Iliotibial band (ITB) friction syndrome (a common cause of knee pain) is the second most common injury afflicting runners - second to patellofemoral pain syndrome, another type of knee pain. In runners, the ITB can become tight due to overuse of the tensor fasciae latae (TFL) muscle that attaches into it and insufficient use of other hip flexors. While sometimes it is difficult to self assess and identify if your TFL/ITB complex is tight relative to the rest of the hip flexors, there is one sign present in running that is a clear indicator of TFL tension and overuse. This is tibial lateral rotation during swing phase of running.

While it may be frustrating to hear foot strike advice change as research is published, know that there are still some constants when it comes to biomechanics at the moment your foot hits the ground. Instead of focusing on which part of the foot contacts the ground, you may consider thinking about how far the foot contracts the ground in front of the knee and how large the angle is from the bottom of the foot to the ground. These are two things that decrease your injury risk and are very easy to identify with slow motion video. You can even assess them yourself.

Calf weakness is a common issue in runners and can lead to pain and injuries in the foot and lower leg. Calf weakness presents in multiple ways when assessing a runner’s gait mechanics. One of those ways is when the knee travels excessively forward of the toe at mid stance during gait (also known as increased anterior tibial translation). It is true that there are other movement problems that contribute to increased anterior tibial translation at mid stance, however the key contributor we will discuss today is calf weakness. Below you can see a still shot of normal and excessive tibial translation.

Limited ankle range of motion and gluteal weakness: two of the most common contributors to injuries that we see in runners. These impairments often lead to a movement pattern called dynamic knee valgus and knee pain in runners. This is especially true in those who are new to running or returning after a long break. This blog will describe the knee valgus pattern: What is it? How do you fix it? Why does it matter?

Iliotibial band (ITB) insertion pain is a common complaint among runners.  While not a serious injury, it is almost impossible to continue training when this pain presents.  Most often, ITB pain in runners is associated with weak gluteals, resulting in overuse of the Tensor Fasciae Latae (TFL), a hip flexor.