Poor running form is often the root cause of many injuries. Many runners mistakenly attribute their injuries to overuse, but in reality, injuries such as hip and knee injuries are frequently caused by over-rotation. This is particularly common among runners who have solid upper bodies, and use their upper body power to propel themselves forward.
A common mistake among many runners is the side-to-side swinging of their arms. This can lead to a turn at the waist, which adds an extra rotation at the hip that travels all the way down through the knees and the foot strike.
Your body is designed to move forward smoothly, so when runners use the side-to-side arm motion, they introduce a rotation in the hip. This can generate speed, but at a cost, as it is less efficient and requires more energy to generate speed.
Over-rotation of the hips can also lead to many hip and knee injuries, but this is not an overnight process, so many runners never connect their poor form to their injuries. To avoid this problem, note the centerline that runs down your body and take care to ensure that your hands or arms do not cross this centerline to prevent over-rotation.Let’s examine what to avoid to better understand good running form. Poor running form is the root cause of many injuries. Many runners attribute their injuries to overuse, when in fact, many, such as hip and knee injuries, are caused by over-rotation. These are especially prevalent with runners who have upper solid bodies. They use this upper body power to help drive the body forward.
Many runners swing their arms not only back and forth but also side to side. This common mistake can lead to a turn at the waist, which adds an extra rotation at the hip that is echoed all the way down through the knees and the foot strike.
Your body is designed to move forward smoothly. When people use the side-to-side arm motion, they introduce a rotation in the hip. Yes, this can generate speed, but at a cost. It is also less efficient, requiring more energy to generate that speed.