1. Running Gait

2. Running vs. Walking Running and walking gaits are not the same
Walking has a greater stride width
Running has a greater step and stride length

3. Gait Cycle Comparison
IC: initial contact
TO: toe off

4. Phases of Gait

5. Pronation of Right Foot

6. Pronation
When you walk or run, pronation helps to attenuate the shock of initial contact. Without it, the full impact of each step would be transmitted up the leg and affect the normal mechanics of the lower limbs. Besides acting as a shock absorber, pronation also helps the foot 'recognise' what type of ground it is on by stabilising and adjusting the foot to the terrain type.

7. Occurs at the Subtalar Joint

8. Normal Pronation

9. Underpronation or Supination

10. Underpronation aka supination
lateral side of the heel hits the ground at an increased angle
results in a large transmission of shock through the lower leg
lateral loading of the foot continues for the entire stance phase of gait
Common in runners with high arches

11. Overpronation

12. Overpronation foot rolls in excessively or at a time when it shouldn’t
causes weight transfer to the medial side of the foot
load is borne by the inner edge rather than the ball of the foot
destabilizes the foot
compensates for the inward movement with a kind of chain reaction affecting the leg, especially the knee and hip

13. Shoe Wear Patterns

14. Muscles of the Leg

15. Running Gait During stance absorption energy is stored in
Achilles tendon
foot arch
quadriceps tendon
During stance generation, power is generated primarily at the ankle

16. The Leg Spring
In humans, stiffness does not change with running speed; contact angle does.

17. The Running Cycle There are three phases to the running cycle:
Stance—foot on ground
Swing—foot coming up or down
Float—not touching the ground

18. Foot Strike Distance running: Generally, heel-first, then toe push-off
Sprinting: Generally, on ball of foot, then toe push- off

19. Running Form Checklist
Look straight ahead…not down
Run tall…don’t slouch
Arms should be at a 90-degree angle
Swing your legs naturally—knees should not come above their natural swing
Don’t overstride (don’t reach for the next stride)
RELAX! Staying relaxed means keeping your face, hands, and arms loose while you run

20. Overstriding Greater front leg extension
Ideally the knee should be flexing directly above the ankle on initial contact
Creates large heel strike
Decreased load on hip extensors creating greater load of glutes and hamstrings

21. Single Leg Balance Drill to Prevent Overstriding

22. Overstriding Often Leads to Inadequate Hip Extension
Inadequate hip extension can also be caused by poor posture.

23. Inadequate Hip Extension/ Poor Posture
Should “run tall”
Generally result of poor daily posture habits
Causes poor hip flexor flexability
Weak glutes and posterior muscles
Power comes from hip extension
Inadequate extension = inadequate power generation

24. Inadequate Hip Extension
Power comes from hip extension
Inadequate extension = inadequate power generation

25. Hip Extension Exercise

26. Lack of Hip and Knee Flexion
A shuffling gait which leads to a reduced step rate and a shortened stride
Speed = stride length x stride frequency

27. Instability
1 inch of extra motion, over the course of a marathon add 1 mile to the race