Injury index

Running injuries and how to avoid them. Most are overuse injuries from training-load errors, not from running itself, and staying healthy enough to train consistently beats every marginal gain. These pages are a general knowledge base, not medical advice; see a doctor or physiotherapist for an actual injury.

• Running injuries — the overview: load errors cause most of them, and what actually prevents them
• Injury prevention — what actually lowers risk, ranked by evidence: load and strength do the work
• Bone stress injuries — stress reactions and fractures, why the site matters, and the link to low energy availability
• Tendinopathy — the general loading principles for tendon pain
• Achilles tendinopathy — the headline running tendon injury, where midportion versus insertional decides the loading
• Patellofemoral pain — runner’s knee, the commonest running-clinic diagnosis
• Plantar fasciopathy — degenerative heel pain worst in the first steps of the morning; load it, do not just rest it
• Calf and hamstring strains — sudden mechanical tears from fast running, treated by early progressive loading
• Common overuse injuries — iliotibial band syndrome and shin splints (medial tibial stress syndrome)
• Practical niggles — blisters, chafing, black toenails and the side stitch
• See also return to running and strength training for runners