Are YOU guilty of these?
1. Excessive rotation
Many joggers take steps that stretch slightly beyond their natural running motion, triggering excessive rotation, which occurs when the pelvis and spine move too far in one direction. Similarly, many joggers swing their arms too far forward or too far back, perhaps under the impression that this will help tone their arms. While this is true to some extent, the damage may outweigh the small toning benefits as extreme and constant arm swinging can misalign the spine.
2. Unequal impact
Runners strike down harder on a certain area of their feet; some are rear-foot runners (weight falls on the rear of feet) for example, while others can be forefoot runners (weight falls on the front of feet). If you’re experiencing foot pain after running, it’s likely that the force with which you’re landing on your feet is excessive. There are many ways your podiatrist can help you adjust. As an example, many rear-foot runners use lightweight running shoes to encourage forefoot running.
3. Running the same course every day
Run the same course every day? According to fitness experts, this could be leaving your body a little under-worked-out. Not only does your body become familiar with the same terrain, but it is left unchallenged, because you aren’t exposing it to different inclines and surfaces.
4. Body imbalance
There are some runners who have an asymmetrical running style, where they land harder on one side of the body than the other. This can be problematic as the hips and back on one side receive more impact than the other, potentially causing joint pain as well as unbalanced muscle development.
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Photo credit: Nikki Fogden-Moore
