Physical Therapy Advice: Easing Into Fall Sports And Activities

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• How Looking At 'Gait Mechanics' Might Help Runners Prevent Injury

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  According to a recent analysis in the “Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy,” runners who receive feedback from a physical therapist on what are known as “gait mechanics” see a reduction in injury.

  Gait mechanics refers to the the movement of limbs during locomotion — in the case of runners, that could mean posture, stride length, and how forcefully they hit the ground.

  Lori Thein Brody, a physical therapist and athletic trainer with the University of Wisconsin Sports Medicine and Spine Center, said that to avoid overuse injuries, many runners are visiting physical therapists who can give “visual and verbal feedback on their gait mechanics.”

  To receive visual feedback, runners look in a mirror or watch a video of themselves as a physical therapist tells them what could be adjusted in their form, according to the JOSPT study.

  “Sometimes watching a video of yourself running can help identify what you’re doing wrong,” said Jill Thein Nissenbaum, an associate professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at UW-Madison.

  Audio feedback consists of verbal coaching from a physical therapist, or the use of a metronome to improve running cadence — the number of times a person hits the ground in a one-minute interval.

  Increasing cadence can help improve running form, since a change in stride can affect where a runner’s foot lands on the ground, according to Thein Brody.

  “They’re striking more on the mid-foot rather than on their heels, because they’re not striding out as far. So that’s changed some of the impact loads,” said Thein Brody.