Running Injuries
Flip through any health-related magazine and you’ll find study after study highlighting what to do and what to avoid. I take these studies lightly because the next week I inevitably read another study contradicting the first. With so many studies and conflicting results, which one are we supposed to believe?
I was flipping through the IDEA Fitness Journal and found another study—this one observed running-related injuries (which many of my clients come in with). The article cites that other research has reported that 70 percent of runners sustain some form of running related overuse injury, with 80 percent of injuries occurring at or below the knee.
According to the lead author, “Based on the literature review, it appears that foot pronation and inadequate hip muscle stabilization are the top categories for injury. Hip muscle weakness especially appears to lead to atypical lower extremity mechanics and increases forces on knees and feet while running.”
Here’s an easier way to look at it. Your knee is a reactive joint; it does whatever your hip and foot tell it to do. If your hip is unstable, your knee will have to work overtime in order to compensate. If your foot is unstable, the same thing can happen.
When I see clients experiencing knee pain, often times one of the first things I check is the stability of their hip. If the hip is stable and not causing the pain, I see if I can find any imbalances in the foot. Remember, the site of pain is typically not the source of the problem. Another important note here is that the source of the pain could be coming from anywhere. We mention the hip and foot, but those could just be starting points. Could a limitation in your shoulder affect your knee? You betcha!
That’s the goal of Muscle Activation Techniques: to address muscular imbalances that lead to pain and injuries.