By Dr. William Booker, D.C.

ere is a rapid increase in the number of people working to improve their overall physical ﬁtness and conditioning through exercise.

Unquestionably, themost popular form of cardiovascular exercise is running. Running is inexpensive,requires little equipment and is very convenient. If you can find a sidewalk or apath, you can find a place to run. Although running has been shown to provideseveral benefits, there are also several risks for injury. e most common injuriesinclude shin splints, IT Band syndromes, Plantar Fascitis and Runners Knee.Most of these injuries present with increased intensity and milage. Fortunately,most can be treated conservatively, without the need for surgery and aggressivemedications.

SHIN SPLINTS

Shin splints are characterized by pain on either the inside or outside portion of the shin. Most commonly, the pain occurs after running, but as the symptomsincrease, may limit ones ability to run at all. Traditionally, shin splints have beentreated by administering anti-inﬂammatory medications, using ice andstrengthening the muscles of the shin. e secret to successfully treating shin splints is to accurately identify the cause.Pelvic imbalances and/or improper movements of the foot and ankle have to beconsidered as culprits in creating added strain to the shin. In addition to theremedies mentioned above, treatment must include proper corrections of themuscular and joint imbalances of both the pelvis as well as the foot and ankle.

IT BAND SYNDROME

Iliotibial Band Syndrome is characterized by pain on the outside of the knee,thigh and in some cases the hip. e iliotibial band is a thick, ﬁbrous tissue thatbegins at the hip and extends to the outer side of the shin (tibia) just below theknee. e band works with several muscles of the thigh to provide stability to theoutside of the knee joint. Treatment of IT Band Syndromes begin with correcting any leg length

Runners Injuries

Shin Splints, IT Band Syndrome,Plantar Fasciitis & Knee Pain

Dr. William Booker D.C.

Dr. William Booker D.C. holds aDoctorate of Chiropractic from theCleveland College of Chiropractic,Los Angeles. He completed hisundergraduate studies at theUniversity of Virginia, where hegraduated with a major inpsychology and a minor in Biology.After completing his internship inPhiladelphia, Dr. Booker relocatedto Arlington to open the ﬁrstCapitol Rehab inside of Gold’sGym. Dr. Booker establishedCapitol Rehab-Arlington as theﬂagship for what would be theeventual opening of eightadditional Capitol Rehabs locatedthroughout Virginia, West Virginiaand Maryland.