Runner's Clinic

Our Runner’s Clinic is a great resource for cross country and track athletes with repetitive stress injuries or for any runners who experience the following symptoms:

• Knee pain
• Hip pain
• Ankle/Foot pain
• Calf/Heel pain
• Difficulty completing runs due to soreness or weakness

Who Would Benefit

Many runners can benefit from participating in our Runner’s Program but those who may benefit most from it are athletes who:

• Can run at least 5 minutes on a treadmill
• Participate in a running sport or a sport with running as a large component

All runners will be screened for appropriateness of participation prior to the initial visit.

What to Expect

When a runner is referred for a running evaluation, a physical therapist will evaluate the patient’s flexibility, strength, posture, and lower extremity mechanics. The patient will perform several functional tests to evaluate neuromuscular control deficits. Finally, the runner will be videotaped while running on a treadmill for approximately 10 minutes.

The video will be analyzed to evaluate for biomechanical deviations from efficient running form that may be contributing to injuries. A report will be formulated to share with the referring physician and the family along with interventions specific to the problems found in the gait analysis.

Gait Analysis

Hip, knee, foot, pelvic and trunk position will be measured during initial contact, midstance, and pre-swing from four viewpoints (anterior, posterior, right and left sides).

Common problems that may be identified include:

• Overpronation
• Excessive hip drop
• Excessive anterior pelvic tilt
• Overstriding
• Understriding
• Crossing over midline

What to Prepare

Prior to your first visit, it can be helpful to put together a list of what your recent training has been to help your physical therapist understand what you have been doing recently. You will also need to bring to your first visit:

• Shoes you are comfortable running in
• Clothes to run in (shorts and shirt usually work well)

Benefits of Participation in Running Program

It has been shown that trained physical therapists can greatly assist the runner in addressing any pain or discomfort that limits ability to participate in running either as a sport or for conditioning. By participating in the running program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, you will gain valuable insight into your running pattern and learn activities that will assist in decreasing pain and preventing future injury.