As the weather improves and the weather gets warmer many people are going to feel anxious to exercise outdoors. One of these activities that have gained popularity is running. Running is a way for many to stay in shape or begin exercise programs. This type of activity is actually very hard on our joints, and in this following article I’m going to go into the details regarding injuries that occur, trends in shoe wear, and preventive medicine.
When a person runs there are some forces which are occurring through your whole body which will cause stress to occur. The original running pattern was for a person to land with their heel and then to accelerate forward, and continue to repeat this process until they have reached their goals. Currently many shoe companies have instituted shoes, which are either minimalistic or a decreased heel. The concept behind this change was to actually promote a decrease in your heel strike and an increase in landing in the middle of the foot and for elite runners the front of the foot. By doing this activity you are essentially reducing ground reaction forces occurring through your legs and helping to improve the efficiency of your muscle activation. With a heel strike the forces are being transferred to your hips and back which leads to pain and discomfort, while landing through her mid foot your knees can remain a little flexed which leads to less stress through your back.
Is a minimalist shoe right for you is a subject for debate, however as a therapist I can tell you that many of the patients who over train in a new piece of technology end up coming into therapy with several types of foot and ankle injuries. Our bodies are trained to adapt to environments and in essence become very good at completing tasks. The problem occurs when you change your foot wear without preparing through exercise and utilizing a slower progression. Many of my patients will come in for consults regarding their running and what will work for them. During my assessment I will go over areas where there are deficits and provide correct exercises to improve this and hopefully reduce injuries. Our bodies can compensate for areas of weakness which is essence can cause injuries to others. By doing your preparation and exercises to help balance your body as well as slowly getting into running you can reduce risk of injury and promote overall good health. If you are running through pain you may want to ask yourself if you have done your prep work and if not you may benefit from a professional consultation to determine the path that works best for you.
Joel Paul, MSPT, CAP