Hey guys its JP and this time I am going to talk about some things I look for when doing
an analysis of someone running! For a little background on me, I am a physical therapist
whos expertise lies around performance and injury management of endurance athletes, especially
runners. Now, analyzing running mechanics can be beneficial from both a rehabilitation
standpoint, where someone is recovering from an injury as well as a performance standpoint,
where someone wants to optimize the way they move to get even better times. When doing
a running analysis, looking at the way one runs can give a lot of information; however,
it can be very easy to get TOO FOCUSED on details that do not matter as much...as well
as the info just being plain OVERWHELMING! So, I'd love to go over some SIMPLE things
I look at during each phase of the running cycle! For this week, I will go over the first
phase, which is when the foot lands...otherwise known as Initial Contact.
One thing you can look at is the foot strike pattern. This refers to how the foot lands,
such as forefoot, midfoot, and rearfoot landing. Footstrike can be tricky topic as there is
a lot of debate between the different types of landings. I have talked about this in a
previous video if you want to understand a little more about this. Anyway to keep it
simple, current research has shown that while there is no footstrike that is inherently
better than another, the way it lands may indicate how stresses are distributed in the
leg. For example, we can take a look at someone
landing around the rearfoot. This is where you land more toward the heal area. Landing
this way typically distributes less load on the calf region, but moreso in the knee region.
Now, with a Forefoot Strike you land more toward the ball of the foot, which is the
region before where the toes are. Unlike the last one, landing this way typically distributes
MORE load on the calf region, but less in the knee. Then there is the Midfoot Strike.
There is a lot of gray area in terms of borders that define this kind of landing, but to keep
it simple, it is basically a landing that occurs at the middle of the foot. This kind
of landing distributes forces more evenly compared to a forefoot or rearfoot landing!
What I also want to mention is that how the foot lands is multi dimensional, so you want
to look from different angles. It is nice to see this at a side view, but is also important
to see where the foot lands from a front or back view as well, such as landing more or
less on the inner or outer portion of the foot, more accurately known as landing in
a more pronated or supinated position respectively. What I will say is that typically with the
landing, people land a little more on the outer portion of the foot, the it moves inward
towards the ball of the foot when pushing off the ground.
Another thing you can look at is Foot Position. Instead of looking at how the foot lands...
we will look at WHERE it lands in relation to the body! For foot position, you can take
a look at it in a few ways. One is the Shank Angle. This is where you basically measure
the angle of the shin in relation to the ground. Another is looking at the horizontal Distance
of the foot from the Body's center of mass. Now, this can get a little detailed on how
to interpret these things, but I want to keep it simple. I typically look for the shin to
be relatively perpendicular to the ground. I don't want to see the foot landing too far
from the body. When landing with the foot too far from the body is considered OVERSTRIDING.
This may decrease efficiency as you run due to increased muscular demands! This is because
having increased distance of the foot from the body as well as landing with a less vertical
shin as well as may be associated with greater braking impulses and may result in more active
work from the quadriceps!
Now, an underrated thing to pick up during the foot landing is the SOUND! People tend
to only focus on the visuals, but you can take a lot from simply listening as well.
Here are a few useful things you can pick up from LISTENING to the steps. Hearing consistency
in the steps may suggest good rhythm. This is something that seems prevalent in most
elite runners. Having good rhythm may be the reason why it is so mesmerizing to watch elites
running, since it typically looks so fluid and smooth. This may be important as running
involves constant energy storage and release. Having good rhythm may optimize that!
You can also get a decent estimate on the runner's step rate, which is an important
variable when looking at running. I will mention that it takes experience to refine your ability
to estimate step rate from the sound! Another thing is that it can hint at a runner's
ability to attenuate shock. If you hear a runner slamming the ground, this could possibly
clue in on higher relative vertical ground reaction forces and loading rates...which
is, to put simply...looks at how hard you hit the ground. By cuing to land more quietly,
this may decrease these forces. Modifying running pattern through that cue can be helpful
to help someone run during the rehab process where there is limited tolerance to loading
through the legs; however, remember that a higher vertical force does not necessarily
mean increased risk of injury.
And those are a few things you can look at during this phase of the running cycle. I
hope you guys enjoyed the video! I'd love to hear your thoughts and any questions you
may have. And as always, THANK YOU FOR WATCHING!