Hip/knee/shin niggles when running? It may be time to consider a running technique tweak. You can’t cheat running load… only re-distribute it. In the video below Mic changes a few things with his running technique to alter where most of the force is absorbed through his body.
Cadence Low = Knee Pain
1. At lower cadence 168 a slight overstride causes knee pain. Higher ground reaction force and larger vertical oscillation (bouncing up & down) will do that to you. Basically your foot is landing way out in front and this puts a lot of pressure on your knees.
5% Increase in Cadence = Less Knee Pain
2. Cadence up to 176 had the foot landing under the body. This plus 15% less vertical oscillation reduced the impact on the knees but caused a slight cross-over gait (behind view) and this can cause shin pain. When you cross over you tend to land on the outside of your foot and very rapidly pronate. This ‘can’ cause issues in the shins and tib post.
‘Run Wider’ to offload the shins
3. Then we nailed it. Cadence @ 176 and “run wider” cue took the stress off the shins but kept the benefits at the knee. Running wider meant Mic landed with a fuller foot and decreased the rapid pronation moment and stress on tib post.
These are just a couple of cues that can help take pressure off certain areas of the body. Cues like this are great if you are injured and need to keep running or if you are returning to running. Depending on the nature of your condition we may suggest you keep running with these cues or you just use them as a temporary gear change.
As always we recommend you get assessed by a professional who knows this stuff. You can book in online for a running technique assessment at any iMove Physio at Rozelle, Miranda or Panania.
