RUNNING TECHNIQUE AT THE INJURY CLINIC
Runners come in many different shapes and sizes. As such, we expect to see differences in the way individuals run.
Running technique is influenced by a range of different factors, including an individual’s anatomy, strength, mobility, cardiovascular fitness, neuromuscular control, training history and injury history. Therefore we cannot take a ‘one size fits all’ approach to running technique, analysis and gait retraining.
When looking at running technique at The Injury Clinic, we aim to develop an understanding of a runner’s injury or problem, find out why they run with a particular technique, if their technique should be changed, what changes should be made and how to make those changes.
Should I change my running technique?
Possibly. If you are experiencing a running-related injury, having difficulty increasing running load, or have noticed a plateau in performance; analysis of running technique may provide valuable information to direct appropriate changes to running technique. However, one must remember that changing technique changes load distribution, so whilst load may reduce in some areas, it will increase through others.
Our tissues need time to adapt to these changes, otherwise the risk of ‘new’ injury will increase. If considering a change in running technique to improve performance, keep in mind that your tissues will need time to adapt to any changes that have been made & as a result, your performance may be negatively affected until required adaptations have occurred.
The effect of a change in running technique on injury and performance...
When considering running retraining to either prevent or manage injury, identifying the primary biomechanical factors that should be changed presents the greatest challenge. Changing one variable of running technique, such as foot strike, cannot be implemented without resulting in significant changes to other biomechanical variables.
Although clinicians typically recommend changing running technique with the primary intention of reducing symptoms and injury risk, such changes may inadvertently affect running efficiency, at least in the short term. Similarly, coaches and runners may consider a change in running technique to improve performance, yet this is likely to change tissue loading and have implications on injury risk.
Overground versus treadmill running
There are more and more options available when considering having your run technique looked at. Most commonly, running technique is looked at on a treadmill. We often do this as part of a physiotherapy consultation at the clinic, and it can give a valuable insight into potential contributors to a running injury.
However, sometimes this isn’t enough. We can always be more confident in the information we gather from an environment that is specific to the runner i.e. overground.
Making time to complete a comprehensive running analysis not only enables us to capture footage overground, but in a context that is specific to the client. We may need them to run to a point of fatigue prior to the analysis, we may need to manipulate speed, distance run etc.
Research has shown that biomechanics do vary when comparing treadmill to overground running. We believe that for an accurate assessment of running biomechanics, the analysis must be performed in an environment specific to that in which you run.
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