Running is a popular choice because it does not require special equipment or a gym membership. When people think about starting to exercise for better health or weight loss, most will think about running because of its accessibility. However, what most fail to consider is the importance of preparing for a run. Like any other sport, training is essential to prevent injury and to improve performance.
Running injuries are thus prevalent, but very treatable and avoidable.
At Balance Core, we specialise in individualised and tailored movement analysis to identify the root cause of your challenges and we work with you to improve on the specific errors. We combine our systematic assessment and treatment approach with modern technology to provide accurate analysis and effective rehabilitation.
Equipped with motion cameras and motion analysis software, our physiotherapists can communicate feedback on your movement effectively and easily with video playbacks.
Common Conditions/Injuries Associated with Running
Lower back pain
Spinal disc injuries
Spinal facet joint strains
Muscle sprains
Hip pain
Piriformis syndrome
Hip impingement
Hip arthritis
Hip bursitis
Sciatica
Iliotibial band (ITB) syndrome
Shoulder pain
Muscle strain
Rib strain
Knee pain
Knee meniscus injury
Ligament strain
Knee arthritis
Calf strain
Patellofemoral pain syndrome (Runner’s Knee)
Hamstring strain
Foot and ankle pain
Ankle sprains
Plantarfasciitis
Achilles tendinopathy
Stress fracture
Neuromas
Bunions
Running can result in a wide range of injuries and pain. Our physiotherapists at Balance Core are well-versed in treating these conditions and can facilitate your return to running even after these injuries.
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Common Errors We Have Observed in Running
Upper body form and posture
Chest lifted in an overly upright and rigid posture that places the diaphragm in a disadvantaged position for breathing
Shoulders clipped tightly by the body and hiked resulting in excessive tension and inefficient use of energy
Lower back not kept in neutral resulting in excessive tension or loading in the muscles, discs and joints
Pelvis not in neutral (excessive anterior tilt or posterior tilt) placing hip and back muscles in disadvantaged positions and reducing muscular efficiency
Point of Weight Bearing and Foot Striking
Overloading into the forefoot and toes resulting in strain in the lower back, knees, calves, and feet
Overloading into hindfoot (overstriding and landing on the heel) is energy inefficient and increases the risk of shin splints
Balance Strategies and Placement of Centre of Gravity
Excessive gripping in the inner thighs and toes for balance and to keep upright instead of proper use of the core resulting in overloading in the groin, calves, and feet
Overstriding with centre of gravity trailing behind resulting in inefficient energy use and overloading in the heels, ankles, knees, hips and back
Poor understanding and improper use of core control
Excessive gripping of outer layer of dynamic trunk muscles instead of deeper postural control muscles
Movement driven excessively by distal extremitities with overload in feet and knees and underuse of core, gluteals, and quadriceps
Background Muscle imbalance
Specific analysis by our physiotherapists at Balance Core can help you identify errors unique to you and decipher the root cause behind these errors. Identifying the errors and the root cause of the errors are the first steps in your road to recovery from injury and in preventing future injuries.
Addressing Underlying Causes of Running Injuries
Running requires repetitive motions and loading. If you are experiencing pain or excessive tiredness in certain areas of the body, continuing to run and “practise running” will not address your problem. Specific analysis to identify the underlying reasons for your movement errors and risk factors for injury is essential.
Balance Core Physiotherapy Centre is committed to solving the root cause of problems. Combining our Integrated Balance Approach with a dedicated practice space and modern technology, our physiotherapists will work closely with you to identify your unique issues and design a suitable treatment plan for you in a systematic manner. In doing so, we strive to reduce your existing pain and help you to minimise the risk of your injuries recurring in the future.
Running is a repetitive but fast activity. A slow-motion playback of your movements is particularly helpful and accurate in identifying movement errors that will otherwise be difficult to pick up. Combined with a systematic approach like ours, a structured analysis can be conducted to help you identify problems, understand the root causes, and hence improve your running form.
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Frequently Asked Questions
For our physiotherapists at Balance Core to conduct a systematic physiotherapy assessment and treatment, a detailed movement analysis must first be conducted.
To understand your typical running habits better, you will first be asked to show us your usual routine (including your warm-up routine if you have one), and the assessment of your running will be performed on a treadmill.
Your movements will be recorded with cameras and your physiotherapist will analyse them with you and provide feedback using a slow-motion playback of your movement with the aid of a motion analysis software. Our physiotherapists will also conduct a systematic assessment based on our Integrated Balance Approach. Based on the combined findings of your specific weight distribution, joint position, flexibility and mobility, muscle performance, functional movement and task-specific efficiency, our physiotherapists can then design a tailored rehabilitative programme to suit your individual needs.
Through a detailed yet streamlined approach, our physiotherapists will be able to determine the root issues in the challenges that you face in your game and design a rehabilitation or performance enhancement plan to facilitate your improvement.
Yes! Physiotherapy can help.
Degeneration is common and does not automatically mean disability. Most people can continue enjoying their favourite sport despite having evidence of degeneration in their radiological scans (i.e. X-rays, MRIs).
It is a misconception that you have to stop all sporting activities because you have degeneration or “wear and tear” in your body. When we play our favourite sport and feel aches and pains in the absence of any sudden twists, falls or acute injuries, the common deduction is that the pain is due to age, degeneration, or unsuitability for the sport. However, most of the time, the discomforts are because of an error in our movement pattern. Dysfunctional movement patterns, often paired with an imbalance in muscular performance and joint mobility, are the more common cause of discomfort. Sometimes, the root cause of the problem is not in the area of pain or discomfort.
The wear and tear of a joint is a result of overload and/or the joint being subjected to too much stress. This overload is often caused by problems such as tightness or stiffness in other areas of the body. Clinically, we have found that when healthy movement habits are restored (through manual therapy, exercise therapy and education to improve awareness), the previously strained joint will no longer be overloaded during activities.
Running is unique in that it is highly repetitive and is considered a high impact sport. Treating the area of pain alone will not solve the problem. To reduce the repetitive strain it causes, optimal control of the entire kinetic chain is essential.
Hence, at Balance Core, we emphasise the importance of a “whole body analysis” to identify areas of weakness, overload, stiffness and hypermobility to decipher the root cause of the problem. This Integrated Balance Approach and sport-specific analysis will help us and help you to learn the problematic areas that are affecting your performance.
A combination of physiotherapy techniques (e.g. joint mobilisation and myofascial release techniques) to reduce pain and improve mobility together with exercise training to improve muscular and movement pattern performance can facilitate your return to running safely and effectively.
The use of slow-motion video capture and playback together with motion analysis software, our physiotherapists are able to communicate the errors and areas for improvement effectively.
It is our “whole-body” approach that makes our assessment and treatment unique. Treating a painful runner’s knee symptomatically is simple. However, at Balance Core, we firmly believe in the body functioning as a whole and addressing errors beyond the local area of pain or injury.
With our team’s Integrated Balance Approach, we provide a detailed and systematic analysis of each client’s individual and unique characteristics and movement patterns. A tailored and specific treatment plan can then be designed for the client’s unique problems. By managing the client as a whole, we can tackle the root cause of the problem and minimise the chance of injury recurrence.
Proper body mechanics and good muscular balance help to prevent injuries. Even if you do not have any pain now, having your movement patterns analysed can help you to understand your body better and make necessary changes to minimise your risk of injuries in the future.
Often, injuries (especially repetitive strain injuries), stem from long-standing but unrecognised issues. The human body is quick to adapt and tends to compensate by choosing the “easiest way out”. Over time, compensatory actions accentuate and worsen existing errors and imbalances that eventually result in an injury. Thus, it is never too early to identify errors in your tennis techniques and to correct them.