The injuries runners actually present with
A systematic review of 17 studies of long-distance runners found that the incidence of lower-limb running injuries ranged from 19.4% to 79.3% across studies, depending on the population and how injury was defined. The knee was the most common site (7.2% to 50% of injuries), followed by the lower leg, foot, upper leg, ankle and hip or pelvis.
In practice that looks like patellofemoral pain at the front of the knee, iliotibial band pain at the side, medial tibial stress (shin splints) along the inner shin, Achilles and patellar tendon pain, plantar heel pain, hamstring strains, hip and gluteal tendon pain and recurrent ankle sprains on trails. Less often, and more importantly, it is a bone stress injury: pain that builds during a run, settles with rest, comes back sooner each time and is tender at one spot on the bone. That pattern needs assessment before you run through it.
The same review found strong evidence that a previous injury is a risk factor for the next one, and strong evidence that higher weekly training distance was a risk factor in male runners. In other words, the best predictor of this injury is the last one — which is why rehab that stops when the pain stops tends to fail.
What about the 10% rule?
Many runners are told never to increase weekly distance by more than 10%. Nielsen and colleagues tested a version of this in 874 novice runners given GPS watches and followed for a year. They grouped runners by how much their weekly distance increased over a two-week period: less than 10%, 10–30%, or more than 30%. In total 202 runners were injured, and overall injury rates did not differ significantly between the three groups.
There was a hint of something more specific: for injuries typically linked to distance, such as patellofemoral pain, iliotibial band syndrome and shin splints, the rate was higher in the over-30% group (hazard ratio 1.59), but that result was not statistically significant, with a confidence interval of 0.96 to 2.66. It is one study in novices, and the authors described it as explorative.
The honest summary is that a neat percentage rule is not well supported either way, and that a sudden jump is still a sensible thing to avoid. What we look at instead is your whole picture: recent changes in volume, intensity, hills and surfaces, how much strength work you do, sleep, recovery and what your tissues have tolerated before. For the tendon side of that picture, see our post on heavy slow resistance for tendon pain.
How we assess a runner in Daisy Hill
We start with the story: what you run, how often, what changed in the six weeks before the pain started, and every previous injury. Then we examine the painful area, test strength through the hip, knee and calf with load rather than just range, and assess how you hop, squat and land. We check footwear and running surface, but we do not blame one thing — the evidence does not support a single cause for most running pain.
When it helps the decision, VALD force-plate and dynamometry testing can put numbers on calf, hamstring and hip strength and on side-to-side differences, which is more reliable than asking whether the leg feels fine. Imaging is not routine; if a bone stress injury is suspected we will explain what to do next and liaise with your GP.
Running injuries at a glance
Lower-limb running injury incidence ranged from 19.4% to 79.3% across 17 studies · The knee is the most common site · A previous injury is a strong risk factor for the next · In 874 novice runners, overall injury rates did not differ between small and large weekly distance jumps · Most running injuries are managed by adjusting load and building strength, not by stopping entirely · See your GP promptly for pain at night, pain at rest, a single bony point of tenderness that worsens with each run, numbness, or swelling after a fall.
What running rehab involves here
The first step is usually relative rest, not complete rest: we find the amount, surface and pace of running that your tissue tolerates and keep you moving inside it, or substitute cross-training while it settles. From there the program builds capacity — progressive calf, hip and quadriceps strength, then plyometrics and running drills — in our gym-based rehab space. Hands-on treatment, dry needling and hydrotherapy can support the process when they suit the problem.
The goal is a plan for the run you want to do — a parkrun, a 10 km, a half marathon — with exit criteria rather than a date. If you are returning to running after having a baby, see our post-natal physio page. Runners over 50 should also read our guide to strength training for older adults.
Paying for running rehab in Logan
Private patients can claim on the spot through HICAPS — see our physiotherapy fees page. Recurrent or chronic problems are sometimes managed under a GP chronic condition management plan, where Medicare rebates item 10960 at $63.40 from 1 July 2026, for up to five allied health visits a calendar year pooled across professions — see Medicare physiotherapy. DVA card holders are billed directly for accepted conditions and NDIS participants on plan-managed or self-managed plans can use their funding with us.
Book a running assessment in Daisy Hill
Daisy Hill Physio is at Unit 4, 11–13 Allamanda Drive, Daisy Hill QLD 4127 — in Logan City, Queensland, Australia (not Logan, Utah) — and treats runners from Springwood, Shailer Park, Slacks Creek, Underwood, Rochedale South, Cornubia, Loganholme and Logan Central. Book online or call 07 3209 2000 and tell reception what you run and where it hurts. Physiotherapist Ben Birchall has a particular interest in endurance running and bone stress rehab; meet the whole team on our team page or read how to choose a physio in Logan.
Reviewed by Ben Birchall, Physiotherapist, Daisy Hill Physio. Content current at 7 October 2026. This page is general information, not a diagnosis — see a physiotherapist or GP for advice about your own situation.
Sources: van Gent RN, Siem D, van Middelkoop M, et al. Incidence and determinants of lower extremity running injuries in long distance runners: a systematic review. Br J Sports Med 2007;41:469–480 · Nielsen RO, Parner ET, Nohr EA, et al. Excessive progression in weekly running distance and risk of running-related injuries: an association which varies according to type of injury. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2014;44(10):739–747. Accessed 7 October 2026.
Running alongside lifting? See HYROX and CrossFit injuries.
