Injuries in Running: Importance of Running Analysis for Avoiding Injuries
Runners, whether seasoned athletes or weekend warriors, often face the risk of injuries as they place stress on their joints and muscles as they complete high-level activity. The nature of running includes the high impact and repetitive pounding on the lower extremity joints. This can lead to various issues, from minor strains of muscles, to joint degeneration, or other severe conditions that require extensive rehabilitation and time off from the sport. A running analysis can help to identify weaknesses or functional errors in the running form that may be leading to some of these issues. Completing a running analysis and understanding what is causing pain and injury can help us as physical therapists to implement preventative measures and recovery strategies needed to improve your short and long-term health and help you return to full participation in running safely and pain-free.
What is a Running Analysis?
A running analysis uses slow-motion video to record running form through the full running cycle and helps us to identify weaknesses or improper form during your running gait. Here at Symmetry Physical Therapy in the Downtown/Brickell area, we use a running analysis to help spot differences that would normally be impossible to spot to the naked eye. This allows us to address these faulty movement patterns to decrease overuse of muscles, tendons, ligaments or joints which may lead to an eventual strain or sprain. Therefore avoiding further injury and improving running performance.
By using a running analysis to obtain a detailed assessment of your mechanics and technique, we can significantly improve our precision in diagnosing the root cause or compensation leading to your pain. Once we pinpoint the specific faulty biomechanics, we can then directly address the underlying issues that may be causing flare-ups or exacerbation of injuries. Furthermore, any asymmetries, abnormalities, or inefficient movement patterns are thoroughly evaluated and corrected, ensuring we fix the primary cause and help you return to a pain-free and more efficient running pattern.
Given the nature of the sport, oftentimes we see repeat patterns with runners. Runners will frequently suffer from decreased hip stability and strength, over development of quads relative to hamstring ratio, decreased ankle dorsiflexion, and increased lateral quad tightness. Proper assessment and programming will address these issues as more to allow our athletes to increase loading and intensity while decreasing the risk of injury.
What Should I Do After a Running Analysis?
Following the initial analysis, the physical therapist can create a personalized treatment approach that helps us to address the specific weaknesses and imbalances that have been identified. By addressing these impairments, we can correct the form and reduce the risk of injury. Many runners suffer from weaknesses in proximal hip stabilizing muscles along with intolerance to landing in the lower leg muscles. This leads to excess pressure on joint surfaces or tendons/ligaments that may not be able to tolerate as much load. Oftentimes hip weakness can lead to issues like ITB syndrome, achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, ligament sprains, and inflammation within joint surfaces due to overuse. This is one of many examples of how a running analysis can assist with reducing the risk of injury, while making the running more efficient and more powerful.
Benefits of a Running Analysis
Now that we have created a personalized treatment program and you are completing physical therapy for your rehabilitation back to full pain-free participation in sports, you will start to see improvements. Not only will you get better from your pain and injury, but you will create a more resilient body to avoid future injuries and enhance your performance. When addressing muscle imbalances, you will notice improvements in speed, endurance, strength and all other factors leading to enhanced running movement patterns. The major benefits of a well-done running analysis are injury rehabilitation, future injury prevention along with enhanced performance in running. The feedback and recommendations based on the physical therapist’s analysis will allow you to complete these corrective exercises necessary for adjustments to achieve all these goals.
Treating your body right and being and being proactive about athletic longevity will help you to avoid chronic conditions and serious injuries. Completing a running analysis not only helps you get back from injury, but can prevent injury in the future. By locating and addressing the root causes of injury and inefficiency in your running technique, you can pave the road for a stronger, and healthier lifestyle. Doing a running analysis will make a significant difference in your running mechanics to help you perform better pain-free.
Closing Thoughts
As a one-on-one physical therapy practice that has been working with local Miami run clubs for ten years, we are happy to offer personalized assessments for runners of all levels. We believe in athletic longevity and being proactive about your health! If you are a runner looking for improvement on running mechanics, help with getting rid of pesky injuries/pain from running, or wanting to rehab to return to running as soon as possible. Come see us at Symmetry Physical Therapy, located in the Downtown Miami/Brickell area. We will provide you with an in-depth assessment and treatment strategies to get you on the road to success.
Feel free to give us a call at (305) 331 2277 to schedule an appointment.