Here’s the deal: I just saw some video footage of myself running - first time I’d seen video of this in about two years. I’d been sort of aware of this from older video, but the new one really made evident the fact that my form is ugly as sin. Specifically, my gait looks asymmetrical, like I’m limping. Left foot seems to have normal motion, but the right foot is rotated (abducted, I believe) somewhat outward when it plants, and rotates outward pretty severely when it’s recovering. I don’t know for certain whether this is related, but if I were to hazard a guess as to the cause, I’d say that it might be related to a right knee injury I sustained as a child (hyperextension) that had me limping for a few years.
So this is what I’m wondering:
Is this something I should be trying to fix?
If so, how? (Ideally, I’d like some advice other than “stop rotating your foot outward.”)
To what degree would this relate to pronation? I’m relatively new to motion control shoes, but have been wearing them since I was identified as an overpronator at a running shoe store last fall. (Had to travel some distance to go to one, which is my excuse for having run in neutral shoes for years without knowing any better.)
Here’s the deal: I just saw some video footage of myself running - first time I’d seen video of this in about two years. I’d been sort of aware of this from older video, but the new one really made evident the fact that my form is ugly as sin. Specifically, my gait looks asymmetrical, like I’m limping. Left foot seems to have normal motion, but the right foot is rotated (abducted, I believe) somewhat outward when it plants, and rotates outward pretty severely when it’s recovering. I don’t know for certain whether this is related, but if I were to hazard a guess as to the cause, I’d say that it might be related to a right knee injury I sustained as a child (hyperextension) that had me limping for a few years.
So this is what I’m wondering:
Is this something I should be trying to fix?
If so, how? (Ideally, I’d like some advice other than “stop rotating your foot outward.”)
To what degree would this relate to pronation? I’m relatively new to motion control shoes, but have been wearing them since I was identified as an overpronator at a running shoe store last fall. (Had to travel some distance to go to one, which is my excuse for having run in neutral shoes for years without knowing any better.)
Seems like a pretty good start on the topic, but any additional info would be much appreciated. Thanks!
You didn’t give us a link to actually see your form but, based upon your description, you are most undoubtably unbalanced, probably from your old injury. One way to correct this is with PowerCranks, which can also help with other form aspects. A video that describes what they can do for the runner can be found here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOG0PaDYJvs
I appear at :35, at the far right of a group of six runners. I show up again at 5:32, passing the camera at 6:07. And just because I’m feeling a little defensive because of how awful I look, I’ll break my usual tradition of not providing race results and say that I finished 22/210 overall, and 8/35 AG (divided into ten year increments).
As for Powercranks, I’ve actually got a pair. Stopped using them when they seemed to aggravate a popliteal tendonitis issue (primarily on the right side, come to think of it), but I’ve been thinking of finding a cheap frame to put them on for use as a trainer. Will make it easier to stop and get off if I have pain issues crop up again.
Prior to the tendonitis issue, though, they seemed to work pretty well for rehabbing an injury to my left knee after my last major bike crash (a little over 550 days ago). No lingering issues with that one, despite being on crutches for six weeks.
I appear at :35, at the far right of a group of six runners. I show up again at 5:32, passing the camera at 6:07. And just because I’m feeling a little defensive because of how awful I look, I’ll break my usual tradition of not providing race results and say that I finished 22/210 overall, and 8/35 AG (divided into ten year increments).
As for Powercranks, I’ve actually got a pair. Stopped using them when they seemed to aggravate a popliteal tendonitis issue (primarily on the right side, come to think of it), but I’ve been thinking of finding a cheap frame to put them on for use as a trainer. Will make it easier to stop and get off if I have pain issues crop up again.
Prior to the tendonitis issue, though, they seemed to work pretty well for rehabbing an injury to my left knee after my last major bike crash (a little over 550 days ago). No lingering issues with that one, despite being on crutches for six weeks.
Thanks for the response.
The popliteal tendonitis issue is, most likely, simply an overuse issue and you need to simply back off and take it slower.
The perspective is pretty bad for making any real judgements but it looks like I agree with your assessment. Your form is pretty awful, even on the left. Looks like you are overstriding and barely getting your heal off the ground. You could have a structural problem causing your foot to flair out on the right but it is most likely a muscle imbalance. I’ll bet your knee flairs out on the right when you ride your bike.
I would suggest you get back on the PC’s to balance your muscles and look into something like POSE to really work on your form.
OK, now that’s out of my system, I have a gate problem too but I won’t post my video because I made it for my coach and it has the theme to Chariots of Fire, which he hated.
My right leg side kicks out but my left lands right where it needs to. I have a definate weeknesss between my left and right leg. I’ve been working on doing stability exercises and strengthining the muscles around my knees. I do balance work, strenthening my hamstrings, inner and outer thighs. I worked with a PT because I have kneecap tracking issues.
Do you have knee problems? You might want to get in with a PT so they can recommend some exercises. My gait has improved quite a bit.
The popliteal tendonitis issue is, most likely, simply an overuse issue and you need to simply back off and take it slower.
The perspective is pretty bad for making any real judgements but it looks like I agree with your assessment. Your form is pretty awful, even on the left. Looks like you are overstriding and barely getting your heal off the ground. You could have a structural problem causing your foot to flair out on the right but it is most likely a muscle imbalance. I’ll bet your knee flairs out on the right when you ride your bike.
I would suggest you get back on the PC’s to balance your muscles and look into something like POSE to really work on your form.
You might be on to something - right knee does tend to stray away from the top tube when I ride.
Jen - glad to be a source of entertainment for you again. But jeez, Chariots of Fire? My wife made a YouTube video of this race and used Iggy Pop for the soundtrack.
I knew that the right foot rotated outward - could tell be looking at my footprints. Really had no idea it was this bad until now. I’ve seen plenty of still photos from my races, but those usually looked much better than this video.
From the article I linked to earlier:
Foot: Turned Out Vs. Straight Forward – The direction of foot placement is important to performance as well as injury prevention. The lower leg (tibia/fibula) can rotate independently of the upper leg. The more the foot is abducted (pointed outward), the greater the lower leg is externally rotated (rotated outward…laterally). Foot abduction is associated with greater pronation during the running stride. Pronation increases the side to side movement of the runner’s center of mass. This reduces running economy since the point of running is to propel the center of mass forward down the track or road, not side to side. For every centimeter of foot abduction, performance time may suffer approximately 2 seconds per mile. The greater the amount of abduction the greater the velocity and magnitude of pronation. High pronation velocities are linked to injury to the tendons of muscles that work to slow the foot (shin pain, shin “splints”). Strength training the inner hamstrings (semi- tendinosis, semi- membranosis) and stretching the outer hamstring (biceps femoris) should be combined with learning a new motor pattern to rotate the lower leg in to have the foot face more forward.
So anybody got any further suggestions on how specifically I should follow these directives? Just like the article mentions, I do have occasional problems with shin splints on the right.
Try getting on a tmill in front of a mirror. Watch your foot placement as your run. I’ve also taken a running clinic that taught me about leaning forward and that seems to help since gravity is doing more of the work than pushing off and pushing off is where the weird outward swing starts.
Another thing I do is squats and really focus on my right knee and making sure it doesn’t rotate in.
It is worth getting a gait analysis done and recommendations on exercises. You will stay injury free and won’t look so silly on tape. Looking like a dope was a key factor in motivating me to get it looked at. My race photos were horrible. It was very clear I had a problem and since I want to keep running I got it looked at.
I chose Chariots of Fire for the very high annoyance factor. It worked. He said he had to turn off the sound
Thanks. Maybe I should actually get on a dreadmill, after all.
Strange thing I’ve just noticed: even at rest, my right foot is rotated outward by ten degrees or more. (I’m not just gauging by the patella, because I know that it can track strangely on some people. I’m using the plane of the popliteal tendons, which usually works pretty well for shooting knee films, no matter how deranged the patella is.) When I squat a little on that knee and try to keep it in line with my foot, I have a very short range of motion before there is pain under the medial malleolus. I’m going to hazard a guess that my foot has been rotated like this for a pretty long time. You’d think I would have noticed by now.
I’m probably going to wish that I hadn’t posted the video in the morning. Probably just the cough syrup and the fever affecting my judgement. Anyway, if I’ve ever posted anything on this forum on the subject of running form, anybody who read it should try to forget it.
And I guess Chariots of Fire is okay for annoyance purposes. Music used ironically is subject to an entirely different standard. I find that pretty much anything by William Shatner works pretty well on my wife.
I can’t/have not seen your video, but you are describing pretty classic posterior tibial tendon dysfunction (pain behind the medial malleolus, foot abduction with the knee rectus, etc.).
If unilateral, can be from an old injury or possible a limb length discrepancy (the shorter leg with pronate to functionally lengthen since this motion is “easier” than the longer leg supinating).
A lot of people here are more qualified than I am, so I’ll chip in with words of
encouragement.
I can’t count the number of times I’ve done out and back races where I
see people who look like they’ve just been shot. All cattywampus and far
worse than you. And they’re a few miles ahead of me.
Look at the bright side: You’re having great results AND you have
room to improve by fixing an obvious flaw. I don’t have a horrible
gait and am much slower than you with no fix in sight.
I’d guess that you have a leg length discrepancy. I’d guess your
right leg is longer than your left and you compensate to keep your
gait symmetric by kicking your right foot out. Fix for that is probably
orthotics.
I’d be really suprised if you didn’t have an obvious difference in calf
size for right vs left. I think you have to push off with your left, but
you don’t for your right.
Still, you’re faster than me, so I’ll go back to crying in my beer.
For one, a good hands on biomechanical analysis to confirm as internet conjecture is worth what you pay for it
Probably start with a custom orthotic (like a UCBL type with deep heel cup and medial flange on your left with a small heel lift and a “sham” orthotic - similar to an OTC superfeet, etc. on the right). Possibly some PT to “strengthen” the PT and abductors (again, with confirming diagnosis).
Any change you can get an ultrasound tech at your institution to image your PT tendons (compare the left and right)?
This sounds intriguing. How should I go about getting such an analysis done? Local foot and ankle doc? And if I can convince one of the sonographers to look at my knees, what are we looking for?
Thanks for the professional advice. Great service you provide here for free.
Thanks for the encouragement. That video was a serious buzz kill after what was otherwise a pretty decent race. Seems that it’s exposed a flaw in my basic emphasis for racing - trying to look cool at all times. It would appear that I have never at any point looked cool while racing.
And you guys SERIOUSLY don’t want to see my position on the bike, either.
I watched your video clip. First, I am not a Doctor. Obviously, something is way off with that right side/foot. My advice is search out a GOOD sport doctor in your area. Fix your bio-mechanical issue and the running will come together with work. Technique work is not the answer. My 2 cents.
The beauty or difficulty of triathlon is that there are very few that do not have one weakness.
This sounds intriguing. How should I go about getting such an analysis done? Local foot and ankle doc? And if I can convince one of the sonographers to look at my knees, what are we looking for?
Thanks for the professional advice. Great service you provide here for free.
No, have them ultrasound the posterior tibial tendon (behind the medial malleolus).
Not sure who to rec in your area (Maine I think?) as most physicians don’t have much more of a clue about running biomechanics than shoe places do. Most of the time, you will likely have to pull together a couple of recs (i.e. rule out true pathology via physician, gait eval by PT? or running shop, etc.) There are occasionally physicians who do both if you ask around (usually at your LRS). You don’t want to try to change your running form is you have an actually pathology and now make it worse (i.e. frank PT tendon rupture or accelerate subtalar joint DJD).
