If you are a runner and you want to introduce yourself to the many races that happen now with the good weather, it is very important that you know the difference between walking or running. "During the race there is a phase of flight and this implies that all the joints of the body will work with different ranges of mobility to absorb the impact, wider than when walking, and increases proportionally to the speed", explains Adela Álvarez, the podiatrist of HLA Sport, of the Sports Medicine Unit of the Hospital San Carlos Office Denia.
If there is no good joint alignment or a correct method of work, the repetitive impact in the practice of this sport can trigger a major injury. Thus, "It is essential to analyze the technique of the athlete so that professionals can detect and treat any error and thus avoid, or resolve, the possible pathologies derived" Álvarez comments, and adds that "an adequate technique provides other benefits to the runner as a greater effectiveness of the sport gesture and greater economy of movement in each stride, so there will be less energy expenditure, a greater boost and, ultimately, more comfort during sports ".
The multidisciplinary team of professionals of HLA Sport, works together to make a "global exploration that improves the patient's stroke technique, by means of different diagnostic procedures such as the muscle-skeletal assessment on a stretcher and standing (standing), with the use of the podoscope, the pressure platform analysis and the tape technique to run ", explains the podiatrist and comments that "In the latter we recorded the patient with fast-capture cameras and, with the help of modern software, we can measure the angles of the foot and leg with respect to the ground."
During the study carried out by the runner by the HLA Sport unit in San Carlos, "We will assess the different phases of the race from a sagittal view (precontact, initial contact, maximum absorption, initial oscillation and mean oscillation), posterior and anterior. The sagittal vision of the athlete is made of the whole body, although we can also obtain images of the feet only as in the previous and posterior vision ".
The professionals will evaluate and make the necessary indications to modify the runner's technique. From this analysis, diagnoses of pathologies so common to hear in everyday sports reports such as tibial periostitis, iliotibial band syndrome, also called runner's knee or plantar fasciitis, may arise.
The podiatrist offers as an example the fascitis that, "for treatment or to avoid suffering from this injury, one of the actions suggested by our team to the patient is the modification of the initial contact for what is also usually recommended the use of personalized templates and physiotherapist sessions ".
After the analysis of the race and applying the specific exercises recommended to the patients by the specialists of the Sports Medicine Unit, "The sports technique is always improved, but especially, we help them to avoid injuries, to run more comfortable, save energy, improve marks and prevent muscles from overloading", concludes Adela Álvarez.
