Check the slant of your run and save your hips!

There was a point left out of my article from a month ago about choosing the right running surface.  I was planning on addressing it separately but, in hindsight, it deserved to be included.  It’s the simple rule to always make sure you’re running on the flattest part of whatever surface you’ve chosen…not doing so can result in significant hip, knee or ankle pain.

When I say “flat part” I don’t mean the least hilly.  I’m referring to the part of the road, trail or grass that is the least slanted.  As many of you may have noticed shoulders of roads, as well as many trails, are often slanted down to the outside.  This can wreak havoc on the entire musculoskeletal chain of your lower body because one foot will be falling lower than the other.  It’s this difference in muscle activity that is the primary cause of the problem.

As I mentioned in my running surface article, the harder the surface the more potential damage to your legs and hips (although more energy is returned for use in propulsion).  Regardless of the surface, however, whenever two sides of your body are not working in symmetry even more trouble can arise.  If one side of your pelvis is moving through a normal range of motion while running but the other side is moving a few degrees more or less than its counterpart then you’ll experience a shortening or tightening on the “higher side” and a possible lengthening or weakening on the lower side.  This will eventually create an uneven pull on the hips and lead you straight to painsville…which is probably not on your original route.

The hips are the most common place to feel this issue but if your feet aren’t landing on a level surface then your ankle and knees can also take quite a beating.  Which side of your body experiences this eventual pain is dependent on your current state of strength and flexibility but is most often the inside/higher side leg or hip.  Your level of conditioning also partially determines how quickly the issue hits you. 

So keep your eyes on the road ahead, as well as on the road below, and you’ll be another step closer to MOVING SMARTER and LIVING STRONGER.