with a marked heel strike. Working on your running posture should help. If your pain is persistent, not purely caused by running, or you have symptoms such as numbness or tingling in your arms, then see your GP for an assessment.

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Running posture tips

Running with good posture will help to minimise your risk of injury, improve your running technique and make you a more efficient runner. Try the following tips. You could focus on one each time you run until you have mastered them all:

• Stand up tall.

• Make sure your shoulders are back.

• Hold your head up high.

• Engage your core muscles.

• Tuck your bottom under.

• Keep your hips strong and level when you run.

• Lean forwards slightly from your ankles not your hips.

• Don’t over stride. Try to land with your body balanced directly over your foot.

• Let your arms swing in a forward and back motion, at your side and close to your body.

Q Why do lots of runners get ITB problems?

A Most runners will have heard of the iliotibial band (ITB) as it’s frequently blamed for injuries and discomfort. It’s a thick band of dense tissue, which runs from the ileum bone in the pelvis down the outer thigh to the outside of the knee, where it attaches to the tibia bone below the knee cap. It helps to stabilise the hip and knee, and works with the hip muscles during movement. Pain from the ITB can be felt anywhere along its route, but is most commonly felt at the side of the knee. Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) is experienced by up to 14 per cent of runners, with the highest risk groups being those who are increasing their distance, running high mileage and those with biomechanical issues. The pain tends to come on at about the same distance each time you run and is often worse when running downhill.

The exact cause of the pain and the treatment for ITBS is actually poorly understood, with limited evidence to back up theories and treatment plans. It’s probably more complex than simple friction and inflammation of the band. It’s more likely to happen if you have weak hip muscles, a tight ITB or an uneven running style. It’s thought that women may be affected more than men because their wider pelvis and the angle of their thigh bones puts the ITB under more tension.

Thankfully ITBS usually resolves. Around half of runners will be back running after eight