Runners: Injury Incidence

Running Injuries are Common

Did you know that roughly 40% of runners will develop a musculoskeletal injury? A recent systematic review published in Sept 2021, which analyzed nearly 11,000 runners for injury incidence and 22,000 runners for injury prevalence concluded just that. Types of injury varies anatomically from knee (28%), ankle-foot (26%), and shank (16%) with women suffering a higher percentage of knee injures (40% vs 31%) while men suffered more ankle-foot (26% vs 19%) and shank (21% vs 16%) injuries. The most common injuries include patellar tracking problems (6%-17%), Achilles tendinopathy (10%), and “shin splints” (8%-9%) depending on gender and experience level (1-3).

Avoiding Injury: Am I doomed? Should I rest?

The current standard of care for runners experiencing pain, regardless of experience level, tends to be to advise running less. Just ask any runner who has been to the doctor about running related pain! This solution doesn’t solve the problem or analyze why these injuries are occurring. All of the injuries discussed above are often attributed to overuse, but do not consider technique. Many runners worry about increased knee osteoarthritis (OA) associated with running, when in fact this is a myth(4-5). Running with good technique may actually reduce the incidence of knee OA and need for surgery!(4-5) Running mechanics directly affect the forces (and resultant stress) our tissues have to handle during such a repetitive impact activity. Dysfunctional mechanics lead to increased stress on our tissues, which in turn means hitting the physiological yielding point too soon, which then causes the overuse threshold to occur sooner. How can we know how well we are performing without measuring these variables? Reducing the stress on our tissues is exactly what we should be doing to improve mileage and curb “overuse!”

Examples of Important Variables to Consider for Healthy Running:

• Biomechanical Symmetry

• Cadence and Stride

• Hip-Knee-Ankle Relationship (All 3 Planes of Motion!!)

• Neuromuscular Strategy (Muscle Activation)

• Trunk Posture

• Vertical Displacement

Is Your Running Analysis Any Different Than The Others Available?

The vast majority of gait / running analyses offered elsewhere only incorporate 2D video, and maybe a slow motion camera. This is simply not comprehensive as it fails to capture all 3 planes of motion and their relationship. Further, there is no way to analyze neuromuscular strategy without measuring muscle activity, and cameras cannot do this.

Anthrokinetics only uses cameras as a reference backup for synchronization, and we use 2 of them! More importantly, we use 3D accelerometers placed on body segments to measure all the planes of movement in conjunction with surface electromyography (sEMG) to capture muscle activity. The video, accelerometer, and EMG data is then synchronized to provide an in-depth analysis which can inform the clinical decision-making process to ensure you are getting the most tailored advice and treatment required to get you back to running worry free!

If you are interested in getting a running analysis, whether you are in pain, concerned about injury, or simply just want to improve your performance, reach out and let’s set up a consult!