Vita Therapies

Poor running technique means that you are not using your body efficiently. Biomechanical inefficiencies lead to repetitive motions which put unnecessary strain on bone, joints, ligaments and muscles and increase the likelihood of injury.

1.    Above all, run tall and keep your body relaxed.  And stay alert and aware of your surroundings.

2.    Hold your head erect and don’t stick your chin out – this will create tension in your shoulders. Look ahead, scanning the horizon, not at your feet. Keep the back of your neck and spine in a straight line, perpendicular to the ground. Leaning forward may lead to lower back strain.  Leaning back will cause pronounced heal strike (see below), which will put your joints at risk.

3.    Watch out for rounded or hunched shoulders and for ‘shrugging’ when you run. Keep them square and relaxed. Tense, raised shoulders will slow you down, waste energy and prevent your lungs from expanding to their fullest range, thereby depriving your muscles of oxygen.

4.    Keep your arms relaxed at your sides with elbows flexed at 90º. Let your arms swing freely in a forwards/backwards motion ie. in the direction you are running and not laterally across your body. Don’t exaggerate the arm swing - as you bring one foot forward, swing the opposite hand forward and up just below sternum (mid-chest) level.

5.    Try to keep your hands in a relaxed fist, letting the thumbs rest on your index fingers and your finger tips gently connecting with your palms – clenched fists will create unnecessary tension throughout your whole body.

6.    Don’t twist in your midriff from side-to-side – this causes imbalances in your body, which place stress on all the major joint areas. This is also extremely inefficient as it displaces your forward momentum sideways. The same goes for a bouncing gait – it displaces your momentum upwards.

7.    The knees and feet should be aligned generally in a straight-ahead direction.

8.    Take short steps and land your feet approximately under your body/hips with each stride. If your lower leg lands ahead of the knee, you are over striding and increasing your risk of injuries. Keep your knees slightly bent at all times and do not lift them too high.

9.    Don’t strike the ground with your toes. Instead, strike softly with your midfoot and roll through to your forefoot smoothly.  A heel to toe foot strike means that the leg is straight when the heel makes contact with the floor sending the shock directly into your back and causing you to lose speed as you literally brake each time your foot lands. This is bad for your joints and affects your speed.

10.    Reduce your times by increasing pace/cadence (number of steps per minute) rather than stride length. As mentioned above overstriding increases the likelihood of injury.

These are general guidelines. For individual training programmes and recommendations, consult a personal trainer or physiotherapist.