Like to Run? Get a Gait Analysis!
Run From Injuries with a Running Gait Analysis
Running is a great way to stay healthy, manage stress, explore new areas, and spend time with friends. With a good pair of running shoes you can be out the door or on the treadmill enjoying your run in seconds. Whether you are beginning to run for the first time, lacing up for track season, or training for your first marathon, a running gait analysis can be a great tool to assess your running form in order to treat and prevent running-related injuries and help you run more efficiently.
WHY DOES RUNNING FORM MATTER?
Running is an orchestration of muscles, tendons, joints, and fascia throughout the entire body. From the swing in your arms and the rotation of your trunk to the length of your step and mechanics of your foot, a lot of moving parts are involved. Over time, scientists and researchers have analyzed the running form and mechanics of many runners and gathered data about their strength, flexibility, and motor control. By also gathering information about each runner’s speed and endurance and history of injury, a picture of ideal running form began to evolve. Noticing correlations between certain ways of moving the legs, arms, and trunk and the incidence of injury or likelihood of winning a race has informed much of what modern day physical therapists know about running efficiency and injury prevention.
Because running has a low barrier to entry it is accessible to someone starting an exercise routine for the first time as much as it is to a professional athlete. While it may be easy for most anyone to start running, it is a sport whose repetitive nature can predispose someone to new injuries if the body’s mechanics are not optimal. A running gait analysis can help identify these injury risk factors before the injury develops and also pinpoint areas for treatment in someone who has already found themselves injured.
Additionally, a running gait analysis can give you a look at your running form and insight into how small changes in running mechanics may enhance speed and efficiency for those looking to improve performance.
HOW IS A RUNNING GAIT ANALYSIS PERFORMED?
A running gait analysis is typically a three part process:
Running history interview: the first step to the gait analysis is getting to know you–the runner–better. Your physical therapist may ask you questions about how long you have been running, what a typical training week or cycle looks like for you, what kind of footwear you use and what surface(s) you like to run on. It is also helpful to know if you are training for any events, what your short and long term running goals are and if you have suffered any running-related pain or injuries in the past.
Orthopedic Exam: Before your running is analyzed it is helpful to assess the strength and flexibility of the muscles, joints, and tendons related to running. Presence of weakness, laxity, or tightness can give clues as to why a runner is moving in a certain way or why they may be experiencing pain or injuries. Here are some of the things assessed during the orthopedic exam:
Strength of the muscles around the hips, knees, ankles, pelvis, and core
Flexibility of the ankle, hip, feet, and knee joints
Motor and muscle control of the joints during movements like squatting, standing on one leg, stepping down from a step
Observational Gait Analysis: While running on a treadmill your running form will be recorded so that it can be analyzed by your physical therapist. Read on to learn more about what elements of your running form can be analyzed this way.
WHAT INFORMATION IS GATHERED DURING THE GAIT ANALYSIS?
By observing a runner from the front, back, and from each side, many elements of the gait cycle can be observed:
Asymmetry in movement between the right and left sides
Where the foot lands in relation to the position of the hip, thigh, and lower leg
The position of the foot and ankle as the foot moves underneath the body
The angles between the pelvis, hip, knee, ankle, and foot throughout the stride
The position of the arms and the quality of arm swing
The rotation of the trunk
The rate of turnover: how many times your feet hit the ground during a minute
The length of your stride
WHICH CAME FIRST: THE RUNNING INJURY OR THE RUNNING FORM?
One of the great benefits to working with a movement expert such as a physical therapist is their ability to interpret all of the data gathered throughout the running analysis and use it to individualize a plan to meet your goals of injury-free, enjoyable running. As mentioned earlier, running requires the orchestration of many moving parts–parts which have been analyzed thoroughly by your PT. By combining the results of the orthopedic examination with the video running gait analysis, a clearer picture of how issues with strength, flexibility, and motor control are related to your running gait and to your pain or injury.
Since we have a good idea of the types of running movement errors that predispose someone to injury and decrease the efficiency of their running, once identified in an individual runner they can be targeted with physical therapy. A running gait analysis, therefore, is an excellent tool for anyone experiencing conditions such as runner’s knee, achilles tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis, stress fractures, hamstring injuries, or IT Band pain.
WE TAKE IT ONE STEP FURTHER
At Evolve, we would certainly like to help you with a running gait analysis but what we really love is to use the data and insights to create a customized physical therapy program for you. If you are hoping to enjoy running for now or for a lifetime, the physical therapists at Evolve are here to help you stay injury free and setting personal records for years to come.
Click here for more information about physical therapy for runners
About EvolveNY-
Brooklyn's Premier Holistic Physical Therapy Clinics- There’s physical therapy, there’s training, and then there’s EVOLVE. We use the science of biomechanics merged with fitness to help our patients get better and stay better!
First we evaluate, then we heal, then we strengthen our clients so they can reach their goals, feel better, and live happier lives. We do so by utilizing a range of core techniques and specialized treatments to reduce pain, improve mobility, enhance physical strength and deal with the underlying issues, not just the pain itself.
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