For many people running is a relatively time efficient and low cost form of exercise. You can grab your running shoes and pretty much head out the door. It continues to gain in popularity with the growth of trail running, fun runs, half and full marathons targeted for all ages and abilities. These events are often family orientated and are a good way to set a fitness goal to work towards.
The journey along the way unfortunately can be a little up and down for both new and long-time runners because of the occurrence of injuries. There are a multitude of injuries that can occur with running and there are many risk factors for the development of injuries.
When you think about running, the average person per minute will land on the ground somewhere between 160-180 times (counting both feet). This is called your running cadence and if you add that up over a 60 minute run, that’s a considerable amount of times that you land on the ground. There’s also the increase in force through your body which is far greater than what occurs with walking.
Running technique
If you’ve taken some time to observe people out running, you’ll see that there’s a huge variation in running technique. It feels like you should just be able to go out and run with giving much thought to what you are actually doing, BUT there is more to it than that, especially when it comes to preventing or decreasing the chance of injury. From a biomechanical perspective, about 90% of the running population don’t know how to run or are not functionally strong enough to do it.
Obviously there are several factors which influence our running technique. There are the differences between male and female skeletal structures, which means that females generally have quite different running and landing styles to their male counterparts. Our genetic make-up has an influence on our ability to run because of the structure of our muscles, tendons, ligaments and fascia and how these combine to produce functional movement patterns. Males are generally more likely to injure their muscles and tendons with running, because they are generally able to produce more force and power.
Our postures, muscle imbalances, weakness and flexibility all influence how we run and transfer force. Working on improving your posture, muscle balance and flexibility can really help to improve your running technique and at the same time reduce the risk of injuries.
Injury history is something to consider. If you have had previous injuries from other sports or activities, then this could also impact how much you can run as well as how your body moves during the running motion.
Foot-wear
Foot-wear is another major factor. There have been and will continue to be many changes to running shoes from a more minimalist approach including barefoot running to the normal running shoe. Comfort is a huge indicator of how your shoe will perform and also influence the risk of developing injury. If the shoe feels good, then for the most part it is likely to be the shoe for you.
Training intensity
Training load is often where people tend to get into trouble. More often than not, people do too much too soon. There is a golden rule in the running community about using the 10% rule: not to increase your running time more than 10% per week. This allows for your joints, muscles and other soft tissues to adjust to the load that is being placed on them. Some people may take the approach of walk/run/walk run progression with short intervals of running, while others may start with 15 minutes running and gradually build up from there. Just remember to be kind to your body and the tissues supporting it!
There’s also your running history to consider. If you have run previously, then your body is more likely to adapt more quickly than someone who is run training for the first time.
The terrain you choose to run on can also be a factor in injury prevention. Soft surfaces such as grass and off-road trails compared with running on concrete. Flat routes compared with hilly or undulating circuits also place different strains on your body.
Running efficiency
Tips from Jason McClaren (isport biomechanics)
1) Reduce fatigue – the longer your feet remain on the ground during running the faster you fatigue
2) Speed of stride – increasing turnover of your legs will reduce the amount of time spent on the ground
3) Arm swing is important
4) Landing with your foot as close as possible beneath your body will enhance efficiency
As you can see there are many factors and influences that impact your running. It’s helpful to keep a diary of your running frequency and time, that way you can keep track of increases in load or changes to terrain and environment etc and monitor your response.
At Ponsonby Physiotherapy we can help you get the most out of your running programme; starting with identifying and correcting muscle imbalances, as well as providing useful tips on basic running technique and training load, so you can get maximum enjoyment from your running.
Call us to book a consultation.
