Although this slowing down will be only
a tiny fraction of time, and may appear to
be inconsequential, if you add up even an
additional one hundredth of a second per
leg landing due to insufficient hip muscle
strength across an hour run, that is an
additional 36 seconds for each leg across an
hour run. Saving this time can be achieved
not by training harder or running further, but
by simply having hip muscles that are strong
enough to provide adequate hip stability.
In 2009, researchers found that
runners who underwent six weeks of
core strength training improved their
5000-metre running times when
compared to those who didn’t
undergo the training. The runners
who participated in the research
were preparing for a marathon,
and underwent four sessions
of five core exercises for the
duration of the study.
Injury minimisation and
rehabilitation
As with the widespread effect that
running technique has on the onset of injury
for runners, excessive hip motion during
running represents a major injury risk factor
for runners. When a runner’s hips move
excessively due to hip muscle weakness,
the legs of the runner will be subjected to
greater loading and strain.
Research has found that hip adduction
(where the hip moves towards the midline of
the body) and internal rotation (a collapsing
in of the hip towards the runner’s midline)
have been associated with knee pain
and iliotibial band syndrome.Altered hip
movements and reduced hip strength are
common findings in females with knee pain.
Research has also shown that females
have a tendency to core instability, which
may predispose them to greater incidence
of lower extremity injury than males. In
a 2004 paper, researchers found that
female athletes displayed significantly
decreased hip external rotation and side
bridge measures compared with their male
counterparts. They reported that athletes
who experienced an injury over the course
of a season displayed significant weakness
For every hour of running, a
runner will make contact with the
ground 5,400 times
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The 30-second article
• It is important to educate running
clients about the need to incorporate
regular strength and conditioning
exercises into their training schedules
• Hip muscle stability and strength is
crucial for both injury prevention and
improved performance
• The hip muscles stabilise the runner’s
hip when the runner lands alternately
on each leg
• While core stability is important, many
runners focus on it at the expense of
hip mobility.
in hip abduction and external rotation. They
also concluded that hip external rotation was
the sole significant predictor of injury status
for the athletes they tested. They tested 80
female and 60 male athletes, many of whom
were cross country runners.
If you have a client who has set a goal
of competing in an upcoming road or trail
running event, or who is incorporating regular
running into their weekly fitness regime, be
sure to include strength and conditioning
work of the major hip muscles. Improving
the overall hip stability of a runner requires
three stages: the hip muscles first need
to be activated, then strengthened, with
the development of hip muscle endurance
thereafter.
For references read this article at
fitnessnetwork.com.au/resource-library
Brad Beer is a physiotherapist, founder of POGO
Physio in QLD and author of the Amazon Bestselling
book You CAN Run Pain Free! A Physio’s 5 Step
Guide to Enjoying Injury Free & Faster Running.
pogophysio.com.au
NETWORK AUTUMN 2016 | 41