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Running Assessments
At Active Balance, some of our physios have some extra study in order to complete comprehensive running assessments.
Why do a running assessment?
There are a number of reasons you may wish to have your running assessed by one of our physios. The most common is that you may be suffering from pain or a recurring injury that is limiting your running, or you may just be interested in looking at your technique and running style to make sure you’re moving efficiently and reducing your risk of injury.
Common injuries we see in runners include:
- Shin splints
- Plantar faciitis
- Patella tendinopathy
- Achilles tendinopathy
- Gluteal tendinopathy
- ITB friction syndrome
- Compartment syndrome
- Hip bursitis
- Lower back pain
- Adductor tendinopathy
- Ankle impingement
- Stress fractures
- Muscle strains
Often these injuries arise due to a range of factors, including:
- Poor training load management
- Running technique
- Muscle strength imbalances
- Reduced muscle endurance
- Training environment, shoes etc
Aim of a running assessment
Identify and address any weaknesses, imbalances or technique issues that may cause or be causing pain, injuries or inefficiencies. By addressing these issues, we aim to reduce injury risk, settle and treat any current injuries and improve running efficiency.
So, what do our running assessments involve?
Our running assessments are a two part process. The first appointment is a 60 minute appointment designed to assess your strength, movement and running style, as well as talk about your goals, history and lifestyle.
The second appointment will be where your physio will have prepared your detailed rehab/prehab plan, as well as training advice, load management advice and where hands on treatment can be performed if necessary. These appointments can go for between 30-60 minutes, depending on your needs, and this can be discussed with your physio.
The first appointment:
This 60 minute assessment allows us time to get a good idea of what is affecting your running and what your goals may be. Whether it’s to treat an injury, assess your technique, or just to make sure you’re moving well to prevent issues from arising, an assessment can be a great tool for anyone wanting to optimise their running.
To begin with, your physio will talk to you about what your goals are around your running, and whether you’re experiencing any pain or issues when you’re running. We’ll also ask about things like any races you may be preparing for, running and sporting experience, your lifestyle and current training, previous injuries and get an idea of your life outside of running such as work and family life.
From here, we will assess your strength, range of movement and other key measures such as force output, vertical leap and landing technique. We use our state of the art VALD testing equipment to get accurate and objective information on strength and output variables, meaning we can also measure progress to a very accurate degree.
We will then get you running on the treadmill, where we’ll look at your running technique – specifically things like your cadence, arm swing, trunk rotation, foot strike, head & upper body positioning, hip extension, ankle and foot placement.
From this point, we can gather a pretty good idea of any imbalances you may have, as well as any technical issues we need to address. Your physio can then put together a treatment plan and exercise program to get you feeling great and moving well, that we will be able to go through thoroughly at your follow up appointment.
Interventions based on your assessment findings can include a number of treatments such as:
- Hands on therapy
- Strengthening program
- Training load management program
- Referral to other professionals such as podiatry or nutrition
- Advice on footwear and training surfaces