Hawkes Physiotherapy Blog

The first thing that runners think of when they start to run is footwear. Well as you can see from this current blog series it’s not all about this. That being said, this article will examine this along with orthotics (insoles). Obviously this subject area is huge, especially the orthotics side so we will only be scratching the surface. You may or may not know but people have different foot posture types and these may need certain things from either a trainer or an orthotic. So what do I need then and why? Well let’s answer why first. Injury prevention: The causes of shin splints are many but it is considered that training methods, training surfaces, muscle dysfunction/inflexibility, shoe design & the biomechanics of running all impact on an increased injury risk if these aspects are incorrect. The different foot types are generally overpronation, oversupination and neutral. Each type has certain characteristics and needs different things from footwear

What is flexibility? Flexibility is defined as the ability to move body joints through a full range of motion. Muscle flexibility contributes to overall flexibility, as muscle is responsible for the movement of the joints. Primarily the ligaments limit excessive movement at our joints but muscle plays its part especially in 2 joint muscles! Think about it, can you touch your toes? What is the most likely limiting factor? Hamstrings? Sciatic nerve? So what do I need flexibility for? If muscles, nerves, ligaments etc.  are too short for the movements that you use and need, then it will lead to decreased performance, abnormal movement and injury (either cumulative or in a one off event). How do I know if I need to improve my flexibility? Everybody is different. It’s not a one size fits all. Ideally you need to be screened for your sport as each sport and each person is different with certain demands on them. What is screening? This is an examination of the bod