The 3 Most Common Running Injuries We See in Carmel (And How to Prevent Them)
Whether you are clocking miles on the Monon Trail, training for the Carmel Marathon, or putting in track workouts at one of our local parks, running is an incredible way to stay active. But if you’ve spent any time in the local running community, you know that miles can take a toll.
When a running injury strikes, the traditional advice is almost always: "Just rest and take some ibuprofen." But as an athlete, you don't want to sit on the sidelines for six weeks only for the pain to return the moment you lace your shoes back up. At Indy Spine and Rehab, we take a different approach. We don't just treat where it hurts; we find the functional breakdown causing the problem in the first place.
Here are the three most common running injuries we see in our Carmel clinic, why they happen, and how to actually fix them.
1. Runner’s Knee (Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome)
If you feel a dull, aching pain right around or behind your kneecap, especially when running down hills or sitting for long periods, you’re likely dealing with Runner’s Knee.
The Real Cause: Runner’s knee is rarely a "knee problem." It’s almost always a tracking issue. If your glutes are weak or your hip flexors are locked up, your thigh bone rotates inward, forcing your kneecap to rub abnormally against the joint.
The Prevention Tip: Incorporate single-leg strength work (like split squats or lunges) into your routine to build hip and pelvic stability.
2. Plantar Fasciitis (Foot and Heel Pain)
That sharp, stabbing pain on the bottom of your heel during your first steps in the morning is a classic sign of plantar fasciitis. It’s an overuse injury of the thick band of tissue supporting your arch.
The Real Cause: The plantar fascia is heavily dependent on the calf muscles and the Achilles tendon. When your calves get incredibly tight from high mileage, they pull upward on the heel, putting immense, constant tension on the bottom of your foot.
The Prevention Tip: Avoid just stretching the foot. Use a lacrosse ball to roll out the arches, but focus heavily on eccentric heel drops on a stair step to strengthen and lengthen the calf complex.
3. IT Band Syndrome
If you experience a sharp pain on the outside of your knee or hip that gets progressively worse a mile or two into your run, your Iliotibial (IT) Band is likely irritated.
The Real Cause: The IT band is a thick piece of connective tissue running from your hip to your shin. Foam rolling the IT band itself is often incredibly painful and ineffective because it isn't a muscle. Instead, the IT band is being pulled taut by a tight tensor fasciae latae (TFL) muscle at the hip, causing it to rub against the knee joint as well as the hip joint.
The Prevention Tip: In addition to foam rolling the side of your knee and hip. Focus on rolling and stretching the glutes and the front/side of the hip (TFL) to release the tension pulling on the band.
How We Get Carmel Runners Back on the Trail Fast
When you come into Indy Spine and Rehab with a running injury, we don’t just give you a generic ice pack. We use a two-step approach to get you moving pain-free:
A Functional Movement Assessment: We watch how you move, squat, and balance to find the biomechanical weak link that is overloading your joints.
Active Release Technique (ART): Running causes micro-tears in muscles, leading to dense scar tissue. ART is a specialized manual therapy that allows us to find and physically break up this scar tissue in your hips, calves, or knees. By releasing these adhesions, we instantly restore normal motion, improve blood flow, and take the pressure off your painful joints.
You don’t have to accept pain as part of your training log, and you don't have to stop running completely to heal.