Running

Exercises for High Hamstring, IT Band, and Hip Pain

/ Koa Fit / Leave a comment

A lot of runners, hikers, cyclists, and walkers will experience high hamstring, IT Band, or other hip pain in their lives. With 60% of runners experiencing high hamstring pain, and 50% of cyclists and 20% of runners experiencing IT Band pain, hip pain is one of the most common injuries/complaints among this active group. The good news is that with a little bit of prevention/intervention work, a lot of those aches and pains can be avoided.

The hip is a ball and socket joint which gives it its ability to move in a large variety of ways. The six motions of the hip are: external rotation, internal rotation, abduction (leg moving away from center), adduction (leg moving towards center), flexion, and extension. Tension and limited range of motion in the hip (and the whole body) can only be caused by 2 things – mechanical tension (structure limitation) or neural tension. Most of our day-to-day mobility restrictions are cause by the latter.

When expanding space in the hip capsule, rotation should be addressed over any linear limitations. Without the establishment of good rotation, both internal and external, other ranges such as flexion and extension will never improve. Good range AND control of both of these rotations should be the primary goal of anyone experience hip tension.

Below are a few exercises to help. When doing these exercises, there should be no pain. You should feel stretch in the long tissue (the part your are lengthening), but you should never feel restriction or pinching in the closed angle (where the body is shortening or folding). There should also not be pain in other joints like the spine and/or knees.

While both rotations should be explored, if you are primarily experiencing hamstring pain, you would want to focus on your hip internal rotation and control. If you are experiencing more IT Band symptoms, you should focus more on the external rotation movements.

First, explore your hip range with this exercise:

Next, let’s work on hip external rotation and hip extension first.

Now let’s work on hip internal rotation.

And then put it all together with hip CARs. This exercise can be done daily on its own as a warm up for a run.

Have questions? Reach out at Brenna@KoaFitUSA.com.

Exercises for Plantar Fasciitis and Achilles Pain

/ Koa Fit / Leave a comment

While not the same, Achilles Pain and Plantar Fasciitis can come from the same mechanism – insufficient dorsiflexion. Dorsiflexion is the ability of your ankle to flex in a way that gets the top of your foot closer to your shin. How much you need depends on the movements you want to do. For example, at least 10 degrees is needed for walking on a flat surface and at least 15 degrees is needed to run on a flat surface. If you want to add hills or uneven surfaces to the game, you are going to need more.

Getting more dorsiflexion isn’t as easy as stretching your calves. In fact, stretching past your range of dorsiflexion is what probably caused the pain in your heel or achilles in the first place. When you dorsiflex, a bone called the talus rolls anteriorly, but then needs to glide posteriorly. Sometimes, we feel this lack of glide when we flex our ankles and feel a resistance or “hard stop” at the front crease of the ankle. This lack of glide overstretches the tissue on the backside of the ankle, and over time, can create inflammation at the heel or the achilles depending on where we are weaker, what’s happening with the rest of our gait, and other factors.

To gain back dorsiflexion, we need to establish heel rock. This is our ability to invert and evert at the calcaneus (heel bone). Watch the video below to practice this move.

After we understand inversion and eversion (and probably discover we lack eversion), we combine this motion with the entire movement range of the ankle.

After we establish this range of motion, we move on to working directly on our dorsiflexion. This next exercise can be hard the knees if done on the floor (as shown). You can modify it by placing the foot that you are working on up on a chair or table.

Once we increase the range of our dorsiflexion, we will want to gain control of it with this next exercise.

Finally, we want to work the eccentric (loaded and lengthening) of dorsiflexion to ensure we have the strength we need when we are out on our runs, hikes, and walks.

It is important to remember that if you currently have pain, you may need to include an anti-inflammatory method in your recovery. You can talk to your doctor about what is best for you. These things need to work in combination to reduce the inflammation and prevent the injury from coming back. Anti-inflammatory options alone (such as ibuprofen and cortisol shots) will not fix the mechanics of the problem that got you in pain in the first place. Meaning, as the anti-inflammatories wear off, you could be back at square one if you have not done the work to fix the issue (not to mention you are leaving a lot of strength and power on the table by not expressing your full range of motion).

Your best option? Prevention. Start these exercises now so you don’t have to experience pain in the future.

Want more? Koa Fit’s Online Library has 35+ routines not just for ankles, but for hips, shoulders, low back, and more. Try it out today boy clicking here.

Runner and Walker Recovery – Foot Pain

/ Koa Fit / 2 Comments

One of the main complaints I hear from my runners and walkers is about pain their feet.  Whether it be the heel, arch, or ball of the foot, it seems every pedestrian ends up with foot pain at one point or another.

There are many factors that can cause inflammation on the bottom of the foot.  It is best to get an assessment by a movement specialist to determine your precise cause.  However, there are a few general movements you can start doing to help you keep the pain at bay or even prevent it from starting in the first place.  Check out the video below and follow along to help increase your foot’s flexibility and strength.

New to Running? Try These 10 Steps and Get Going!

/ Koa Fit / Leave a comment

1) Have a goal!  Whether you want to run a mile or a 5k, having a goal helps to create a routine, a sense of purpose and accountability. This marks your first point to success. Instead of setting large, potentially unattainable goals, just start with daily or weekly ones that prevent discouragement and your motivation to wane. Write down your goal for each day or week, post it somewhere visible and tell others about what your goals are. This creates accountability and helps break intimidating aspirations into smaller, more achievable ones.

2) The Right Shoe  Do I pronate or supinate and what does that mean? If you are a pronator, then you have a tendency to drop you ankle inwards with each step. If you are a supinator, then you are probably running on the outside of your feet. With pronation, your best bet would be a ‘stability’ running shoe. This type of shoe has posting built into the inside area of the sole of the shoe and can help keep you from rolling your foot too far inward. If you are a supinator or a neutral runner, you need a ‘neutral’ shoe. This type of running shoe has no posting and the sole is all one material. Most people have a tendency towards pronation, but a gait analysis can help you determine which shoe is the best for you. Overall, comfort is number one.

3) Essential Gear  Whether you are running at night or in the early morning, gear that has reflective accents is the safest bet. When running in the dark, be sure to wear a headlamp to alert cars and to help prevent falls. If you are running during daylight hours, wear sun protective gear like long sleeves and a hat. At higher altitudes, we are more prone to harsh sun exposure, so remember your sunscreen! You also want to find materials that are moisture wicking for comfort. These materials dry faster than cotton and can also prevent uncomfortable chaffing.

4) Know Your Runner’s Lingo  There are many terms and phrases that you will hear when discussing running. Here are just some to help jump-start your vocabulary:

  • Repetitions/Intervals: these are often used interchangeably in running jargon. This type of training refers to workouts in which you run several short segments at a given pace, separated by recovery periods during which you jog or walk.
  • Split: this generally refers to the pace you run at evenly spaced junctures. It takes your total time and divides it into smaller parts (i.e., miles, half miles, etc.)
  • Tempo Run: this is a sustained running effort lasting from 10 to 40 minutes at a pace that you can sustain for at least an hour. This is your ‘threshold pace’ meaning that it is the effort level just below the body’s ability to clear lactate.
  • Fartlek: the Swedish work for ‘speed-play’ and it is an unstructured run that combines different paces aimed at challenging both aerobic and anaerobic fitness. Besides being a funny term, it can help defeat boredom on some runs.

5) Warm-up/Cool-down  Running can be tough on your joints if proper preparation guidelines are not followed. Be sure to warm up before each run. Walk for 5 minutes and/or do a series of active-isolated stretches. This gives your joints the chance to build up their synovial fluid for cushioning during impact, gets your heart rate up for the activity ahead, and helps you psychologically prepare for your run. Cooling down after a run is equally as important. Spending at least 5 minutes walking afterwards helps to prevent venous pooling and allows your heart rate and breathing to return to normal.

6) When/how do I increase my mileage?  The 10-percent rule is an important principle with running and it states that you should only increase your weekly mileage by no more than 10 percent each week. If you are a new runner, try to keep your mileage consistent for the first 3 weeks; this allows your body time to adjust to your new sport. Once you feel comfortable and are running without pain, you can safely add mileage to your weekly runs to help meet your running goals.

7) How fast should I be running?  Basically, you should be running at a pace that matches your comfort level, and works in relation to your goals and preferences. If just getting out the door and jogging is your goal, then stay at a pace that you feel you can maintain without causing injury. If your goal is to run a faster mile, then try speed work at a track or fartlekking. It’s only a competition with yourself, so stay within your comfort zone and just have fun with it.

8) How often should I run?  The bottom line is that you can run three to four days per week with rest days and cross-training in between. At least one rest day should be incorporated into your schedule to allow your body to recover. Cross-training can be resistance training or cycling; basically anything that helps keep your cardiovascular and muscular strength maintained.

9) Hydration and Fuel  If you are running/jogging for 30 minutes, you usually only need water (be sure to have plenty at higher altitudes). Running over half an hour generally requires carbohydrate replenishment. You can replenish your energy stores through gels, sports drinks or anything that can quickly digest. If you choose gels, remember to drink plenty of water (preferably 16 ounces of water to each gel pack). Finding the right amount of replenishment for your body is something you can play with on your runs, but generally you should have something for every 30 to 40 minutes of activity. Electrolyte replacement after a run is also essential. We lose a lot of our electrolytes through our sweat when we run and these are essential for maintaining our body’s water balance. You can buy tablets for your water or you can replenish these through a well-balanced meal afterwards.

10) Have fun!  Last, but definitely not least, is to remember to have fun! Running is not only a great all over body workout, but it also can be incredibly therapeutic. Whether you are running with a group, a friend, or enjoying some needed alone time, remember that you are running because you want to, not because you have to. You made the decision to run for a reason. Whatever that reason may be, take ownership of it and know that you are doing something that is great for your body, mind and spirit!