Running is arguably the simplest form of moderate-intensity exercise. There’s no special equipment needed, and all you really need is a desire to keep putting one foot in front of the other. It should come as no surprise that running is also the most common form of exercise, as millions of Americans regularly lace up their running shoes and hit the pavement or their treadmill.
We work to improve running form all the time at our clinic because for many people, running is part of their regular repertoire, even if they don’t plan to run a marathon anytime soon. If you run for fun, participate in recreational athletics or are hoping to be able to run once again after an injury or surgery, you’d benefit from a running assessment from our PT team. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at some of the benefits of a PT-led running analysis.
Who Could Benefit From A Running Analysis?
As we mentioned above, you don’t need to be an ultramarathon runner in order to benefit from a gait analysis or running form breakdown. While it’s true that we do help seasoned runners improve their form to help them set a new personal best race time, we also help amateur runners develop a stronger and more consistent form, we help high school and recreational athletes improve their running style to give them a leg up on the competition, and we help anyone who wants to reduce their risk of a running-related injury. If you do any running at all, odds are you’d become a stronger runner by working with a physical therapist.
But what exactly does a physical therapist do during a running assessment? For starters, they’ll begin by watching you run on a treadmill to get a better understanding of your form. Once the initial eye test is complete, the real fun begins. We’ll hook you up to one of our running analysis machines that can pick up information that’s not easily seen by the naked eye. Using motion-capture technology, we can break down your form frame by frame and really see what’s working and what could use improvement.
Some of the biometric data our motion capturing devices can provide include:
- Arm swing time
- Leg swing time
- Stride length
- Footstrike pattern
- Force of impact
- Foot pronation
All of these details can help a physical therapist chart a therapy program to make a complete overhaul or a slight tweak to your running form, whatever is needed for your specific situation! Not only can these tweaks help you become a better runner or athlete and reduce your risk of injury, but a running assessment can oftentimes pay for itself in the long run. Improving your running form can greatly reduce your risk of a running-related injury, and better form can keep you running long into your golden years, which is great for your overall health. A running assessment can end up being one of the best preventative medicine pursuits to consider, so take a few minutes to set up your running consult today!
Let the team at OrthoRehab Specialists improve your running form or help you get back to running strongly and confidently. For more information, or to set up a running or gait assessment, reach out to our team today at (612) 339-2041.