Running injuries: muscle issue or balance issue?
As the training ramps up for the London marathon, there is nothing more frustrating than an injury slowing you down. Not only is it a motivation killer, but as we (unfairly) tend to decondition faster than we condition, an injury can also mean a temporary setback in valuable progress. As a runner myself, I am passionate about helping people do what they love and get the most out of the time and energy they are setting aside to train.
A common misconception I hear a lot from runners is they will tell me that one hip/knee/ankle/achilles/insert lower limb part here is painful or strained and, "Oh well, it's a muscle issue".
My question to every runner when this happens is: "Were you only running on one leg?"
Usually, the answer here is no.
Running is high impact, symmetrical exercise. So if you WEREN'T in fact running on one leg, why would you only have a muscle strain or sore joint on one side?
The answer that I commonly find in the clinic after a physical assessment, is that there is in fact a balance issue involved.
Our balance is controlled by our brain. Balance doesn't just refer to whether we fall over or not – it's our body's awareness of where our body is at all times. This affects how evenly our nervous system distributes power and weight through our limbs as we move.
To have optimal balance, we need a clear connection between our brain, spine and body. This allows our brain to see what our body is doing and adapt in the most efficient way possible. When the joints of the spine are not moving correctly, the information sent back to the brain about where the body is becomes inaccurate. Our body does the best it can with the information it has, but this may be less than ideal.
The intensity of running, especially long distance, will highlight this pretty quickly. This is when we see one part of our body working harder than the other, and this can lead to weakness, over contraction, poor stability and, ultimately, to pain and injury.
This is an issue that can be dealt with post-injury to optimise the healing process and get you back on the road. Personally, I prefer the preventative option, which is getting my spine checked on a regular basis throughout any training to help my body adapt better and minimise these injuries. The good news is chiropractic can help with both sides!
Did you know there was a study that showed chiropractic improved foot muscle strength in athletes by 16% after just one adjustment? Chiropractic might be worth looking into to get those legs going further too!