To follow on from last week’s video, this week Physio Aisling talks through some of the common myths we often hear about running.
I don’t stretch before I run – should I?
There is evidence that static stretching before a run can actually decrease running performance and efficiency. (Wilson et al. 2010). If you think of your tendons and muscles as springs, when we hold a stretch, that spring becomes elongated and floppy. Then if you try and load it, the spring is not as bouncy. So, if we hold a stretch to lengthen a muscle or tendon, and then try and run on the lengthened muscle or tendon, it won’t produce as much force as it is not as ‘springy’.
If you are stiff, there is evidence out there to say that working on strength can actually make you more flexible. This type of strength exercise is called eccentric exercise - where you load the muscle as it lengthens. Watch this video for a demonstration of an eccentric loading exercise for the calf muscle - this will help to increase calf flexibility. (O’Sullivan et al. 2012).
All in all, stretching can be helpful to work on range of movement or flexibility when in relation to a specific injury that is affecting the way you run (e.g. ankle stiffness causing issues elsewhere!). However, there really is no point stretching for the sake of it, so save your time!
Rear foot or forefoot strike?
This is a huge topic amongst running circles! But what really is better? And should you switch? The short answers are: neither and probably not.
Let me explain; the foot strike that is better for you is the one you do. We all run differently, and most of us will be rearfoot runners (Larson 2011). However, this may change depending on speed and surface (sometimes rearfoot runners become more forefoot based on treadmills and vice versa).
We could also think of it as a continuum. Sure, some people are really forefoot/rearfoot running, but some are more towards the middle. The main thing is - if it ain't broke, don't fix it! There is plenty of other things to change about your running that can make things less painful or improve your performance before you go looking too much at your feet. Also, changing between foot strikes will overload some of the muscles around the calf and ankle (Ahn et al. 2014; Almonroeder et al. 2013) and may actually lead to you being less efficient and more prone to injury!
I have flat feet – does this mean I am more likely to get injured?
Flat feet: the myth. As a ‘flat footer’ I myself remember when I was told that it would be a problem, or that I needed to sort it out before it became an issue. However, if you have pain when running and you have flat feet, it is not always linked. You will need a full assessment session with a physiotherapist or a podiatrist before you can determine that. So, contrary to the popular myth, the feet are not always to blame! There are plenty of people who run just fine, with flat feet (myself, for example). In some cases, it can contribute to symptoms, but only an assessment can determine that!
When we look at ‘normal’ gait mechanics, we do roll into a more pronated (flat foot) position as we walk and run. So this is a normal part of gait a lot of the time anyway.
In case you missed it, you can see my colleague Podiatrist Matt’s vlog on running here.
My legs are different lengths – does this matter?
Recent research (Hespanhol Junior et al. 2016) has shown that no, this does not make a difference to your running or risk of injury (in recreational runners). And if you think about it logically, you only have one foot on the ground at a time when running, so it really should not make that much difference!
Is running really bad for my knees?
Physio Neil in our Drumcondra clinic has completed a great blog specifically for this topic. Read it in full here.
Will running with pain lead to further damage?
This is a tricky one to answer as it can depend on a lot of factors. I would say the main thing here is to listen to your body. If you are having pain that has been going on for a good while, or is worsening – then your best option is to see a professional such as a physiotherapist to determine what is going on.
Most of the time running injuries are not necessarily damage related, but linked to overload of the tissue, like I talked about in the last video. Therefore, if you don’t modify your training (by reducing, or changing different factors like intensity or surface) then you will continue irritating the tissues, and this can lead to pain worsening.
