PHYSICAL THERAPY FOR RUNNING PERFORMANCE IN NEW YORK CITY

A recent study published in the National Institutes of Health analyzed the effects of cadence on a runner’s likelihood of sustaining an injury. Studied were 45 healthy runners to assess how differences in cadence affected loading on the hip and knee joints. The findings determined that a quicker cadence “generally leads a runner to strike with the midfoot compared to runners with longer strides,” which can cause pain or injury. Thus an improved cadence can be achieved by making your strides shorter. This will reduce loading on the hips and knees, preventing injury.

Much of running is focused on the feet; however, pelvic and hip positioning plays a large role in running, as well. Proper pelvic and hip motor control and stability is aseessed by doing specific hip position tests, like vertical compression and hip extension tests.

With the vertical compression test, stand with someone behind you, with that person placing their hands on your shoulders. Have them push straight down. If your hips buckle, it means your pelvic alignment could be in a disadvantageous position for loading (vertical compression forces from running). This can be corrected with motor control, stability and body awareness training with the help of a physical therapist.

With hip extension, kneel in front of a doorway with your back against the door jamb. Your left leg should be on the floor and your right knee should be bent over your right foot, directly in front of you. While you’re in this position, you should naturally have a small space between your lower back and the wall. Tilt your pelvis backward to remove this space. If this is difficult to do, you may have some mobility limitations or motor control restrictions. This can also be corrected with motor control, stability and or body awareness training, with the help of one of our physical therapists.

The National Institutes of Health, published research wherein numerous running metrics were studied through video assessments, including base of support. Base of support is a vital metric to assess, as foot placement is one of the most integral parts of running. It was noted that, as a general rule, “the left and right feet should not overlap in their ground contact location.” There should always be space between foot placement, as a narrow base of support has been known to cause painful conditions, such as tibial stress fractures and iliotibial band syndrome

The vast majority of all runners of all levels are heel strikers. It should be noted heel striking uses less energy than forefoot (toe) striking or midfoot (balls of your feet) striking, which can reduce fatigue and unnecessary overexertion injuries. It’s worth noting Medicine and Science in Sports Exercise published a study with the findings that heel strikers were more prone to running-related knee injuries. But mid and forefoot runners were also subject to injuries — just different injuries than heel strikers. That same research determined mid and forefoot strikers were more likely to injure their achilles tendon, ankle or metatarsals. So, what is the ideal foot strike pattern? The answer is that it depends on you, the runner and each runner is different. Generally speaking we want to make sure that we are trying to land closer to our center of mass to help reduce the braking force of “over striding”. This optimal striking technique for you in this moment can be determined after a running and movement assessment.

It is no secret that technique plays a large role in running performance. Vertical displacement refers to how much your center of mass moves up and down while you run. When your vertical displacement is insufficient, it can lead to a premature touchdown of your swing leg or a low center of mass trajectory. However, excessive vertical displacement can also cause runners to expend more energy than necessary. Both of these scenarios can be corrected by changing your stride, which can be accomplished with the help of our physical therapists in the Union Square neighborhood of New York City.

Are you seeking to run at peak performance? At Perfect Stride, we’ll examine your running mechanics and movement to figure out how your running efficiency can be increased to improve performance and reduce your risk of injury. Call us today to find out how you can discover your potential and reach peak performance!