There have been lots of studies investigating how running technique relates to injury. Recently some researchers from Madrid looked at the research to date and summed it up in a review. Here’s what they found…
Study
- Review of 18 studies on runners
- 4 types of injury
- Anterior knee pain (runner’s knee)
- liotibial band syndrome (ITBS)
- Achilles tendinopathy (tendinitis)
- Tibial stress syndrome/ tibial stress fracture (shin splints)
Findings
- Anterior knee pain (runner’s knee) – 6 studies
- Peak hip adduction (moderate evidence)
- No association with pronation or hip or knee internal rotation
- Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) – 6 articles
- Association between peak hip adduction and ITBS in unclear
- It may be that runners with ITBS modify peak hip adduction in response to the pain as studies showed:
- Pre-ITBS increased hip adduction
- During-ITBS normal hip adduction
- Post-ITBS less hip adduction
- Achilles tendinopathy (tendinitis) – 4 studies
- No association with pronation
- Tibial stress syndrome/stress fracture (shin splints) – 3 studies
- Mixed results regarding the association between pronation and shin splints
- Prolonged pronation beyond heel-off may be associated
Limitations
- Only 2 studies were “prospective” – these studies are the most valuable as they follow subjects over a period of time
- All articles in this review were only of “moderate” quality
- Studies looked at runners doing a wide range of distances
- Studies looked at runners wearing different types of footwear
Clinicians
- There is little evidence to connect any biomechanical observation to any running injury
- Peak hip adduction in female runners may be the exception as that seems to be connected to patellofemoral pain (runners knee)
Runners
- Running injury may not be associated with technique