Running is one of the most popular activities and forms of exercise in Boulder County. In our Boulder and Lafayette Colorado Physical Therapy clinics we work with injured runners each day. Research shows up to 90% of all runners will have an injury that prevents them from training or competing at their preferred level. The vast majority of these injuries involve the lower body including plantar fasciitis, achilles tendinopathy, runner’s knee (patellofemoral pain), and bone stress injuries (stress reaction and stress fracture).
We commonly find a history of training errors in these runners when too much running was completed in too short of a time period. This error prevents the body from adapting properly to the activity and leads to a breakdown of tissue. The 2nd most common part of the examination involves muscle imbalances or muscles that lack of mobility, endurance, or strength to support the activity of running. The final common examination finding is poor running gait mechanics.
Of all the gait impairments, over striding is most often associated with injuries. Foot strike patterns including heel, mid, and fore foot strikes can contribute, but the distance of this strike from the center of the body is most important. As the foot strike moves further forward from the body, as seen in over striding and low cadences, greater forces enter the leg and these forces are transmitted over a longer period of time. Conversely, bringing your foot strike closer to the center of the body reduces forces through the lower extremity and the time the runner is in contact with the ground.
This simple change can dramatically improve a runner’s symptoms. A simple cue such as “landing softer” can encourage the runner to keep their foot strike closer to the body and in turn softer. Objectively, increasing a runners step count or cadence can also create the beneficial change.
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