Are you looking to achieve your running goals? Maybe you want to run your first marathon. Maybe there’s a particular PR you’ve struggled to beat for years. Or maybe you just want to get in the running habit. No matter your goal, a running analysis at North Austin Physical Therapy can help you get there!
A running analysis is an in-depth assessment of your running form. We record you running on a treadmill, then use that recording to identify biomechanical issues that negatively affect your performance and could, if left unaddressed, lead to injury.
From there, we’ll work with you to address those impairments–helping you achieve your running goals no matter what they are!
To illustrate the benefits of a running analysis, let’s look at a case study featuring one of our former patients, whom we’ll call Daniel.
Meet Daniel: An Avid Runner
Daniel liked to say he started running in high school and never stopped. Running regularly was a habit he carried with him through college and his first job, and when he visited our clinic at the age of 26, he was running a couple of times a week.
Daniel’s problem was that he had started experiencing different aches, pains, and injuries. Sometimes, his knee twinged after a run. He also dealt with shin splints on more than one occasion.
One of his friends suggested he have a running analysis performed to see if Daniel’s issue might stem from problems in his running form. That was what brought Daniel to us.
Conducting an In-Depth Running Analysis
We began Daniel’s analysis by talking to him about his health history, including his history of running-related issues. Then, we asked him to run for five minutes on our treadmill as we filmed him from multiple angles.
These videos allowed us to dive deep into Daniels’ unique running form. What we found was that Daniel tended to overstride. Whenever he brought his foot down to the ground, it would land a little too far from his body’s mass center. This meant a couple of things for Daniel:
- His form was inefficient; he was working his body more than he really needed to.
- The high impact of his foot striking the ground contributed to his shin splints.
Now that we had completed the analysis, the real work could begin!
Helping Daniel Achieve His Running Goals
Filming Daniel as he ran did more than let us see his running style from multiple angles; it also allowed us to fully explain the biomechanical issues holding Daniel back. We explained the issues with stride and worked with him to bring his stride closer to his center of mass.
The result? Daniel stopped struggling with shin splints and other twinges of running-related pain. Even better, he started beating personal records left and right! By improving his gait, Daniel began to run more efficiently. He could go longer without getting tired, and he saw improvements in his performance he hadn’t seen since high school.
Request Your Running Analysis Today
Want to achieve your running goals just as Daniel did? A running analysis with North Austin Physical Therapy should be your first step. We can provide personalized information to be a better, faster, stronger runner.
Make your appointment today!
Tags: running analysis, running performance, injury prevention, running goals
