Introduction to biomechanics
 

Welcome to our biomechanics Archive. Have fun browsing!

 

Article #98: Are You Over Training Or Running With An Injury?

(Browse for more articles)

 
Biomechanical assessment the foot (pronate it), bend the knee
Running with an injury or over-training? more, or drop the hip more. Pronation
Often it is best to go back to basics will increase the load on the leg (see
Injuries can affect us all regardless of 'Tight calves' section), and dropping the
age, sex or ability. But can we manage or hip will increase the the spasm to the
limit the number of times we get injured? glutes / piriformis 'prophylactically',
We can by going back to basics. in other words preventatively, (and also
But we are not talking about fitness if necessary), then we are helping to
levels and stretching. Instead we mean reduce all of the above.
back to biomechanics. - Assess yourself
By assessing, on a regular basis, your AS a result of one of the largest studies
biomechanics you can help eliminate and in biomechanics by Galileo Health and
prevent a number of injuries and problems distributed by HumanLab Sports we can all
that athletes suffer from. The body benefit from assessing our biomechanics,
compensating for weak links can cause in the comfort of our own home. You do
restriction that in turn can cause pain not need to be a clinician as they have
and injury. developed a CD ROM software program that
Calf and hamstring injuries are commonly helps you assess yourself with the
caused by a tight sciatic nerve. The software prescribing the exercises needed
muscles provide a protective spasm to the to remove the problems and in turn
nerve during locomotion and if stretched prevent or normalise the body from
or loaded sufficiently the muscles can developing them in the future.
spasm enough to cause themselves to tear As part of the program is injury
- or cramp up - which can feel like a prevention the CD takes you through a
tear. By mobilising the nerve it releases series of core stability work educating
tension in the muscles and reduces the you on how to engage your core and to
likelihood of this event. engage it while doing peripheral
- Tight calves movements, so it becomes second nature to
TIGHT calves can cause over pronation. you when running.
The dorsi-flexion (moving the ankle It finishes off with the final section on
upwards) is not available from the ankle the trunk and torso exercises.
joint due to the tight calves, so it has - Benefits of biomechanics
to come from the sub talar joint. It SOME athletes out there might not feel
comes as part of the pronation mechanism the need to help prevent a problem they
though and so increases the amount of don't feel they have. So let's look
pronation as well. This causes shin briefly at some of the other benefits
related injuries as well as knee and biomechanics has on your performance. A
Achilles problems. tight sciatic nerve or tight piriformis
Remember that tight calves are often from (hip) can affect your stride length, your
a tight sciatic nerve, so by mobilising knee drive and your power output.
the nerve, we can help with preventing A tight sciatic nerve can affect your
and normalise these injuries. quadriceps output by as much as 15 per
The effects our biomechanics have on our cent. The effect of biomechanics for the
body and the vicious circle of injury and professional athlete and the novice for
pain it can cause is shown again when injury prevention or performance is a
discussing your hips and pelvis which are must have tool. It will help you prevent
so important to our running but generally injuries, enjoy your running and help
overlooked until the athlete is in severe with your performance.
pain or in fact injured. The program used in helping address any
- Rotated pelvis issues you may have now or in the future
A ROTATED pelvis can go unnoticed for is worth having. But it doesn't stop
many years until the compensations start there.
to cause problems. Typically a leg length It can be used as a training guide to
discrepancy (LLD) can result from a indicate that you may be over-training or
rotated pelvis and the leg must that a new technique or training plan is
compensate for this. It'll either flatten causing you problems.






1- A- B- C- 2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 7- 8- 9- 10- 11- 12- 13- 14- 15- 16- 17- 18- 19- 20- 21- 22- 23- 24- 25- 26- 27- 28- 29- 30- 31- 32- 33- 34- 35- 36- 37- 38- 39- 40- 41- 42- 43-