Despite the ongoing debate between physiotherapists and podiatrists regarding the mechanics of the running gait, it remains a reality that only a minute fraction of individuals attain textbook perfection. Additionally, there is a considerable difference of opinion regarding what qualifies as correct technique; some authorities contend that a heel strike is the most natural approach, while others suggest landing on the forefoot. Nevertheless, there are some fundamental concepts that are universally accepted when it comes to proper and improper running technique. If you feel at ease and relaxed when running, there’s no need to alter your current style. However, if you regularly experience injuries or run with discomfort, it may be worthwhile to modify your approach. Included below are the seven major errors that can occur in running technique:
Excessive striding
Landing with a stride too long places muscles in an ineffective extended position and leads to the foot touching the ground before the knee, resulting in a hindering sensation. Your foot will appear to hit the ground hard and far ahead of your knee.
Two movements that result in unnecessary use of resources.
Excessive vertical motion is inefficient in terms of energy usage. This is often caused by overly elevating the knees while lifting off from the toes, or by having a stride that is too short. This may make you feel as though you are not progressing forward and increase the risk of injury or tightness in the calf muscles. Wasted movement can also come from crossing the arms over the torso, which hinders forward progress.
The condition where the foot rolls inward excessively is known as overpronation.
Pronation is a natural process where the arch of the foot flattens during landing to absorb the impact. However, it becomes problematic when overpronation occurs, as the foot tries to push off without fully restoring the arch. This puts excessive strain on the muscles that support the arch, leading to tension in the inner shin bone. Overpronation commonly causes the knees to roll inward and become stiff, indicating poor alignment. This inward rotation also affects the position of the gluteal muscles, causing tightness in the front hip flexors and back muscles, along with pelvic tilt.
Sitting on the hips, also known as sitting in the bucket.
When assuming this position, the pelvis is tilted forward and the hips are pushed back, typically accompanied by a lean forward from the waist. This stance diminishes the strength of the hamstrings and glutes and is frequently caused by weak core muscles, incorrect pelvic alignment, and taut hip flexors; it may also stem from exhaustion during a run. This posture contributes significantly to back and hip complications.
Supination in excess by 5 degrees.
Oversupination, which occurs when the foot rolls outwardly and lacks sufficient inward rolling, is a less frequent occurrence than overpronation. This can result in decreased shock absorption during impact, prompting an increased likelihood of stress fractures along the edge of the foot and shin, particularly for individuals with high arches and bow legs. Those who oversupinate may observe pronounced wear on the outer edge of their shoes. For runners who oversupinate, adequately cushioned footwear is critical.
Insufficient hip drive
If you excessively rely on your quads and hip flexors instead of engaging your hamstrings and glutes, your stride’s power and length will diminish. To check hip drive, stand parallel to a wall for balance and effortlessly swing one leg forward and backward while keeping it straight and relaxed. Ensure that you have a decent backswing in addition to forward movement. If your pelvis feels “jammed” or your leg sags outward on the backswing or your back seems to arch too much, it may indicate poor hip drive. Your body may be trying to cheat to acquire additional range. To enhance pelvic stability and mobility, focus on stretching your quads and hip flexors.
A Trendelenberg gait, also known as hip drop, involves a specific way of walking where there is a noticeable drop in the pelvis of one side when weight is shifted to the opposite leg.
When the pelvis shifts excessively sideways, it results in the Trendelenberg gait, where the hip of the swing leg drops and the hip of the stance leg protrudes to the side due to the adductor and abductor muscles being incapable of maintaining a level pelvis. As a result, the foot lands poorly, leading to potential issues in the lower back and outer thigh.
You can attempt to perform standing leg lifts by standing sideways on a step, letting one leg hang over the edge, and then lifting up the hanging leg so that it surpasses the height of the step. As you do this, visualize your hip being pulled into its socket. Repeat this movement 10 times before lowering it back down.
What is Ideal Posture?
To put it plainly, the perfect posture involves aligning the body’s systems in a straight line, each consisting of one or more bones and joints, such as the lower leg, thigh, pelvis, trunk, neck, and head, without depending on one another. Inefficient alignment, as seen in different running postures discussed in our previous article on posture, deviates from this idea.
The truth is, alignment encompasses both position and angle.
Rephrase: Job or employment role.
The notion of position pertains to the alignment of each system, such as the ribcage, in relation to adjacent systems. Specifically, it concerns whether the ribcage is situated above the pelvis and whether the neck lies above the ribcage.
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The orientation of each system is associated with angle. Are the systems positioned neutrally or is one system positioned too far in front (anterior) or behind (posterior)? It’s preferable for each system to have minimal forward or backward tilting. However, the spine has two small curves that extend in the lumbar and cervical regions, which are balanced out by a curve that flexes in the thoracic region. These curvatures are typically minimal in an efficient state, but inefficient positioning can cause them to become exaggerated.
Poor Posture Makes Running Slow and Painful
Although they may appear inconspicuous, problems with posture or angles can have a significant impact on running efficiency. Our previous article on posture argued that insufficient posture results in increased landing stress, but this only scratches the surface. A backward orientation, whether in terms of position or angle, can shift the center of mass backward, leading to a higher likelihood of over-striding. Over-striding generates disproportionate braking forces that the body must then contend with.
Inefficient posture has a significant impact on propulsion. One major way is that it hinders the hips’ pushing ability. When the pelvis is positioned forward on a rearward trunk, proper extension of the hips behind is prevented.
Additionally, ineffective posture significantly hinders the functioning of the abdominal muscles, which are part of the anterior core. The automatic and effective activation of the core necessitates the correct stacking and angling of the spine and pelvis. In case the stacking is disrupted, meaning that the torso is shifted away from the pelvis, or if the torso’s angle is too steep, then the abdominal muscles are stretched excessively, resulting in their deactivation.
Having impaired abdominal function is a significant issue as it affects stability during landing and hampers the running stride by reducing the powerful hip-flexion assistance offered by the abs. The lower abs, in particular, are crucial to flexing the leg upwards and forwards. In the absence of strong abs, the hip flexors tire out rapidly, leading to a weak stride that resembles a shuffle instead of an efficient landing that turns into a smooth over-stride.
In conclusion, improper stacking and angling of the trunk and pelvis may hinder breathing. Specifically, insufficient angling of the ribcage can hinder the lungs’ ability to effectively expand and contract, resulting in suboptimal breathing.
Running efficiency can be easily hampered by weak push-off, weak forward lift, and poor breath, which cannot be overcome by physical training or mental toughness alone. In other words, a bad posture while running can lead to slow and uncomfortable progress.
Shore It Up: Find (And Maintain) Your Posture Neutral
Discovering a neutral posture may not be as difficult as one might think. All that is required is a full-length mirror and a pair of hands. Follow these instructions:
First, put one hand on your pelvic region and the other on your breastbone to experience it.
Firstly, stack your hands vertically and then modify the alignment of your stacking by shifting your trunk and pelvis to ensure that the lower and upper legs of your body are directly beneath the pelvis.
‘Neutral Bell:’ Position your trunk in a way that the ribcage ‘bell’ is in a neutral state. In the case of a posterior (leaning back, extended) trunk, this entails the sternum significantly relaxing downwards towards the stomach. Conversely, for an anterior (moving forward, flexed) trunk, it’s the reverse.
To avoid any considerable changes in the shoulders and neck, keep them in a neutral position on top of the trunk when adjusting the trunk angle.
Finally, position the head and neck on top of the ribcage, doing your best to align them. Typically, this entails extending the back of the head upwards as though it were being lifted by a string.
