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Efficient, Injury-Free Running

As a sport, running is notorious for producing a variety of injuries, and most runners will be injured or experience pain and injury at some point. Many more people will quit or avoid running altogether because of injury and the threat of damage to the joints. With its practical application of physics, biomechanics, and body use, Radiant Running virtually takes the pain and difficulty out of running making it accessible to many who have given up on it. Radiant Running also sets the stage for improved performance in the form of increased capacity for intensity and endurance training.

When teaching the basic principles of efficient movement to runners, Radiant Running takes into account body type, ability, current pain or injury (if applicable), and form. The goal is to take the pounding, pain and potential damage out of running, and turn it into a lifelong pursuit that is safe and promotes health, fitness, and personal achievement.

Most injury and running related chronic pain conditions are avoidable or reversible through efficient running.

While more traditional Physical Therapy protocol treats symptoms, and certainly has value in the resolution of injury, it doesn’t address the form issues that have resulted in the injury in the first place. Therefore this kind of approach won’t necessarily help prevent the recurrence of the same or related injury.

This is a chart of a few garden variety overuse injuries that are generated by repetitive use of the body as a result of sports training, competition. While certain traumatic injuries, such as a sprained ankle, also respond well to improved technique, the focus of this chart are injuries generated by poor technique or form.

Common Overuse Injury		Form and Body Use Problems		Posture and Structure Problems
Plantar fasciitis and generic foot pain		Holding tension in the feet. Gripping with the toes. Excessive ground impact. Excessive tension in the calves and hamstrings. Lack of full ground contact with the feet. Excessive heel striking and over-pronation. Running off the balls of the feet. Overstride.		Anterior pelvic tilt, sway back posture. High arch, fallen arch. One-sided weakness and overcompensation
Shins splints and lower leg stress fractures		Excessive tension in the calves. Rigidity in the ankles. Poor technique in downhill running. Tentative movement with resultant brittleness in the legs. Overuse of the calves for force production. Lack of full ground contact with the feet.		Muscle imbalance in the hips resulting in improper stabilizing at the ankle. Increased forces of pronation at foot strike as a result of internal rotation of the femur at the hip. One-sided weakness and overcompensation of the opposite side.
IT Band Syndrome		Failure to access the psoas in hip flexion, resulting in overuse of the accessory lateral hip flexors for force production – creating stress and contraction tightness in the TFL muscle. Increased force production from the dominant side. Tightness in either hip.		Internal rotation of the femur. Bowing of the legs. Anterior pelvic tilt when running with resultant overuse of the lateral accessory hip flexors.
Common knee pain		Excessive pounding resulting from ground reaction overuse or excessive vertical displacement in the form. Non resilient muscle use, resulting in impacts going into the joints, over striding with concurrent breaking action at the knee with foot strike. Excessive forward bend at the waist, and bearing downward. Quadricep overuse.		Anterior pelvic tilt. Various muscle imbalance in the hips, pelvis and thighs that cause segmental nonalignment.
Achilles tendon problems		Overuse of the calf muscles to produce the forces of propulsion, i.e. overuse of bounce and toe off. Excessive toe striking having a detrimental effect over time.		Excessive anterior pelvic tilt. Excessive tightness in the hamstrings and calves.

I have also had success applying the Radiant Running approach to the following problems: tennis elbow, golfer elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, rotator cuff, Condromalacia Patella, meniscus injuries, sciatica, tarsal tunnel syndrome, Morton's Neuroma, bone spur, ankle sprains, plica syndrome, hip pain, groin pain, thoracic outlet syndrome, metatarsalgia, repetitive use injury, and exercise induced asthma, as well as musculoskeletal pain, soft tissue pain, knee pain, hip pain, ankle pain, and shoulder pain.

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