Running Mechanics – Part 3
Having an understanding of knee, hip, and ankle mechanics will help you to run faster and prevent injury. As I spoke about in the last two previous posts there are two main phases of running gait. There is the swing phase, which takes place as the leg is lifted off the ground and swung through the air in preparation for the next stride and there is the stance phase which takes place as the foot remains in contact with the ground. The stance phase is further sub-divided into the absorption phase and the propulsion phase. The stance phase begins when the foot makes initial contact with the running surface by either the heel, mid-foot or fore-foot. The transition from the absorption phase to the propulsion phase is when the foot, ankle and knee reach maximum flexion (mid-stance).
Once the runner makes contact with the ground the runner tries to control and absorb the forces acting from the runner on the ground and from the ground on the runner. Motions at any given joint will effect other joints above and below. For this reason it is essential to have the strength and motor control necessary to control and absorb these forces through the body and then use this force to propel the body forward. In this way, the legs act almost like a spring absorbing the energy through the initial part of the stance phase and then re-applying this energy back into the ground through the later half of the stance phase.
If you have had a running injury in the past your physiotherapist, chiropractor, or athletic therapist probably spent a lot of time working on hip & core strength and ankle mobility. These are two of the most common areas of the body that are prone to disfunction in runners. There has been a lot of research on hip strength in connection to patellofemoral syndrome, iliotibial band syndrome, shin splits, and even plantar fasciitis. Weakness and disfunction in the hip musculature can lead to excessive tilting of the pelvis which you can see from the side in some runners as well as a lack of control and stability from side-to-side. This is best viewed from the back with a runner’s shirt tucked in. Watch for excessive sway from side to side as the stance leg is unable to control the weight of the body causing a drop of the opposite side hip. If you see more than a five degree drop on the opposite side you may have an issue with this.
Excessive forward tilting of the pelvis is best seen from the side. This may be a learned way of running by avoiding using the gluteal muscles or it may be due to tightness through the muscles of the front of the pelvis. Either way this may lead to other problems and injuries. Learn to fall forward while running, bending from the ankles and not from the hip. The Lean, Fall, Run Drill is an example of a drill that helps to get a feel for leaning forward over your ankles. It will help you to maintain more forward momentum as well as help to reduce forward pelvic tilt so that more power comes from the glutes and hamstrings.
