Why Post-Injury Is the Best Time to Analyze Running Form

If you’re considering getting a running analysis, you may think the best time to do it is when you’re at peak health. But actually, getting a 3D running gait analysis after you are injured is a great way to understand how the injury has impacted your running form.

You may be surprised to see how an injury to your ankle, such as a light ankle sprain, can wreak havoc across your entire running form. For example, it can cause pronounced over striding on the injured leg, which may result in pain to the knee or other parts of the leg.

If you have done a gait analysis before your injury, you can understand how much your gait has changed. this can be helpful to understand how much the injury has impacted your stride.

Once you understand how the injury has changed your gait, you can work to make changes in mechanics to accommodate for the injury. Your body is likely making accommodations for your injury that you aren’t even aware of!

These subtle changes in form can explain why you get stuck in an injury cycle: getting injured, healing, and getting injured again.

An ankle sprain months prior can cause long-term over striding. Even a four-centimeter over stride can be a significant change. You may not be trusting your ankle is strong enough, and may be running in a way to move weight off that ankle faster. This could be causing strain on your femur or other parts of your leg.

If you’d like to learn more, contact us to inquire about our 3D running gait analysis and stop in today!