+
Injury Awareness +
How to stay
injury free
and improve running performance
As stated in the previous article, being well
conditioned for running, and remaining injury free,
are vital if you are to get the most from running.
ALISON ROSE
PHYSIO AND DIRECTOR AT
CSPC PHYSIOTHERAPY, LEEDS
T
he most common
injuries we see
in runners are
generally in
the lower limb – foot and
calf injuries, Achilles tendon
issues, shin splints and stress
fractures, ITB issues and
hamstring injuries.
As a clinician who has worked
with runners of all abilities for
many years, and as a runner
myself, I have found that there is
a lot of commonality with most
running injuries.
It is important that runners not
only have the strength required
to move over the ground,
combat ground reaction forces
and have muscles strong
enough to absorb the impact of
our feet hitting the ground, but it
is vital that they can also access
that strength and use it properly.
Next
steps
For more info contact Alison
via CSPC Physiotherapy at
[email protected]
34
FM
For me, foot and calf strength is
non-negotiable in any runner.
I have frequently seen runners
who do not have enough
strength in their calves and feet
to do what they are trying to do
in training, and have come into
the clinic due to injury. Yet there
are a number of others that have
the strength, but do not use their
calves properly when running.
www.exerciseregister.org
For example, lack of propulsion
from the foot results in the hip
flexors and quads having to
overwork to lift the legs through
altered hip, glut and hamstring
function. In cases like these, it is
important to be able to advise
ways to help your client convert
their calf strength into using it
functionally for running.
The other area that is integral
to running well is for all of the
joints in the body to have a
degree of rotation and to be
able to dissociate from the joints
above and below to produce a
smooth movement. Something
we commonly see is the inability
of the thorax to be able to
dissociate from and to counter
rotate with the neck and lumbar
spine. Without this, rotation
must come from elsewhere,
which can be the hips, knees
or ankles, which in turn can
overload these areas. If there is
reduced dissociation through
the body, and the foot is planted
on the floor at roll-through, there
can be an enormous amount
of torque through the bone and
soft tissues which can lead to
injury and overload.