Running is one of Australia’s favourite ways to stay fit: about 3.5 million adults lace up for a run or jog each year, roughly one in six of us (AusPlay, Australian Sports Commission). Around North Kellyville and the Hills, that means a lot of early mornings on local paths, ovals and the weekend parkrun. It also means a lot of sore knees, shins and Achilles, because running is repetitive, and repetition is where overuse injuries come from.
Here is the idea that changes how you prevent and treat them: most running injuries are not bad luck, they are load errors. Do too much too soon and the tissue cannot keep up. Understand that, and both prevention and recovery become far more logical, which is what this guide is about.
The common running injuries, at a glance
Most running injuries are overuse problems, and where they sit on the body, plus what you changed in your training, usually points to the cause.
| Running injury | Where it hurts | Usual load trigger | First move |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runner’s knee (patellofemoral pain) | Front of the knee | A jump in distance or hills | Ease the load, start hip and knee strengthening |
| Shin splints | Along the inner shin | More mileage or harder surfaces | Cut back volume, progress gradually |
| Achilles tendinopathy | Back of the ankle | Adding speed or hills | Load management and calf strengthening |
| ITB syndrome | Outer side of the knee | High mileage or downhills | Ease aggravating runs, build hip strength |
| Plantar fasciitis | Under the heel | A spike in volume | Calf and foot loading, supportive shoes |
| Stress fracture | One worsening spot of bone | Too much too soon | Stop impact, get assessed promptly |
Runner’s knee is the single most common of these. General running-injury and prevention evidence: exercise-based prevention in endurance runners (Sports Medicine, 2024). A guide to narrow the cause; confirm it with an assessment.
Why runners get injured: it is mostly the load
When a runner gets hurt, the instinct is to blame shoes, foot type or ‘bad knees’. The evidence points somewhere less exotic: training errors are behind more than 60% of running injuries and runner’s knee alone accounts for around 17% of them (running injury research).
The pattern is nearly always a mismatch between load and capacity: a sudden jump in weekly kilometres, a block of hills, new speed work or too little recovery, applied faster than the tendon, bone or muscle can adapt. The good news is that load is something you can control, which is why the fix is rarely total rest.
| Strength training reduced sports injuries to less than a third and overuse injuries could be almost halved. Lauersen and colleagues, British Journal of Sports Medicine |
Prevention: build capacity, then add load
Because injuries come from outpacing your capacity, prevention has two halves: raise the capacity and manage the load. On capacity, strength training is the standout, as the finding above shows and for runners that means regular lower-limb and hip work, not just more kilometres. On load, a few simple habits do most of the protecting:
- Progress gradually. Build weekly distance and intensity in small steps and avoid stacking a longer run, more speed and more hills all at once.
- Strength train twice a week. Calf, quadriceps, hip and hamstring strength builds the tissue tolerance that miles alone do not.
- Keep easy days easy. Most of your running should feel comfortable, so the hard sessions can be genuinely hard and well recovered.
- Respect recovery. Sleep, fuelling and rest days are when the adaptation actually happens.
- For a broader routine that ties warm-up and load together, see our warm-up and load guide.
Treatment: rest, or keep running?
When something starts to niggle, the useful question is not ‘should I stop running’ but ‘how much load can this tissue handle right now’. A practical rule of thumb: mild pain that settles within 24 hours and does not worsen through a run is usually acceptable, while pain that climbs during the run, lingers the next morning or changes how you move is a signal to reduce load and get it looked at.
Most running injuries respond to relative rest, meaning you modify rather than stop: shorter or flatter runs, cross-training and treating the cause with targeted strength.
If a tendon is the problem, our guide to managing Achilles and other tendinopathies explains why loading, not resting, is the treatment. And when an injury needs a full rehab plan, the staged approach in our sports injury rehabilitation guide applies to runners too.
| ⚠ Do not run through these Some signs point to something that rest alone will not fix. Get assessed promptly for a sharp, localised bone pain that worsens with each run or hurts when you hop (a possible stress fracture), pain that makes you limp, or swelling and night pain. Runners who are under-fuelling, losing weight, or have lost their menstrual period should be checked for low energy availability, which raises the risk of stress fractures. When in doubt, stop and get it assessed. |
Keep running, around North Kellyville and beyond
You do not have to trade running for a pain-free body. A physiotherapist can find the load error behind your injury, build the strength that stops it returning and map a safe way back to your training. It is what our sports injury physiotherapy is built around, close to home for Hills-area runners.
- Book an assessment with our North Kellyville sports physios, or at our Carlingford clinic, online or by phone.
- Bring your training. Your recent mileage, pace, shoes and what changed before the pain started all help us find the cause fast.
| Sore from running? Book a one-on-one assessment online, or call North Kellyville on 02 9624 2047 or Carlingford on 02 9872 2005. We will find the load error, treat the cause, and get you back on the path. |
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common running injury?
Runner’s knee, or patellofemoral pain, felt at the front of the knee, is the most common running injury, followed by shin splints, Achilles tendinopathy and ITB syndrome. Nearly all are overuse injuries, meaning they build up from training load rather than a single event, so the cause is usually something in your recent running.
Can I keep running with a running injury?
Often, yes, with modification. Mild pain that settles within a day and does not worsen through a run is usually manageable, while pain that climbs during running, lingers the next morning or changes your gait means it is time to reduce load and get assessed. Most running injuries need relative rest, not complete rest.
How do I stop getting injured when I increase my running?
Build up gradually rather than stacking distance, speed and hills at once, strength train your legs and hips a couple of times a week, keep your easy runs easy, and prioritise sleep and recovery. Raising your capacity while managing your load is the combination that keeps runners healthy.
When should I see a physio about running pain?
See a physiotherapist if pain persists beyond a week or two, keeps returning, is making you limp or change your stride, or is a sharp localised bone pain that worsens with running. Early assessment finds the load error behind the injury and usually gets you back to running sooner than waiting it out.
About the author and clinical review
| Author: Anshu Sudan, Principal Physiotherapist, Befit Physiotherapy & Sports Injury Centre. Clinically reviewed by: a Befit physiotherapist. Carlingford: Shop 2/1 Post Office St, Carlingford NSW 2118. North Kellyville: 15/21 Hezlett Rd, North Kellyville NSW 2155. |
| Medical disclaimer This article is general information, not personal medical advice, and reflects Australian guidance as at July 2026. Running injuries vary, so get an individual assessment for a diagnosis and a plan. If you have signs of a stress fracture or any of the warning signs above, seek prompt care. |
