Acute vs Chronic; Strain vs Sprain
With the running season descending upon us, many will be looking at participating in several events and bettering their personal bests. Quite often, many runners will approach this high demand season with scant regard for existing injuries and little or no knowledge of potential injuries. Terms are thrown around carelessly as a self diagnosis and a few, who would have consulted the medical fraternity, will nonetheless disregard any advice of slowing down and maybe even laying off running for a bit.
Running is a strenuous activity. Its high endurance demands require constant practice, huge emotional and physical investments and more often than not, goals that can make one blind sighted. Long distance running does make a kind of warrior out of a man/woman, given that it requires persistence, discipline and time to achieve these targets. The rush of finishing a half/full marathon, going “sub two”, beating a PB etc leaves a big high. However, this passion becomes an obsession and herein lurk the dangers.
Incidence of injuries is high in the running fraternity. At the outset, it’s essential to understand the difference between the most commonly (ab)used terms “ACUTE” and “CHRONIC” and “SPRAIN” and “STRAIN”.
I will address the common injuries that this fraternity faces in subsequent posts.
ACUTE vs CHRONIC
An ACUTE injury is a sudden injury which is generally associated with a traumatic event/impact such as a fall, collision, ankle twist, strained back, fractures etc. These also include ligament snaps and muscle tears. Any activity can lead to an acute injury and the higher the intensity of the activity, such as running, the greater and more serious the injury. The symptoms of an acute injury would include:
Sudden, sharp pain
Inflammation/swelling
Discoloration around injured area
Inability to load (put body weight on) the injured part/joint resulting in instability
Inability to move the joint at all or through its complete range of motion
Extreme tenderness which may be accompanied by a searing or burning sensation
“Popping” or snapping sound
If the impact is really strong, the injured person knows instinctively that something has snapped or is broken or torn.
A CHRONIC injury is generally an overuse injury, one that has festered over time with repeated motions often along the same plane. These develop slowly and become a source of constant nags, aches and pains. The symptoms are milder compared to an acute injury but these buggers are here to stay and make themselves comfortable at the expense of leaving you constantly in the reverse state. Ignored, these escalate gradually and begin to impede movement. Symptoms include
Experiencing pain every time after indulging in a sport/activity
Swelling specially after activity
Dull ache even at rest
SPRAIN vs STRAIN
SPRAINS are associated with ligaments. A stretch and/or tear of a ligament is referred to as a Sprain.
Ligaments are connective tissues that connect the end of one bone with another, for eg., the ligaments of the knee connect the thighbone with the shinbone. Areas of the body most likely to experience sprains are the ankle, knee and wrist, usually caused by a sudden twisting moment.
Sprains are further classified into the following, depending on degree of severity:
1) Grade 1 Sprain (mild) – slight stretching and mild damage to ligament fibers
2) Grade 2 Sprain (moderate) – Partial tearing resulting in laxity(looseness) of movement around the joint
3)Grade 3 Sprain (severe) – Complete tear of ligament rendering the joint non functional
STRAINS refer to injuries to muscles and/or tendons. Tendons are connective tissues that attach muscles to bones. Here too, it could be a simple stretch in the muscle/tendon or could be a partial or complete tear. Strains typically occur in the foot, leg (often hamstrings) or back.
All conditions require intervention and following the recommended protocol (Rest Ice Compression Elevation) and most importantly heeding medical advice. It would be better to slow down in terms of frequency, mileage, pace etc and even stop running for a bit till one is out of the red. Ignoring it could probably mean getting the proverbial pink slip from the running department! It’s just a matter of time, there is no escaping the eventuality. I am sure there are several here who would raise their hands if I call out “Guilty”. Be wise. Be safe. Run longer and better.
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