Running is a popular means of weight control, boosting cardiovascular health, blowing off stress and strengthening and toning the legs. Aches and pains from running, however, are virtually inevitable. While these most often strike muscles and connective tissues, an occasional culprit is nerve impingement, caused by a shoe or anatomical structure pressing on a nerve. Also called a pinched nerve or nerve entrapment, this condition causes shooting pains, numbness and other symptoms not typical of most running injuries.
The Feet
Nerve impingement in the ankle or foot is most often caused by shoes that are laced too tight or are otherwise ill-fitting. Compression of the lower part of the tibial nerve either at the ankle or on the top of the foot itself leads to tingling, pain or numbness on the top of the foot and sometimes extending to the toes. If damage is severe enough to cause inflammation, you may need anti-inflammatory medications or a steroid injection to resolve the problem completely.
The Calf and Shin Muscles
A bulging intervertebral disc in the lumbosacral spine -- the most common location of this type of back problem -- can impinge on the roots of the nerve fibers that run all the way down the leg to the gastrocnemius muscle of the calf. This impingement results in both motor and sensory impairment, with numbness and tingling accompanied by a decreased ability to push off the toes while running. If the impingement occurs one spinal level higher at L5, then the muscles that lift the foot are affected, resulting in a "foot drop." Back surgery is an option to fix the problem.
Peroneal Nerve Entrapment
The peroneal nerve, a leg nerve also vulnerable to injury, serves the anterior and lateral compartments of the shin. It may become compressed by the head of the fibula, one of your two shin bones, near the knee. This results in shooting pains to the foot, numbness, tingling and weakness of the shin muscles, and is among the most common causes of these symptoms in runners. Although these symptoms are similar to those caused by a bulging intervertebral disc, the location of the pathology can be confirmed by tapping or touching the fibular head, an action that elicits pain in the case of peroneal nerve involvement. Treatment includes rest, medications and splinting the affected foot.
Piriformis Syndrome
Common among distance runners, piriformis syndrome affects a small muscle beneath the gluteus muscle called the piriformis, which helps stabilize the pelvis during exercise. The repetitive motion of running combined with the small size of the piriformis results in tightening, inflammation and impingement on the sciatic nerve, with pain between the center of the buttock and the hip, usually on one side. Treatment usually includes resting, massage, and the use of anti-inflammatory drugs as directed by your doctor.
References
- Northcoast Footcare: Foot Problems in Runners
- Spine-Health: Spinal Cord and Spinal Nerve Roots
- New York University Medical Center: Peroneal Nerve Entrapment at the Fibular Head
- Spine Universe: Piriformis Syndrome
- "American Journal of Sports Medicine"; Peroneal Nerve Entrapment in Runners; Robert E. Leach et al.; March 1989
- Miller Neurosurgery; Common Peroneal Nerve
Member Comments