Common Running Injuries
Running-related knee pain assessed in clinic
Common running injuries usually develop when repeated running load exceeds tissue capacity.
Common running injuries most often affect the knee, shin, calf and Achilles, and foot. Common examples include shin splints, runner’s knee, Achilles tendinopathy, plantar fasciopathy, and stress fractures.
If your pain keeps returning, changes your stride, or stops you training normally, it is worth comparing this page with our broader running injuries guide and sports injuries hub. These pages help you work out whether the issue is more likely to be a training-load problem, a tendon or joint overload issue, or something that needs earlier assessment.
Common signs of running overload
- Pain that builds during or after a run
- Morning stiffness in the Achilles, calf or foot
- Localised shin or bone pain after load spikes
- Knee pain with hills, stairs or downhill running
- Symptoms that keep returning when mileage increases
What are common running injuries?
Common running injuries are overuse or impact-related problems affecting muscles, tendons, joints, bones, or supporting tissues during training. They usually build gradually rather than appearing from one single incident, although some runners also develop acute injuries such as a rolled ankle, muscle tear, or sudden calf pain.
Most runners experience pain in one of a few predictable regions. That is why the best page structure for common running injuries is not just one long list. It should help readers match their symptoms to the right body region and then move to the most relevant condition page.
Why do running injuries happen?
Most running injuries happen because your training load rises faster than your tissues can adapt. This can occur when volume, pace, hills, shoes, surface, recovery, or strength work change too quickly. In other words, the issue is often not running itself, but how much load your body is being asked to tolerate.
Common contributors include sudden weekly kilometre increases, too much speed work, back-to-back harder sessions, poor recovery, reduced calf or hip strength, limited running preparation, and returning too quickly after time off. A running analysis or sports physiotherapy assessment can help identify which factors are most relevant to you.
Most common running injuries by body region
The most common running injuries usually cluster around the tissues that absorb and transfer repeated force. The main hotspots are the knee, shin, calf-Achilles complex, foot, hip-groin region, and lower back. Start with the painful area, then use the links below to drill down to the most likely condition pages.
Assessment helps identify which tissues are overloaded and guide the right treatment approach.
Assessing lower limb alignment during single-leg stance
Lower limb alignment and control play a key role in common running injuries, particularly affecting the knee, shin, calf and foot during repeated load.
Knee injuries
Knee pain is one of the most common complaints in runners, especially during mileage increases, hills, or downhill running. Front-of-knee pain often links with runner’s knee or patellofemoral pain syndrome, while outer knee pain may relate to ITB syndrome.
- Runner’s Knee
- Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome
- ITB Syndrome
- Patellar Tendinopathy
- Plica Syndrome
- Fat Pad Syndrome
Shin injuries
Shin pain is common when impact load, hills, speed work, or total volume rise too fast. The most common diagnosis is shin splints, but more focal pain may suggest a stress fracture or another bone stress problem.
Calf and Achilles injuries
Calf and Achilles pain often flare when runners add hills, speed, sprinting, or faster training blocks. Morning stiffness is common with Achilles tendinopathy, while sudden sharp pain may point to a calf tear. Runners with persistent calf tightness, Achilles soreness, or reduced push-off power often benefit from earlier loading advice and progressive strengthening.
Foot and heel injuries
Foot pain often relates to repeated loading through the arch, heel, forefoot, or smaller stabilising tendons. Heel pain may reflect plantar fasciopathy, while metatarsal or localised forefoot pain may need assessment for a foot stress fracture. Foot symptoms that worsen with longer runs, harder surfaces, or reduced recovery often respond best when footwear, load, and strength are reviewed together.
- Plantar Fasciopathy
- Metatarsalgia
- Morton’s Neuroma
- Foot Stress Fracture
- Retrocalcaneal Bursitis
- Heel Spur
Hip, thigh and groin injuries
Runners can also develop overload in the hip and pelvis, especially when strength, control, or recovery are lagging behind training demand. Common examples include hamstring strain, gluteal tendinopathy, groin strain, and higher-risk bone stress problems such as femoral stress fracture.
- Pulled Thigh Muscle
- Hamstring Strain
- Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy
- Gluteal Tendinopathy
- Groin Strain
- Femoroacetabular Impingement (FAIS)
- Femoral Stress Fracture
Back and trunk-related pain
Some runners develop lower back symptoms because fatigue, stiffness, or trunk load tolerance cannot keep pace with training. This may present as lower back pain, back muscle pain, or symptoms linked with reduced trunk control.
Why do runners get shin pain?
Runners usually get shin pain when impact load, hills, speed work, or training volume rise faster than the lower leg can adapt. The most common causes are shin splints and bone stress problems, so localised pain that worsens with hopping or lingers after exercise deserves earlier review.
If your pain is broad and exercise-related, shin splints may be more likely. If it is small, sharp, and very local, compare your symptoms with a stress fracture or foot stress fracture.
Step-up exercise to rebuild strength and control
Step-up exercises can help rebuild lower limb strength, balance and running control during rehabilitation.
How Can Physiotherapy Help Common Running Injuries?
Physiotherapy for common running injuries usually focuses on settling irritation, improving tissue capacity, and grading your return to running. Treatment may include load modification, strength work, calf and hip conditioning, mobility where needed, footwear or training advice, and progressive return-to-run planning.
For some runners, the key issue is simply doing too much too soon. For others, the problem is repeated exposure to hills, speed work, poor recovery, or reduced control through the calf, hip, or trunk. A good plan matches the tissue involved and the demands of your running. This is also where running analysis can add value.
What to watch during training
- Sharp increases in weekly kilometres
- Adding speed and hills at the same time
- Ignoring pain that changes your stride
- Morning stiffness that is worsening, not easing
- Localised bone pain that lingers after running
When runners should book an assessment
- Pain changes your running style or causes limping
- Symptoms keep returning with mileage increases
- Morning stiffness is worsening rather than easing
- Bone pain feels sharp, focal, or lingers after exercise
When should you worry about common running injuries?
You should worry about common running injuries when pain becomes localised, changes your running pattern, causes swelling or limping, wakes you at night, or keeps returning despite rest and modified training. These features increase the chance that you need a clearer diagnosis and a more structured rehabilitation plan.
Seek earlier assessment if you suspect a stress fracture, have calf pain that feels sudden or severe, develop marked swelling, or cannot run without compensating. Even when the injury is not serious, earlier guidance often shortens the downtime and reduces the chance of a repeat flare-up.
How can you reduce the risk of common running injuries?
You can reduce the risk of common running injuries by progressing load gradually, spacing harder sessions sensibly, building calf and hip strength, and monitoring how your body responds to each training block. Prevention is less about one magic exercise and more about managing overall running stress well.
Many runners do well when they combine graded mileage progression with simple strength work, recovery planning, and early response to warning signs. If you are unsure whether your issue is training-related, our pages on running injuries, running analysis, and sports physiotherapy are good next steps.
Common running injuries FAQs
What is the most common running injury?
The most common running injury varies between studies, but knee pain presentations such as runner’s knee and patellofemoral pain are consistently common. Shin splints, Achilles tendon pain, plantar fasciopathy, and stress-related bone pain also appear regularly in both recreational and more experienced runners.
Are most running injuries overuse injuries?
Yes. Most running injuries are overuse-related rather than caused by one dramatic event. They usually develop when repeated impact and training stress outpace the body’s ability to recover and adapt, especially during volume increases, hill work, speed blocks, or a quick return after time off.
What are the first signs of a running injury?
Early signs often include stiffness at the start of a run, pain that builds during or after running, local soreness the next morning, or symptoms that flare every time training volume increases. A small change in stride or confidence can also be an early warning sign worth taking seriously.
Should I stop running if I have pain?
Not always, but you should modify your running if pain is worsening, changing your gait, or not settling by the next day. Some minor symptoms can be managed with load reduction, while sharper, localised, or escalating pain needs earlier assessment to rule out more significant overload problems.
When is shin pain more serious for runners?
Shin pain is more serious when it becomes very localised, hurts with hopping, lingers after exercise, or progresses from exercise pain to walking pain. That pattern can suggest a bone stress injury rather than shin splints and should usually be assessed sooner rather than later.
Can running analysis help prevent injuries?
Running analysis may help when it leads to practical changes in training, strength work, recovery, or technique. It is most useful when combined with a broader physiotherapy assessment, because common running injuries rarely come from one isolated movement issue alone.
What causes knee pain when running?
Knee pain when running is commonly caused by load-related irritation of the patellofemoral joint, ITB, or patellar tendon. It often develops when training increases too quickly or recovery is insufficient.
What to do next
If you think one of these common running injuries matches your symptoms, start by using the body-region links above to narrow the most likely diagnosis. Then compare it with our detailed running injuries guide or book a sports physiotherapy assessment if the problem is limiting your training.
Earlier assessment can help clarify whether you are dealing with tendon overload, joint irritation, muscle strain, or a bone stress issue. That usually leads to a safer return-to-run plan and fewer repeat flare-ups.
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References
- Correia CK, Machado JM, Dominski F, de Castro MP. Risk factors for running-related injuries: An umbrella systematic review. J Sport Health Sci. 2024;13(6):743-757. doi:10.1016/j.jshs.2024.04.011
- Frandsen JSB, Hulme A, Nielsen RO, et al. How much running is too much? Identifying high-risk running sessions for lower extremity overuse injury in recreational runners. Br J Sports Med. 2025;59(17):1203-1211.
- Kakouris N, Yener N, Fong DTP. A systematic review of running-related musculoskeletal injuries in runners. J Sport Health Sci. 2021;10(5):513-522. doi:10.1016/j.jshs.2021.04.001
