Foot pain after jogging - what is the cause and what helps?
If you have foot pain after jogging, like other foot injuries, it can be attributed to overuse or simply wear and tear. The most common injuries in this area include Achilles tendinopathy and plantar fasciitis. Together with the experts from PhysioSport, we show you how this happens, which symptoms indicate it and what you can do about it.
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Achilles endinopathy
When the Achilles tendon is irritated, it can be very painful. Here you can learn everything you need to know about Achilles tendinopathy.
Achilles tendon pain - what is Achilles tendinopathy?
Achilles tendinopathy is an acute pain condition of the Achilles tendon. In other words, you feel a lot of pain around and in the Achilles tendon under stress.
To localize the pain more precisely and to find out the exact causes, a distinction is made between "mid-portion tendinosis" and insertion tendinosis. In MPT, the pain occurs in the middle of the tendon, while in insertion tendinosis the Achilles tendon hurts further down at the insertion.
Short anatomy check: What is the Achilles tendon?
- strongest tendon of the body, which can take up to 1.7 tons of load before it tears
- Transfers the force of the calf muscles to the heel bone
- allows you to stand on your toes (plantar flexion)
How does Achilles tendinopathy develop?
Similar to Jumper's Knee, Achilles tendinopathy belongs to the so-called tendinopathies. It is a wear and tear disease of the tendon apparatus that leads to degeneration of the collagen fibers. The cause of Achilles tendinopathy is an overload of the tendon. Typically, it is mainly runners who have a lot of load on the tendon and put a lot of strain on it who suffer from it.
However, this is only one possible cause. Other influencing factors that can lead to degeneration of the tendon are not so clear. However, they ensure that the tendon can no longer regenerate after the load and is damaged. Even though many people think that Achilles tendinopathy is an inflammation, it is not. The cause is always the degeneration of the tendon. Inflammatory processes can then develop as a concomitant.
The overload of the Achilles tendon can arise from:
- wrong or old footwear
- Posture error
- Training errors
- malpositions of the feet
- calf muscles too weak
- possible side effects from taking cortisone or certain antibiotics
By which symptoms can I recognize an Achilles tendinopathy?
If your Achilles tendon shows signs of wear and tear, you will mainly experience pain and will no longer be able to put full weight on the tendon. Usually, with Achilles tendinopathy, you will also feel pain when you press on the tendon.
If you look at your foot, a swelling of the Achilles tendon can also indicate a wear and tear disease. If the swelling occurs in conjunction with overheating, the sliding bearing is probably also inflamed (peritendinitis).
In general, your mobility in the foot is limited if you suffer from Achilles tendinopathy. This is noticeable, among other things, by morning stiffness in the foot.
Achilles tendon pain - How to find out if I have Achilles tendinopathy?
If you go to a doctor with pain in your foot, he or she can very quickly diagnose Achilles tendinopathy based on a few questions and tests. To determine how much wear and tear there is on the tendon, an X-ray or MRI can help. Sonography can also be used to support this.
If you want to test whether you might have tendinopathy in the Achilles tendon before going to the doctor, you can do the Arc test:
- To do this, squeeze the tendon in the area of the thickening.
- Then you actively move the ankle.
- If there are also nodules and thickenings, you are most likely suffering from Achilles tendinopathy.
How do I treat the painful Achilles tendon?
One of the first measures to be taken in the event of Achilles tendon pain is to take a break so as not to put any more strain on the tendon. However, this only applies to the causal strain. You can, of course, continue to practice low-impact health sports such as swimming.
To relieve the pain and reduce the tendon irritation, cooling pads are a good option (cryotherapy = cold therapy). You can also stretch the calf muscles or roll them out with a foam roller to relieve the tendon.
Especially at night, you should immobilize your leg to promote tendon regeneration. To prevent pain when running, heel pads can help.
In the context of a passive therapy, the symptoms can be alleviated and you can support the body in healing. But remember: These measures do not eliminate the cause of your Achilles tendinopathy!
- Painkillers from the NSAID group, such as ibuprofen. They can help you stop the pain spiral. However, you should only take painkillers in the acute phase. Otherwise, they could lead to a situation where you no longer have a natural pain sensation and, for example, strain your Achilles tendon again much too soon.
- Manual therapy with a physiotherapist can loosen up hardened muscles.
- Shock wave therapy can also be useful in initiating healing processes.
Some athletes have blood plasma injected at the site to promote healing. However, studies on the benefits of this treatment are rather sparse.
If peritendinitis is also present (see above), the administration of cortisone may be considered, but this must be administered strictly adjacent to the tendon, otherwise the risk of rupture is increased. A careful risk-benefit analysis must therefore be carried out.
Once you have spared the affected areas for a while and successfully reduced the pain, you can move on to active therapy. This means that you will mainly increase the tendon capacity.
Active therapy for Achilles tendinopathy is three-step, slowly increasing and adjusting to the pain that develops with exercise:
- Reduction of pain through isometric exercises such as the calf press (e.g., using a stair step).
- Through eccentric exercises and heavy slow resistance exercises you gradually build up the muscles that relieve the tendon.
- You can further strengthen your tendon system with the help of plyometric exercises and workouts that match the movements of your sport.
If all therapeutic measures fail to bring success even after a longer period of time, surgery may be the last resort. However, surgical intervention is only preferred to a non-surgical solution in rare cases.
Achilles tendon pain - What can I do to prevent Achilles tendinopathy?
- Train the foot muscles to straighten the arch of the foot.
- Train your calf muscles, especially with eccentric exercises.
- Make sure you have good running shoes and throw away worn-out shoes.
- Design your workouts to be meaningful without trying to do too much too fast.
Do you lack the motivation for a long convalescence? Then design your own running shirt yourself and motivate yourself with great running clothes.
Plantar fasciitis
When your heel hurts while running, it can be very uncomfortable and severely affect your performance. Here we show you what plantar fasciitis is all about and what you can do about it.
What is plantar fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the plantar aponeurosis (=plantar fascia). This is the tendon plate of the entire sole of the foot.
The plantar aponeurosis begins at the calcaneus, the heel bone. From there, it radiates in a V-shape into the joint capsules of the metatarsophalangeal joints as well as the end tendons of the toe flexors at the base joint of the toes. This can cause the longitudinal arch of the foot bones to tense. The plantar fascia is important because it provides the cushioning function of the foot.
How does plantar fasciitis occur?
Like Jumper's Knee or Achilles tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis is also a tendinopathy, i.e. a wear and tear disease. In this case, the plantar aponeurosis wears out due to overloading of the foot. Classically, it is mainly runners who suffer from it, who put a lot of strain on the plantar fascia.
Risk factors for plantar fasciitis include a high BMI (high body weight provides high stress on the feet) as well as inadequate foot musculature and deformities of the feet such as flat feet or flat feet.
Plantar fasciitis symptoms
Plantar fasciitis develops gradually and is usually not noticed in the early stages. In the acute phase, plantar fasciitis is manifested by a stabbing and later dull start-up pain as well as pain that occurs during exertion such as sprinting, running or jumping.
Plantar fasciitis may also be evident when pressure is applied to the front edge of the heel, causing pain. If the disease is advanced, the heel may also cause pain at rest.
Plantar fasciitis diagnosis
Like Achilles tendinopathy, a doctor can detect plantar fasciitis without imaging with the right questions and testing. Above all, the characteristic pain is crucial for a diagnosis. To solidify this, an ultrasound can provide even more information about the extent of the degeneration.
If your feet hurt after running, you can also do the so-called "windlass test" at home:
To do this, pull the toes back or the instep to the shin. Then press on your heel from below. If you feel pressure pain, this can indicate plantar fasciitis and you should see a doctor.
Plantar fasciitis treatment - that helps
As initial measures, here's what you should do if you have plantar fasciitis:
- Reduce the load on the heel. To do this, take a break from the sport in which the painful area is stressed. However, this does not mean that you should always stop doing sports. You can continue with everything else!
- Cool the affected area. This can relieve pain and reduce irritation.
- Stretch your lower leg muscles and plantar fascia with a fascia roller, for example.
Painkillers from the group of NSAIDs can help to combat the pain and relieve it in the short term. However, you should not take them permanently. Without a natural pain sensation, there is a risk that you will put weight on your heel again much too soon, thus delaying healing.
As part of passive therapy, the injection of cortisone in the heel area can stop the inflammatory processes. To support healing, autologous blood treatment can help. Shock wave therapy has also been shown to be helpful. It is even covered by health insurance if other therapies have not worked so far.
The following is recommended as active therapy for plantar fasciitis:
- Foot exercises: they provide strengthening of the muscles that move your ankle.
- Optimizing the arch of the foot: if you strengthen your calf muscles as well as the anterior shin muscle, the arch of the foot and thus its cushioning function will also be improved.
- Foot awareness training: Running is usually an intuitive movement for us that we don't think about. To treat plantar fasciitis, you should learn how to target your feet. Move your toes consciously. Straighten the big toe, the other toes down and vice versa. Spread your toes and bring them back together.
Additional tip: Wear toe spreaders in the evening. They relieve the toe muscles if you have been walking in shoes all day.
How can I prevent plantar fasciitis in the future?
A very effective measure to prevent plantar fasciitis is to strengthen the muscles that straighten the arch of the foot. This includes the calf muscles. In addition, you should wear shoes suitable for running. Throw away worn-out shoes and consult a specialist when buying new ones.
Also adjust your training. Make sure you don't overload yourself and your feet, e.g. by jogging on hard asphalt. Always give your body enough time to regenerate after exertion. For example, a good night's sleep can help the plantar fascia recover better overnight.
