In spite of the obvious benefits women derive from running and other high-impact sports, they can also face some health hazards like the following:
# Runner's knee, or patellofemoral pain syndrome
CAUSE: Dr Low Wye Mun, a sports physician at The Clinic@Cuppage, said that compared to a man, a woman has generally wider hips and this results in an inward slant of her thighs (called the Q angle). Because of this, her knee caps do not track well when she is running.
The condition can be exacerbated if the woman has a low-foot arch, thigh or leg bones that are not well-aligned or an imbalance in the muscles and ligaments on each side of her knees.
TREATMENT: Stop running until your knees feel better; strengthen your front thigh muscles as they control the movement of your kneecaps; get proper footwear when walking or running and ice your knees for 10 to 20 minutes after vigorous activity.
Stretching your iliotibial band, a thick band of fibrous tissue running down the outside of the leg from the hip to just below the knee joint, also helps.
# Shin splint
CAUSE: An 'over-use' injury, the term refers to any pain that occurs at the front of the lower leg. It usually results from inflammation of the periostium of the tibia (a membrane surrounding the bone).
Dr Jason Chia, a consultant sports physician at the Singapore Sports Medicine Centre and the Changi Sports Medicine Centre, said such injuries are often due to excessively rapid increase in mileage over a short time or poor running technique.
TREATMENT: A variety of options including reducing the pain and inflammation with rest, ice or heat therapy and stretching the muscles of the lower leg; identifying and rectifying the cause, be it running on hard surfaces or overpronation (rolling in) of the feet; or surgery in rare cases.
# Iliotibial band syndrome
CAUSE: The iliotibial band can get irritated and when inflamed, it does not glide easily over the knee joint, resulting in pain. The condition is often caused by runners ramping up their mileage too quickly or who have long-standing biomechanical problems like overpronation (rolling of the feet).
TREATMENT: Invest in proper footwear, ice the area, limit excessive training and learn how to stretch your muscles properly after exercise. Anti-inflammatory medicine or physical therapy may also help.
# Knee ligament or anterior cruciate ligament tear
CAUSE: Dr Ong Wee Sian, head and consultant in sports medicine at KK Women's and Children's Hospital, said that knee ligament tears are more common in women than men.
Apart from wider hips, women's ligaments are more lax due to hormonal influence and they also have poorer muscular strength and control. They also have different knee movement patterns from men. For example, women land with more extended or straighter knees or their knees tend to cave inwards when running, which can put high stress on the knee joints and its ligaments.
TREATMENT: Physical therapy or surgery to reconstruct the ligament, depending on the tear's severity.
# Plantar fasciitis
CAUSE: This over-use injury is a painful swelling of the thick tissue, or the plantar fascia, at the base of the foot and is caused by repetitive use of the tissue over time.
TREATMENT: Rest is the first line of defence and patients should avoid placing weight on their feet until the inflammation dies down. Stretching of the Achilles tendon and plantar fascia often comes next. Patients should use shoes fitted with shock-absorbing soles or an orthotic device. In more severe cases, extracorporeal shockwave therapy or an injection of anti-inflammatory steroids in the heel may be needed. Surgery is often the last resort.
