Do You Know How to Run Properly??

May is National Runner’s Month, according to Dick’s Sporting Good Store. Whether this is a real dedicated month to runner or just something that Dick’s made up, runners are out in full force this month as the weather gets nicer. 

Running Man, Yorkshire Sculpture Park

A sculpture by Elizabeth Frink

Everyone has their own style of running. It is quite fascinating actually to see all of the variations of running techniques. Some people run slower, some people run with their arms tightly to their sides, and some run with a slight hunch. 

When it comes to feet and ankles, proper feet placement can be critical in staying injury free this running season. Do you know the proper way to run to ensure your feet and ankles stay injury free? Here are some tips:

• In order to run well, one needs to push off the ground with maximum force.

• When taking a step, one’s foot should hit the ground lightly! Stomping one’s foot on the group causes jarring to the muscles, tendons, and bones. Plus, it just doesn’t feel very well.  

• The foot should first touch the ground between your heel and mid-foot, and then quickly roll forward to the toes.

• Ankle should be flexed as the foot rolls forward. This creates more force to push off of.

• As the toes are rolling, and if one is agile enough, spring off the ground.

• While “springing”, one’s calf muscles kick in to propel the body forward.

Remember that quieter steps are better. If you are a noisy runner, try to evaluate the way you run. Are you overcompensating for a pain you are experiencing? If this is the case, visit my office for an evaluation. 

Citations:

Image Copyright Nigel Homer of Running Man. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic Licence. 

The Eindhoven Marathon photo by Peter van den Hamer.http://www.fotopedia.com/users/12s687mhrt7jn
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial.