Traditional Injury Philosophy

The traditional view, and in recent decades the more popular approach, attempts to name the condition. If the pain is more lateral and especially a bit above the knee joint, it may be called “iliotibial band syndrome.” If it’s just below the knee and in the front, especially in a younger athlete, it may be called “Osgood-Schlatter.” And if the pain is more medial, on the inner side of the knee, it may be referred to as a meniscus problem. While these conditions, especially the latter two, are real and serious, and sometimes do occur, even when these conditions are ruled out, their names are sometimes still casually used. This senseless attempt to name these symptoms tells nothing of how the problem occurred (what caused it), how to correct it, and how to prevent it from returning once it is corrected.

This approach also assumes, for example, that each “bursitis” is exactly the same, or every “tendinitis” is identical. Furthermore, modern medicine too often has an off-the-shelf treatment for each name—from rest to stretching, heat to cold, from anti-inflammatory drugs to surgery. (The exception, of course, is when you are in a “first-aid” state, such as from a serious fall. In this case, none of what I’m discussing applies. Instead, I am referring to the more common chronic injury that most endurance athletes develop.)

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The most indefensible aspect of this cookbook approach is the fact that many professionals know what they’re going to do to you and your injury before they even see you. They merely come up with, or look up, the name of your problem to find your remedy. It’s a classic case of treating the symptom and ignoring the cause—not to mention the athlete.