We’ve had a few patients who are runners come to our chiropractic office recently with complaints of back pain, hip pain and knee pain.   While many of them came in thinking that something other than their running has caused the pain, it never takes long for them that the intense amount of training that they do for the upcoming marathons and half-marathons around Santa Rosa and Sonoma County plays a huge role in the injury.

Many of these devout runners are also surprised to learn how well they function with chiropractic care.  First, they are delighted at how fast their low back pain goes away with chiropractic care.  Then, they are surprised to feel how well they are able to run and train while under chiropractic care.

There are a few things at play here.  First, chiropractic care finds and fixes problems in the spine.  Sometimes vertebrae don’t move enough, sometimes the muscles are out of balance.  We know that when a joint has dysfunction, the muscles that surround that joint become inhibited. They lose their fluid function.  This can affect the way the muscles in the thighs and legs work.  Second, for many people, and especially runners, the ankle bones can lose the way that they move. The large, pivoting bone in the ankle, the talus, is the only bone in the body without a direct muscle attachment, so when that bone gets bumped out of position, the body’s innate healing mechanisms can’t put it back together properly.  This affects the way you run and control your ankle on uneven surfaces. This ankle misalignment can also effect the joint alignment of the knee and hip.  Finally, getting the whole body to have better alignment, better nervous system control, and better joint movement will help the body to function well as a whole.  This is the essence of holistic care, and it works really well for runners and all athletes.

If you are a runner, you should not hesitate to come in to get your lower body mechanics checked.  During our examination, we check ankle movement and alignment, knee alignment, and the whole lumbar, pelvis and hip function.  Getting these areas to work well again can make a big difference in your endurance and training.