By Ryan Domeyer PT, DPT, CMPT
During the course a year, it's been estimated that nearly 80 percent of recreational runners will sustain a running related injury.2
In fact, it’s not uncommon to see some participants at local races and marathons walking around with braces, compression sleeves, tape or special shoes. This is because running is a complex functional human movement that few people are taught to perform correctly.
Despite running being a complex skill, most physical education, cross country and track practices simply consist of a short warm up before participants start running. A baseball or softball pitcher, on the other hand, has a warm up routine focused on skill development and technique in order to complete consistent and efficient movement to maximize output. If we take the same approach with running, warm ups should be spent on learning and practicing proper technique to lessen stress on joints and decrease the risk of injury.
Inefficient running form can lead to common lower extremity injuries including: plantar fasciitis, achilles tendinitis, shin splints, "runners knee," hip flexor tendinitis, low back pain, or neck pain. Research has shown that real time visual and audio feedback can improve running form and optimize running mechanics. With more efficient mechanics, a runner will be able to utilize less energy, improve time, and decrease risk of injury. Physical therapists are experts in human movement and can help improve running technique with real time audio and visual feedback. Physical therapists can take slow motion video of your running mechanics to provide feedback to improve efficiency. A physical therapist can develop a proper warm up focused on skill development to return to running after an injury or improve efficiency to achieve a new personal record. Here are six ways to improve your running technique:
1. Proper Warm Up – Make sure to complete a dynamic warm up to activate your feet, hips, and core. A proper warm up will increase blood flow to muscles and joints properly preparing them for the loading needed to run
2. Neutral Start Position – If you start running in a bad position, you are likely to end in a bad position. Instead, begin your run on the right track with a neutral neck aligned over your shoulders, neutral low back without a large curve, and feet straight forward with proper arch height.
3. Build Strong Feet – Cushioned shoes with large heels inhibit the small muscles of your feet. Building the strength of your foot, however, will decrease the need for stability shoes. As your foot strength improves you can transition from a stability shoe to neutral shoes with less drop from heel to toe. Use caution as minimalist shoes can lead to injuries if used on feet with poor strength.
4. Don’t Heel Strike – Avoid landing on your heel because it increases stress on your foot, knee and lower back. Instead land on the middle of your foot to adequatly transfer foreces to propel your body forward.
5. Increase Step Frequency – Taking more steps can actually decrease stress on your join which can decrease the risk of injury.3
6. Positional Awareness – Recognize inefficient running positions and make conscious effort to change your position when needed – especially as fatigue sets in.
Proper Form = Injury Prevention
Inefficient running form can lead to common lower extremity injuries including plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinitis, shin splints, "runners knee," hip flexor tendinitis, low back pain or neck pain. By paying attention to your technique, however, you will be able to utilize less energy, improve time and decrease risk of injury on your next and future runs.
References:
- “Gait Retraining for Injured and Healthy Runners Using Augmented Feedback: A Systematic Literature Review” (J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2015;45(8):576–584. doi:10.2519/jospt.2015.5823).
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27074435
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