Hey guys its JP and this time I am going to talk about some important things to look for
during SECOND PHASE of the running cycle, which is most notably known as the Midstance
Phase. Last week, I talked about the first phase, initial contact, which is where the
foot landing occurs. Now, i believe this is important topic to go over as I believe runners
and coaches should be more aware of running mechanics that occur AFTER the FOOT LANDING!
This is because people tend to focus only on assessing first phase of running cycle,
which is where the foot initially makes contact with the ground! This is why the most commonly
talked about things in running are the type of FOOTSTRIKE the person presents with as
well as whether or not they are OVERSTRIDING. However, we NEED to look past this phase!
This is why I will be going over the midstance phase of running. This basically takes place
mid way between when the foot lands and leaves the ground! It may not seem like much is going
on here, but if you are measuring vertical ground reaction force, this is actually where
the highest magnitude peak takes place. During this specific time, the body basically coordinates
in a way so that energy is being absorbed and stored in the muscles and tendons. This
is important as this helps improve efficiency as you run.
Now, one thing I look at during midstance is pelvic position. It is important to remember
that the pelvis may not always be even as there will naturally be slight dynamic tilting
of the pelvis to each side; however, during this specific phase, I try to observe for
INCREASED contralateral hip dropping! This means that the opposite hip of the leg that
is in midstance is dropped or in a lower position. This causes the hip of the grounded leg to
tilt inward. Now, you may asking yourself... Why does this occur? Many people quickly attribute
this to weakness of the hip abductors; however, that is not actually always the case based
on recent research. Rather, it may be a combination of that and how the muscles around the hip
actually coordinate and work together! However, it is something that should be addressed!
This is because excessive pelvic movement may lead to decreased efficiency as you run.
If the lateral muscles of the hip, most notably the gluteus medius, could coordinate and work
in a way where there is increased stability and less dropping of the hip, this may optimize
force distributed through the body and lead to improved force output... and ultimately
leading to better times!
Knee position is another thing you can look at during the midstance phase! You can actually
look at in 2 views as they both give essential information. From the front or back view,
you can observe if the knees are coming in or out, otherwise known as knee valgus or
varus respectively. When the knees look like they are trying to kiss, this is more appropriately
known as knee valgus. It is the more common running form deviation you may see. Similar
to contralateral hip drop, this can clue in on insufficient hip abduction strength and
possibly coordination and control of muscles around that region!
Now, it is also important to take a look at this from a side view as well. From here,
you can also observe how much knee bend occurs. Based on standard running assessments, people
tend to look for the knee to flex or bend around 45 degrees; however, it can vary due
to multiple factors. One example is relative speed, as when one moves toward sprinting,
there is typically less knee bend occurring.
Now, a third thing to look at is STEP WIDTH. This refers to how far the foot is from the
middle of the body from a front or back view! When measuring distance of the foot placement
to midline of the body, this is usually close to ZERO. Now, the deviation I may try to correct
in a runner is when there is a NEGATIVE value, which is basically when the foot is crossing
over the midline of the body. People tend to refer to this as crossover gait. Having
crossover may increase stress on the side of the knee, most notably the Iliotibial band
or IT Band for short... and may possibly contribute to knee pain. Applying this clinically...
cuing a runner to increase step width may help decrease symptoms of pain on the side
of the knee.
And those are a few things you can look for during the midstance phase of running! I hope
you guys are finding the run assessment series helpful in understanding running mechanics
and what to look for! I'd love to hear your thoughts and any questions you may have. And
as always, THANK YOU FOR WATCHING