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23 Tue

Running injuries and landing force

Running injuries and landing force

MICHELLE MILLNER, PT, DPT, OCS

 

On Feb 10, 2016 the NYTimes published an article written by Gretchen Reynolds called Why We Get Running Injuries (And How To Prevent Them). The article reported on a recent study published by Harvard University, which followed over 200 experienced female runners for a period of 2 years.

There was collection of force and impact data, as well as, mileage and injury logs among other measures. The overall result indicated that running lightly may be the single factor able to prevent injuries in female runners. It turns out that landing lightly, either forefoot or rear foot, significantly reduces the amount of pounding through your body. So what can you do to improve your landing?

According to Ms. Reynolds article, increasing your cadence, or the number of steps you take, tends to reduce pounding as well as thinking about landing softly while running. Running mechanics can be altered with appropriate training.

If you have questions about how to improve your running and to prevent further injuries, consider coming in for a consultation.

At Professional Physical Therapy and Training, we are able to use video analysis to assess your running mechanics and provided skilled techniques and strategies to address any weakness that might be impacting a poor stride or landing.

 

Image courtesy of Vlado / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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