![]() Your Pain Fails to Respond to Conventional Treatment. Here are six signs that your running injury is actually nerve pain:ġ. Signs That Your Running Injury is Nerve Pain The nerve functions in the same way: sensitivities anywhere along its length–at the neck, mid-back, low back, or pelvis–can cause a mild compression at the foot and ankle to result in severe pain. But two or three crimps anywhere along the length of the hose often results in major interruption. A good analogy for this is a garden hose: a single small crimp in the hose may result in no perceptible difference in flow. Because a nerve runs the length of the body, there are countless areas where the nerve might come under irritation. Thus, any force (whether accidental or intentional) that overstretches a muscle, tendon, or joint might also overstretch–or even strain–a nerve! In general, nerves are very sensitive and resistant to stretching (and under normal circumstances, have enough length so they, themselves, don’t need to actually stretch). Moreover, mechanical stress may involve overstretching a nerve. While this could be a severe pinch (say, from a vertebral disc), the vast majority of mechanical restrictions are far more subtle and related to stiffness of surrounding muscles, tendons, joints, and fascial (connective) tissues. This occurs any time the normal motion and position of the nerve is restricted. There are generally two types of nerve sensitization, mechanical and chemical sensitization: However, once a nerve is irritated, it can be very sensitive to any compression, stretch, or chemical changes (even our own, internal stress hormones). Under normal circumstances, a nerve is quite robust and asymptomatic when exposed to mild to moderate pressure and/or stretch. Nerve pain, or neurogenic (of nerve origin) pain, can arise any time a nerve is sensitized. This article outlines the signs and symptoms of nerve pain: how and why it happens, and how we can go about properly treating it. Falling might bruise a muscle or bone, but it can also irritate a nerve. This may be because of the extreme demands we place on our bodies and also because of our propensity for falling. While it’s more common to overuse or strain a muscle or tendon, or if we fall, possibly break a bone, irritating a nerve is not only possible but perhaps even commonplace amongst trail and ultramarathon runners. Nerve pain is far more common than we, as runners or medical professionals, realize. Moreover, because the nerve that supplies the foot runs the entire length of the body, literally from head to toe, foot pain may come from the spine! Indeed, a full 10 to 20% of runners with foot pain have an issue stemming from a nerve. A foot may be a foot, but often–because the foot is connected to the lower leg, knee, and hip–a foot problem may arise from a hip issue. One challenge I come across as a practicing physiotherapist is the vast number of possible sources of pain and dysfunction.
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