As a Reno Physical Therapist who works with a lot of runners, midstance is something we talk about quite often.
Midstance is the phase of running where the leg in question is planted on the ground, while the other leg is swinging through the air. It occurs between initial contact (when the foot first touches the ground) and toe off (when the foot begins to leave the ground).
This is where the hip needs to stabilize the pelvis on top of the femur. This requires a lot of stability and strength from the hip.
This is important because running can create impact forces of 3-5x our bodyweight. In my case, that would be 135 x 3 = 405, or 135 x 5 = 675 lbs of force going into my legs and spine. A strong core, hip, and pelvis that can handle the loading will lead to less painful, and therefore happier, running.
In those who are having trouble stabilizing, we can see the sides of the pelvis drop side to side. A little drop is normal and necessary to accommodate to the changes in the terrain, but an inability for the body to adapt in a stable and strong way can lead to hip pain or injury. Having hips that are strong, mobile, and stable enough to accommodate the changes in terrain (pretty much guaranteed with trail running) and the ground reaction forces (especially with road running) will decrease the chances of hip pain or injury with running.
If you're experiencing hip pain, then a running analysis may be beneficial to determine if there are any biomechanical issues that should be addressed.
As a Reno Physical Therapist who loves running on road and trail, I have done a running analysis on myself, and I have noticed a hip drop. I have also experienced some left sided hip pain that popped up when I started increasing my vert, downhill running, intensity, and/or mileage. Sometimes things just pop up, so here are a few exercises I use to help me "own" my midstance and create more hip stability and strength:
Barbell foot taps: This exercise loads the system and trains single leg stability. The standing leg is being trained to support the extra load.
Here, my core and pelvis are being trained to stabilize in an isometric fashion to create the tension needed to support the system on the standing leg. This is really important during the midstance phase of running, where the leg in contact with the ground needs to create enough stability and tension to support the entire body on the pelvis and hip. As I get stronger, I can gradually increase the load over time.
Slant board squat with yoga block squeeze: Trains the hip adductors (inner thigh) and helps train the quads for downhill running.
Elevating my heels biases my quads, which is important for the braking that occurs during downhill running. Adding the yoga block squeeze engages my adductors which are an often neglected muscle group of the hip joint. These muscles help with stabilizing the hip and controlling flexion and extension of the hip joint.
Bent knee plank with plate: Trains the hip abductors as the upper leg swings. This adds an element of stability with movement.
Side planks are great at targeting the gluteus medius, which is a very important stabilizer of the pelvis and hip when we are performing single leg activities like running and walking. Both hips are getting worked here: the bottom leg is holding up my body while the top leg is holding up the weight of the leg, itself. Adding a weight to the top leg presents with an interesting challenge. Swinging the leg further challenges the system, for now the core is forced to stabilize itself to prevent too much back and fourth swaying over the shoulder.
Kickstand squats with adductor squeeze: Trains the glutes and hamstrings, including the adductor magnus which is a very over-looked inner thigh muscle that helps stabilize the hip and move it into extension.
Elevated hip drops: These train the hip abductors to accommodate changes in terrain that may force it into a "bowlegged" position. This is likely to happen on a trail at some point.
This exercise targets the hip abductors that are important in stabilizing and controlling the pelvis during single leg activities like running. Here, I am using a kettlebell as added resistance. The dowel is for balance. The working hip is the opposite side. Sticking my hip out puts the soft tissue on tension and stretch. The contraction of the muscles happen when I pull my hip back in.
In a perfect world, we would all be able to find the perfect shoe, run all we want, never have gut issues, get paid to sign up for more races (whether we placed, or not), and never have an injury or pain.
Oh, and the cost of travel, lodging, and food would also be covered!
However, that's not the way the world works, but at least Clinch Performance and Recovery can help you with your hip pain. This is a Reno Physical Therapy clinic that absolutely loves running and working with runners!
So if you've been dealing with some type of pain or concern that is derailing your running goals, then Clinch would love to help you!
Thanks for reading!
Comentarios