It is reported that each year between 25-50% of runners will sustain an injury that is severe enough to cause a change in training or performance. Due to the high demands and forces placed on the body during running, any muscoskeletal impairments or technical faults are likely cause problems at some point.
When looking at run biomechanics, we can break down a running stride into 3 phases; Initial Contact, Mid-Stance and Toe-Off.
The Initial Contact phase is hugely important in identifying the possible cause of many running injuries, such as;
Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (Shin Splints)
Bone Stress Injuries
Patella-Femoral Pain
IT Band Syndrome
A significant factor contributing to many of these injuries is often a case of Overstriding. This is often paired with 'rearfoot striking' and is most commonly seen in endurance runners. This overstriding places increased forces through the knee and further up into the hip. This is usually a result of a physical limitation in the runners body, such as poor hip extension, excessive pelvic tilt or hamstring weaknesses. Sometimes it may just be more of a technical fault such as a low step rate or cadence.
With the use of muscle function assessments, paired with 2D analysis software, we can identify these underlying issues and make functional changes to running form.
To improve running form and eliminate overstriding, we often focus on step rate or cadence retraining.
A large number of research studies have suggested that increasing step rate by 5% -10% can significantly reduce joint compression forces & decrease risk of injury. There are also a number of running drills that are useful in correcting overstriding. A-skips, when performed correctly encourage the foot to land close to the centre of gravity, and subsequently engage the posterior chain (calves, hamstrings and glutes), allowing a more powerful stride. Uphill running intervals are also a useful tool as it is almost impossible to overstride whilst running uphill.
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