Running blog series: Part 3: Running technique:

-

Obviously running techniques will differ from person to person, likewise a marathon runner with have a different technique than a 100m sprinter but we will discuss things more generally then it is up to you to add your personal tweaks to it to suit what you do.

Of late the issue with running technique is that everyone is fixated on barefoot running or forefoot running. Well this article will try to cover this issue but trust me it’s not all about the feet!

Due to this current trend lots of runners are trying to turn themselves into forefoot runners but many runners aren't ready for it and actually may not even need or benefit from it.

If you know that you will benefit from this change then you need to learn to become more efficient (lighter) within your heel strike firstly and then to shorten your stride length gradually. At each stage the change needs to become second nature before changing. Finally you can start to change the way the foot lands to mid foot and if required forefoot impact. 

However as you can see below, certain injuries are common with the forefoot and rearfoot strikers:


 More common in forefoot and midfoot striking & minimalist running:
  • Metatarsal stress fractures
  • Dorsal midfoot interosseous compression syndrome
  • Posterior tibial tendonitis
  • Achilles tendonitis
  • Calf strains

More common in heel striking running:
  • Knee pain
  • Tibial stress fractures
  • Anterior compartment syndrome

The evidence suggests:

Running with a rearfoot strike has significantly higher rates of repetitive stress injury than a forefoot strike (Daoud et al 2012).

Evidence shows that rearfoot striking runners are more economical than midfoot strikers (Ogueta-Alday et al 2013).

So before trying to change your style, ask yourself why are you changing? If the answer is because of injury, for example you are getting a knee pain and you think it’s because of being a heel striker, then first just try to land softer with the same heel strike and see what happens. If this isn’t enough then slowly shorten your stride length and continue to progress the above changes if you need to. However if your knee pain goes then you have done enough tinkering and any further changes will potentially create new problems.

Right now that’s out of the way.
It’s not all about your feet!!!!

Posture:


You need to keep upright with a slight lean forward from your ankle not your waist. Having good gluteal and core strength and endurance will help this. You also need a high knee lift, which requires good hip flexor (iliopoas) strength and flexibility. Basically just try to keep good general alignment/ posture but stay relaxed. How many times do you feel your neck and shoulders tightening up? So try to be careful not to let your shoulders ride up. Try to keep your shoulder blades together and slightly down.

Cadence:

Another element to work on is cadence. Try to speed this up and spend less time in contact with the ground. Make sure that you contact the ground with your foot underneath your bent knee that is nearly underneath your hip. Over striding causes braking forces, which will slow you down, make you less efficient and apply extra forces through your body and therefore increase your risk of injury.

Research also shows that Increasing running step rate is an effective strategy to reduce patellofemoral joint forces (Lenhart et al 2013).

Level running:

You need to keep an adequate bend in your knees so that your body isn’t bobbing up and down. You should be staying pretty level while running. Remember you want to move forwards not up and down. Not only will this waste energy and slow you down but it will increase the impact of running and increase the risk of injury.

Upper body:

Remember that running involves your whole body so try to co-ordinate you trunk rotation and arm swing in the opposite motion of your legs as this will increase your stride length without over striding and it will create support through fascial slings in your body. A great example of this is the sacroiliac joint, which is supported on impact due to the stretch through the fascia attaching from the latisimus dorsi on one side to the gluteals on the opposite side.

The arm swing also controls rotation and changes rotational direction to power the legs. Try running with your arms across your chest, it’s not easy and you will find it hard work to control your rotation.

Fatigue:



Kinematics when fatigued, deteriorated, which is associated with an increase in injury risk & poor running form (Koblbauer et al 2012).
So when tiring and technique starts to deteriorate don't just carry on as injury risk will skyrocket. If you really want to push yourself then do this in your cross training sessions, for example hammer the swimming or cycling.

Okay so how do I know whether I am doing these things or not?



If you are unsure then consider filming your running yourself from the front and the side as this can highlight issues with your technique. This will in turn tell you what you need to focus on, stretch out or strengthen anything. 
Commonly I have seen too much side to side movement of the pelvis, dropping of the non-weight bearing side of the pelvis and the knee moving inwards in stance. What I would then advise, is to work on the issues found, which could be weak gluteals, tight ITB, poor core stability or poor pronation control.

Everyone is different so see what issues are there and work on them then after several weeks or even months depending on the issues found; you should re-film and compare them to see if your technique is better.


So this has hopefully helped all of you runners with your technique. However there are many more factors to help your running other than technique and the next parts of the running blog series will examine these.

So keep posted over the coming weeks.

If you need any further information or would like to book an appointment then call Hawkes Physiotherapy on 01782 771861 or 07866195914


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Patella Tendinopathy

-
Image
I hear different terminology used all the time, so what is tendinitis, tendinosis or tendinopathy? Tendinopathy: This is a broad term encompassing painful conditions occurring in and around tendons, which includes tendinitis and tendinosis. Tendinitis: This basically means inflammation of a tendon. Tendinosis:  This means degeneration of tendon (Meaning cumulative damage). So what does this mean to me? For a long time tendinitis was the term used and it was considered that injured tendons were simply inflamed. Then the thinking shifted to the thought that there was little or no inflammation present in these conditions (Andres & Murrell 2008). However as is with research, the thinking is changing again: There may be an inflammatory response associated with chronic tendinopathy, even though recent opinions had decided it to be non-inflammatory (Rees 2013). So both types can occur! This is important as the way that you treat each one has to...
Read more

Cubital Tunnel Syndrome

-
Image
Heard of Cubital Tunnel Syndrome? Probably not but you may have heard of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Well they are similar but Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is in the wrist and hand whereas Cubital Tunnel Syndrome is in the Elbow. What is Cubital Tunnel Syndrome? Basically it is a compression neuropathy, which means that a nerve is "trapped”. The nerve at fault in this case is the ulna nerve and where it gets “trapped” is in the cubital tunnel of the elbow: See the below picture: How common is it? It is the second most common compression neuropathy in the upper limb (Palmer & Hughes 2009). What causes it? A common cause is frequent bending of the elbow or constant repetitive pressure on the elbow itself. This then irritates the nerve and it is irritated too much then it becomes a “neuropathy”. What are the symptoms? The patient will complain of pain and numbness in the ring and little finger and weakness is common. If left untreated then this ...
Read more

The case of the clicky hip (AKA: Snapping hip syndrome)

-
Image
Ever wondered what the click in your hip is? Firstly you need to know a little about the anatomy of the area. Bones: Ilium, Ischium, Pubis, Femur: Ilium: Acetabulum (lunate surface, margin of acetabulum) Anterior inferior iliac spine Anterior superior iliac spine Ala (wing of ilium) (gluteal surface and iliac fossa)) Iliac crest (outer lip, tuberculum, intermediate zone, inner lip) Gluteal lines (anterior, inferior and posterior) Posterior superior iliac spine Posterior inferior iliac spine Greater sciatic notch Body of Ilium Illiopubic eminence Arcuate line Auricular surface for the sacrum Iliac tuberosity Ischium: Ischial spine Lesser sciatic notch Body of Ischium Ischial tuberosity Ramus of ischium Obturator foramen Acetabulum Acetabular notch Pubis: Superior pubic ramus Pubic tubercle Obturator crest Inferior pubic ramus Acetabulum Pecten pubis (pectineal line) Symphyseal surface Obt...
Read more