How Gait Analysis Can Benefit Your Running

Anyone can run, right? Sure…but are they running with good form?

That is the million dollar question. A better question is, are they running with the best form for them?

One recurring theme I have seen in treating runners over the past 20+ years is that everyone is unique. What form and training works for Usain Bolt or Daniella Ryf may not work for you and me. Our gait is as unique as our fingerprint and there are tons of biometric studies that prove this.

A One-Size-Fits-All Solution is NOT the Answer

Whether it’s a friend telling you to wear a certain type of shoe because it helped their problem, a website saying a stretch will cure your pain or a popular book like Born to Run urging you to run barefoot. While those things might be helpful to some people, they may not be what’s best for you and your body. The best way to find out what will work for you is to have your unique movement and run analyzed.

An Ounce of Prevention…

Runners seem to only care about form when they’re injured. If you’re having nagging pain or recurring injuries like plantar fasciitis, achilles’ issues, shin splints, runner’s knee, hip or back pain during or after your run, you’re not alone. Recent studies report that between 50-62% of all runners will report an injury over the course of 12 months. That’s incredible.

Due to training and life schedules plus stubborn attitudes, most runners will just “run through” the injury until they can’t any more. This is where the old adage “An ounce of prevention…” rings true. If we can learn to run most efficiently for our body type, injury history and training level, we can significantly reduce the chance of chronic injury. Overuse injuries can largely be avoided or at least minimized by good form.

Use Slow Motion to Get Faster

A running analysis is pretty simple. After a thorough history, we will spend several minutes running on a treadmill and video this from different angles. Why video? The human eye/brain can process motion at roughly 24 frames per second while cameras and apps can record motion at 240 fps. After watching it in slow motion, we’ll see more accurately what your body is doing to identify potential areas of trouble or biomechanical breakdown. Coupled with some movement testing, we’ll have a framework for minimizing your risk and improving your performance.

Get Custom Exercises & The Perfect Running Shoes

During a run analysis, we look at foot contact in relation to your center of mass, shin angle at contact, knee angle during swing phase, hip dip during stance phase, vertical displacement and flight vs ground contact time. These key factors help determine which areas require the most attention. Plus, we examine your running shoes for the wear pattern and determine if they are the best shoes for your foot type and running style. Then we create a custom exercise program and/or running drills to address the issues identified.

Book your Professional Running & Shoe Analysis here!

To learn more, contact Jon via email at staystrongptwellness@gmail.com or text at 919-414-7475.

Happy running and Stay Strong!!