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How Does My Running Style Affect The Running Shoe I Need?

Whether you are new to running or an experienced runner; having the right footwear is essential to help you get the most out of your running but also to reduce the risk and prevent injuries from occurring. For all of your running shoe needs and to get a gait analysis to determine the best shoe for you visit Fit2Run in Abingdon.

What are the 3 main types of running gait?

To truly determine your running gait, you will need to either film yourself or be filmed running. This will show how your foot is interacting with the ground. Ultimately, this will lead to you find the perfect footwear for your natural running style.

  • Supinated: This is when the outer side of the foot strikes the ground, landing more on the outer portion of the sole. This is usually seen in runners with high arches.
  • Pronated: Around 70% of the population will over-pronate when running. As the foot is planted it rolls inward excessively, transferring weight to the inner edge instead of evenly spreading it over the whole sole. It’s usually seen in runners with low arches or flat feet.
  • Neutral: This occurs when you place your foot down and land on the outer edge of the sole. The foot then pronates in a controlled manner, distributing weight evenly, helping with the shock absorption. On push off, there is an even distribution of pressure from the front of the foot.

What makes a neutral shoe?

  • Majority of the cushioning is in the heel. As the whole foot or majority of the foot comes into contact with the ground, less support is needed elsewhere.
  • These types of shoes may be lighter as there is less cushioning and support needed.
  • The shoes design may make the shoe appear more curved. As there is a less need for more cushioning and support, the shoe doesn’t touch the ground throughout.

You will choose a neutral shoe if you have a neutral or supinated running style.

What makes a stability shoe?

A stability running shoe will provide more support to the inside of the foot. This will help to stop over pronation of the feet when running. These are typically heavier than neutral shoes due to more cushioning and support.

You will get this shoe if you have an over pronation running style.

Neutral Shoe Examples

Men’s Shoes

Asics Gel-Nimbus

Asics Gel-Nimbus 23 Men’s

Check it out here

ON Cloudflyer

ON Cloudflyer Men’s

Check it out here

Women’s Shoes

Asics Gel-Pursue 7

Check it out here

Brooks Glycerin 19 Women’s

Check it out here

Stability Shoe Examples

Men’s Shoes

Asics GT-4000 2 Men’s

Check it out here

Brooks Transcend 7 Men’s

Women’s Shoes

Asics GT-4000 2 Women’s

Check it out here

New Balance 860v10 Women’s

If you have any questions about your running style and shoe’s get in contact with the highly experienced team at Fit2Run.

If you want to know more about running injuries check out our blog post here.

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Why Do I Suffer With Knee Pain

Knee pain can present in so many different ways, often being caused through the most innocuous movement/activity. A lot of the time, you will have small things building up over a period of time before you suffer with your pain or injury.

knee pain

What can cause my knee pain?

There are so many potential causes of knee pain that I won’t cover them all in this post. Instead I will try to touch on as many as possible. The two key areas that can lead to or increase the risk of knee is the level of strength and range of movement of the muscles around the knee. Weakness and tightness in the muscles can predispose you to injury. You may be sat there thinking, so what, I stretch all the time and strengthen my muscles but I still suffer with pain. The list below outlines potential causes of knee pain.

  • Age
  • Previous Injury
  • Excessive Weight
  • Significant Trauma
  • Lack of Strength
  • Lack of Flexibility
knee pain causes

Pain on the inside of the knee

If this is you, and you are suffering with pain on the inside of the knee, the first you should do is book in with a professional. Most causes of medial knee pain are typically traumatic in their onset. If you have the sensation of locking, giving away or feeling as if there is something in your knee catching as you move your leg; you may have damaged some important structures.

Sports that have lots of twisting and turning can increase the risk of medial knee pain, this can cause extra strain on the MCL. Activities that involve planting of the foot and then a twist can put you at risk of a meniscus injury. As you get older however, you are naturally at a greater risk of arthritis. If untreated/managed can cause significant damage to the knee.

Pain behind the knee

There are several causes again of pain behind the knee. Muscles that attach in and around this area include the calves and hamstrings. Straining these muscles, if they are inadequately prepared for activity can lead to pain behind the knee. Alternatively, your pain can be caused by a Baker’s Cyst. This is normally quite obvious to diagnose, due to the big lump that sits in the back of the knee. All the cyst is made up of is synovial fluid. This may need to be drained by a doctor, however, if the true cause of the Baker’s Cyst is determined it can be possible to get rid of this through specific exercises and treatments.

knee strengthening

Pain on the outside of the knee

This is a common problem that is seen in runners. Often referred to as Iliotibial Band Syndrome. The repetitive bending and straightening can cause the IT band to become inflamed and painful. This is commonly seen in runners who have had a sudden spike in their workloads, whilst also having reduced levels of flexibility. The best place to start with this if you suffer with this is to look at 3 things.

  • Your week to week loading/mileage
  • The footwear you have
  • The surfaces you run on
  • Or if you are a cyclist, look at the position of your knee as you pedal
Lateral Knee Pain

Pain on the front of the knee

So again there are multiple causes that lead to this. I see this often most weeks and it is usually caused by 2 specific areas of tightness. Tightness in the hamstrings and/or tightness of the rectus femoris muscle (front of the thigh).

Both of these muscles being tight will affect the tilt of the pelvis, which in-turn will play a part in how your kneecap is tracking. When the kneecap is influenced by a tight rectus femoris muscle you can find that you have pain just under the kneecap. This is due to the greater strain placed on the patella tendon through the tight muscles.

How can I get rid of my knee pain?

First things first, get assessed first to fully determine the cause of your pain. It isn’t a one shoe fits all when it comes to exercises to get you pain free again. However, working on your flexibility really does help. Although, if you are doing mobility exercises, make sure you are strengthening your muscles too. What is the point of increasing your movement if it is going to be weak throughout the movement?

  • Get Stretching
  • Get Strengthening
  • Get Assessed
  • Get Fixed
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The Concussion in Amateur Sport

Concussion is a big thing in todays society; with more interest in professional sport day by day, is the grassroots game being left behind? Are we risking the safety of children, young adults and everyone else that plays the sport they love. I can recall several incidents from games I have played in where if it was the elite level the player would be pulled from the action.

What is a concussion?

A concussion is a traumatic brain injury. This doesn’t need a massive impact to the head to occur. In its simplest form it is where your brain rattles around in your head hitting the inside of your skull. Not all symptoms are present straight away; you should air on the side of caution if you ever suspect a concussion. Some symptoms can include; nausea, headache, double vision and episodes of anger.

concussion

What happens when you are diagnosed with a concussion?

Dependent on your sport, the protocol for return to play will differ. In the elite setting the standard of protocol is far higher than what you will find elsewhere. In amateur sport, there are no medical professionals at clubs who will clear your player to return. You will have to have the player talk to their GP before doing anything.

You need to be cleared at every stage of the return to play protocol. Many people are aware of the RFU or FA concussion protocols; but, if they are not, why are they not? This shows a clear lack of care about safety of athletes.

For the first period of time you need complete rest. This means no phone, laptop or TV. From there you gradually return back to exercise in a controlled manner to reduce the risk of secondary impact syndrome.

Are we failing young athletes who get concussed?

Personally, I think we are. You will have seen that they have limited the amount of heading in football at the younger ages; but what is the point in protecting them in the early formative years to let them down when into their teens?

I can recall several events where a player has taken a blow to the head and they are told to continue. Are we promoting the correct response for head injuries, definitely not. However, this is a difficult thing to change; it takes a lot of education of parents, players, coaches and governing bodies.

Is the treatment of concussion at the grassroots level appropriate?

I appreciate that there are no medical staff at the grassroots game, with all first aid lumped onto the coaches. They are there to coach not to treat injuries. If their best player takes a bang to the head they are going to want them to continue no matter what the cost.

So the treatment of concussion at the grassroots level is absolutely rubbish. No player wants to have to sit on the sideline, they are always going to say they are fine no matter what. Did you know that if they had another bang to the head they are at risk of death? Secondary impact syndrome is a fatal problem. Yet we still risk the safety of our players for a win…

I feel that each club should have a concussion first aider. Every time there is a bang to the head the player has to report to them immediately to be cleared for a return to action. If this isn’t possible then the player should take no further action in the game.

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Life and Exercise with Shin Splints

What is shin splints?

When you are running, do you suffer from pain and/or throbbing in your shins? You could be suffering with shin splints or professionally known as medial tibial stress syndrome. If you are suffering from this you are likely to suffer from pain at the start of your exercise that then eases. This pain then re-appears during your cool down. There are a variety of different causes for shin splints; but often when you suffer with this pain you don’t successfully manage your symptoms or eradicate the problem.

Shin splints caused by poor footwear

What causes shin splints?

There are many things that can lead to shin splints; think about the list below and try to see how they fit in with your shin pain.

  • Flat feet – this will cause an over-pronation of your feet, leading to a change in running biomechanics. This can also change the amount of stress going through the tibia.
  • Poor footwear – changing your footwear to help with stability can reduce the pain you suffer with.
  • Lack of strength in the posterior chain – weakness in the glutes and calf muscles and lead to a reduced stability. In turn, increasing stress.
  • Sudden increase in load

How can I manage my symptoms?

The best thing that you can do is to rest. Allow your symptoms to settle down, to help with pain you will want to ice the area. From here you will want to address the root cause of the problem. Start by addressing how far you are running per week, then see if you had a sudden increase in your distances. Then you will want to see how your footwear is. Is it suitable for what you require? If you are unsure you should go to a running shop as these will be best suited to give advice!

Shin splints caused by the surface you are running on?

Your next step in recovery would be to work on your strength and bio-mechanical control. Get yourself booked in to, firstly, find out if you are indeed suffering with shin splints. Secondly, put together a detailed exercise plan that will help to rehabilitate you back to full fitness.

Feel free to drop us an email or fill in the contact form and we will be more than happy to answer any questions.

Is it possible to prevent it?

There are strategies that you can put into place that will help to prevent the onset of shin splints. This revolves around strengthening specific muscles in the body. To get the best outcome, you will want to contact a professional to make sure what you are doing is suited for you.

Prevention will stick to the idea of increasing calf and soleus strength, and increasing core stability. From there the glutes will need to be assessed for their strength and activation levels, whilst your balance will need to be worked on too.

Shin splints is very common, don’t suffer in silence, treatment is easy and you will be running pain free again in no time!

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Can CBD help with my pain and injury?

Many people have negative connotations when it comes to CBD. In actual fact regular consumption of CBD can provide real benefits towards your mental and physical health along with recovery.

What is CBD?

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a cannabinoid found in hemp and cannabis. It is a naturally occurring, safe, non-toxic and non-psychoactive compound. Alongside THC and CBG, this the most commonly researched compounds in cannabis. However, unlike cannabis, when CBD is taken by itself it does not produce a ‘high’. The World Health Organisation reported that “In humans, CBD exhibits no effects indicative of any abuse or dependence potential. To date, there is no evidence of public health related problems associated with the use of pure CBD.”

CBD from a hemp plant
Hemp Plant

Is it legal to be bought and sold?

In the UK, CBD is completely legal to be bought and sold. However, what you should look for is the product is regulated by the Cannabis Trade Association.

CBD is a legal supplement if the value for THC is less than 0.2%. There will be no psychoactive effects from CBD. With this product being safe for the consumption for humans and animals.

What impact can it play on pain and recovery?

There are many areas that CBD can affect. Our bodies contain a system called the endocannabinoid system. This system controls our sleep, appetite, pain and immune system. When you regular consume CBD you can see a huge change in your mental and physical health. With the pain aspect the CBD reduces the interactions the endocannabinoid receptors have with the neurotransmitters. This in-turn leads to a reduction in pain and inflammation. A huge area of recovery is sleep, if you are an insomniac you are missing out on free recovery, let CBD help.

CBD to relieve muscle pain
Relieve Muscle Pain
  • Decreases inflammation
  • Manages pain
  • Reduces anxiety
  • Increases appetite
  • Helps with insomnia

Where can I buy my CBD from?

We have taken the leg work out of finding a great product for you. The people over at Your Health Calculator take health and fitness seriously. They only look to supply the best products and great value to get you achieving sooner. They offer a variety of different CBD products, so no matter what you choice of consumption they have you sorted. Check out their great CBD products here.

CBD Menthol Muscle Rub
CBD Water Soluble Drops
CBD Oil
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Why do I get pain in my knee when I run?

Knee pain is a very common problem in the general population whilst runners are very often affected with knee pain, with this being called runners knee. Pain can be caused through injury to the muscles, ligaments, tendons and to other joint structures. The onset of pain isn’t the same for everyone, however, the pain is either acute or chronic in nature.

What is runners knee?

Runners knee is often associated with a dull pain at the front of the knee. More often than not, this leads to the knee being painful to touch. Whilst, there is often the sensation of rubbing, grinding or clicking linked to this problem. After a prolonged period of sitting there can be pain felt in the front of the knee, with a feeling of knee instability noticed during runners knee.

Why do I suffer from runners knee?

  • Muscle weakness
  • Tight hamstrings
  • Tight Achilles tendons
  • Poor foot support
  • Poor running biomechanics
  • Excessive training or overuse
  • Tight quadriceps

Muscle tightness can lead to this problem due to the alteration of where the knee-cap sits within the joint. To reduce the risk of developing runners knee you should aim to perform stretches and strengthening exercises, an example for this is further down the page.

I get my pain on the inside of the knee, why?

Medial knee pain can be caused by many things. This could be caused through a medial collateral ligament injury (the main ligament on the inside of the knee). This is usually injured through a traumatic episode by which a large force is applied to the outside of the knee of the standing leg. Other than this, medial knee pain can be caused through an inflammation of a bursa, bruise from a traumatic impact or muscle weakness. The best thing to do is to seek professional advice. Ideally, you should book an appointment with a physiotherapist or a graduate sports therapist, to get to terms with what is causing your pain.

What are the main causes of knee pain?

The main causes will vary person to person. Different activities and personal movement biomechanics will predispose people to different injuries more so than other people.

  • Age – as you get older you are more at risk of arthritis related knee pain
  • Gender – Women can be more at risk of knee pain due to the angle at which their femur is, this is due to the difference in angle of the femur between males and females
  • Muscle weakness
  • Muscle tightness
  • Overuse
  • Poor biomechanics
  • Alteration in postural alignment