Brian Schiff’s Blog

It is no secret that Americans are trying to stay more active well into their baby boomer years and beyond.  The million dollar question is how will what you do today affect your joints down the road. 

Scholars, scientists and medical experts do not seem to agree 100% on what is too much, but most tend to agree that excessive running, obesity, irregular or unusually intense activity (think weekend warriors here), muscular weakness and even decreased flexibility may all contribute to arthritis.

The New York Times recently ran a story about the cost of total joint replacement and suggestions on how people can be proactive to reduce the risk and debilitating effects of arthritis.  Click here to read the article.

I think one of the most amusing yet ironic things about science is that it often contradicts itself.  Obviously, we know being overweight increases stress on the load bearing joints.  Most people would also knowingly acknowledge that improved strength and flexibility would make for healthier knees and hips. 

The big question mark for me is impact loading, or simply the argument of whether to run or not to run.  Some docs say no way.  Others say yes.  Yet others offer more ambiguous words on the subject.  So, what do I think?

I honestly believe there may be no absolute answer.  I am not convinced running on a treadmill is all that much better for you as some would suggest either.  My body tells me blacktop surfaces are better than cement sidewalks, while the soft earth is better yet still.  I use the treadmill in the winter and for speed work but if you run events too much treadmill work will let you down on race day as the body is ill prepared. 

Much like exercise prescription, I think joint loading and tolerance is a very individual matter indeed.  Biomechanics, posture, training history, medical history, repetitive movements, footwear, nutrition, body type, recovery, etc are just a few of the variables one must consider when passing judgment on exercise prescription and limits.

Beyond that, the best indication to reduce or remove an activity for a short bit or long term is obviously pain.  But before doing so, one must correctly identify the source of the pain.  At times, the pain may seem like a joint issue when in fact it could simply stem from poor muscle recruitment, lack of mobility or faulty movement patterns thereby subjecting joints to undue stress.

I say all this to say we must be careful in saying one should not do something definitively.  Some folks run well into their 80’s without issues.  Others break down after one endurance event.  In the end, we must face facts.  The human body is complex and no two people are exactly alike.  I had left hip pain years ago that felt like arthritis.  My orthopd told me the x-ray showed a few mild bone spurs and mild hip dysplasia. 

His advice?  Quit running.  I did for 6 months and the pain did not subside.  So, I began a progressive running program and changed up my strength training to more single leg based work.  Guess what?  My pain went away 100%.  This tells me the impact itself was not likely the cause of my pain, but more likely a muscle imbalance that I overcame through more efficient strength training.

We must look at science, anecdotal findings and clinical experience to pull out general patterns and thoughts all the while continuing to use assessment, feedback and results to lead us to the best conclusion for each client, patient or athlete.  You must use all this information to make the best decision for your situation as well.

It is fairly well accepted in medical/rehab circles that much of the lateral knee pain felt by runners is related to the IT band.  Researchers report that frictional forces are greatest between 20 and 30 degrees of knee flexion (this occurs in the first part of stance phase with running).   But what about the differences in hip and knee kinematics between healthy and injured subjects?

I currently train two competitive female marathoners.  Both are in their thirties.  One has run Boston and the other is training with me to qualify this year (she missed by 36 seconds last year).  Many female runners deal with iliotibial band issues during their training.  My client trying to qualify for Boston has issues on her right side.  My other runner does not.  The client affected by this also has some ankle instability which certainly affects closed chain mechanics.

Historically, researchers have felt increased rear-foot eversion has contributed to such injuries.  Why?  well, increased rear-foot eversion leads to increased tibial internal rotation, and by the ITB’s attachment point distally on the tibia this would in turn increase strain.  In addition, it has been postulated that gluteus medius weakness leads to greater hip adduction moments and undue strain.

One recent prospective study done by Noehren et al. concluded that runners who developed ITBS exhibited increased hip adduction and knee internal rotation angles compared to healthy controls.  Today, I wanted to briefly update you on a study just published in the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy looking at the running mechanics of those with previous bouts of ITBS and those without.  The study observed 35 healthy female runners and 35 age matched runners (ages 18-45 who run no less than 30K/week) with a history of ITB issues.  They measured:

1. Hip, knee and ankle kinematics
2. Internal moments during stance phase

So, what did the results say?  In a nutshell, the ITBS group did in fact exhibit increased hip adduction angles and peak internal rotation angles at the knee.  There was , however, no significant difference among groups with respect to the rear-foot eversion.  This particular study did not measure hip abductor strength.

As far as limitations to the study, one primary one was the fact that the ITBS group was healthy during the study (meaning they had some time in the past suffered ITBS).  With that said, the results did mirror the prospective study by Noehren.

The practical takeaways for runners and trainers are:

• Prior ITB issues may increase risk for recurrence due to increased strain
• Prior ITB issues indicate atypical hip and knee kinematics may be present
• The rear-foot position may have a lesser role in causation of ITBS
• Addressing hip stability, strength and eccentric control is paramount to injury prevention
• Observing frontal/transverse plane knee mechanics is prudent

In training, I recommmend video analysis or using a mirror independently to observe what I term a single leg hop and stick maneuver.  I teach it to all my cutting and impact athletes.  Simply begin on the left leg and hop forward onto the right and lower down into a lunge type single leg landing position.

Observe the foot/ankle, knee and hip as the body declerates.  This image and sequence of events leaves strong clues about the strength and force dissipation that is or isn’t happening.  Perform at least 3 trials and repeat on the other side.  This evalaution technique then also becomes a training tool to correct imbalances and improve deceleration mechanics – the very essence of the injury problem to begin with.

I routinely have my athletes with assymetrical or atypical kinematics engage in this drill no less than 2-3 times per week.  I have them perform 2-3 sets of 5-10 quality reps on each side (alternate sides).  Focus on preventing the femur from adducting too much or the patella moving inward.  In addition to this drill, obviously include steady glute max and medius work in your programs to help reduce ITBS.  With all that said, happy running!

Well, with Turkey Day nearly upon us, I am gearing up for a 4 miler on Thursday morning.  I have run 5Ks, 10Ks and half marathons, but this will be my first 4 miler.  They give you a bottle of wine at the end of this one so it is pretty popular in my neck of the woods. 

As I expand my own running and train more and more runners, I often find that many lack good single leg stability and hip strength.  If you are a runner and not doing any strength training or simply focusing on traditional machine-based exercise, you need to shift gears and incorporate single leg exercises to maximize performance and prevent injuries.

In today’s post, I am going to give you an excellent progression of single leg hip drives or lifts to improve stance leg stability, gluteus medius strength and swing leg hip flexor strength.  In addition, this exercise will improve knee stability and ankle proprioception thereby reducing excess tibial rotation/pronation along the way.  That matters if you have experienced IT Band issues or shin splints along the way.  The exercise sequence is as follows:

1. Single leg hip drive holds (3-5 seconds)
2. Supported single leg hip drive
3. Unsupported single leg hip drive
4. Unsupported single leg hip drive with resistance
5. Unsupported single leg hip drive (unstable surface)

You should progress through this sequence of training to ensure best results.  I suggest 1-3 sets of 10-15 reps of each sequence.  The unstable or most advanced version is suitable for cross country runners, runners with poor ankle stability (chronic sprains or hypermobile) or those with poor closed chain mechanics from the ground up.  I have included a few sample reps of these in the video below:

I hope you can put these exercises to good use.  They are great for increasing stance leg strength and stability, while simultaneously improving swing leg strength and mobility. Happy running and have a great Thanksgiving everyone!