The importance of our knee muscles flexibility
There is a hole in scientific research when assessing our knee muscles. While the quadriceps and hamstrings have been studied quite extensively, others, like the IT band, our adductors, and sartorius have an unknown contribution to the gait mechanics. The flexibility of the hamstring – the back of our thigh – seems to be critical […]
The anatomical alignment of the knee
It has been discussed for a long time that our pelvis/hip structure may influence the running-related injury rate. An increase of the Q-angle – the angle between the femoral bone and a vertical line – has often been described as a risk factor, putting more load on the outside part of the kneecap. Science […]
A basic knee muscles overview
Several muscles cross the knee, to provide dynamic control and stability. Hamstrings and quadriceps are key muscles with our gait. The main reason being most of the movement happening in a sagittal plane. The first group of muscles acts during the swing phase, for an eccentric control of our knee extension. It prepares for the […]
The basics of running knee biomechanics
During foot pronation, with the rearfoot fixed to the ground, your leg will usually follow the movement of your upper ankle. It means that the tibia – leg bone – being tightly locked with the talus – ankle bone -, we see a medial move of the ankle – adduction -, an internal rotation of […]
Foot orthotics and running
Foot orthotics have been proven to help with the treatment of running-related musculoskeletal injuries. 70 to 80% of people with chronic knee injuries get substantial benefits from such items. While several studies have shown a good amount of help with pain control, we do not really understand why the orthotics help so much. The mechanism […]
Footwear research findings
Research is conflictual when it comes down to the type of shoe you wear, and the associated injury-rate. Despite this fact, it makes sense to pick up a shoe that matches your foot type. Flat feet? Try the motion control type. High arch? Go for the neutral type. You obviously do not want to “aggravate” […]
What are risk factors for a running overuse injury?
As for many injuries, it is hard to identify one unique factor that puts you at risk of an overuse injury. Remember the 4 main causes of pain with running? Let’s discuss each one. Atypical foot mechanics: conflictual evidence exists. To this day, it would make sense but we cannot be sure that hyper-pronation, in […]
Foot mechanics #2
During the first half of the stance, the midfoot and the forefoot do the majority of the work, in comparison to the rearfoot. The natural movement associated with the rearfoot eversion is a combination of vertical and medial midfoot displacement. This means that a tight arch will have you compensate with the rearfoot. The arch […]
Foot mechanics #1
Starting to talk about the foot makes perfect sense. It all starts from here. Every time you land on the foot, the ground reaction force initiates there and moves up the kinematic chain. The first half of running gait is referred to as an eccentric or cushioning phase, while the second half is referred to […]
The 4 main factors causing you pain while running
A large amount of speculation exists regarding the mechanisms of running injuries. Even though there is conflictual evidence in regard to the risk factors, some studies have provided good insights about what can cause runners to get injured. The four important factors are as follow: biomechanical gait patterns, muscular strength, anatomical alignment, and tissue flexibility. […]
