Why all runners should know about proprioception? And How to train proprioception?

Why all runners should know about proprioception? And How to train proprioception?  

The number one risk for running injury is history of previous running injury. Why this matter?  

To answer this question, we should explain what proprioception is. Proprioception is the ability of our nervous system to know where our body is in space, it’s our sense of awareness of movement, length of muscles, position of our joints, speed of movement, and sequence of activation of different group of muscles involved in the same movements (neuropathway). Our nervous system likes to activate the same neuropathway when we do repetitive movements such as walking or running. However when an injury occurs the nervous system will alter the muscle sequence activation to avoid loading the injured area in order to still move without pain. This mechanism is called compensation. Compensations may affect the biomechanics and health of our joints. For example if an injury occur to the right foot, our nervous system may compensate loading more the left lower limb in order to decrease the load over the right foot. In the medium or long term you may develop a secondary injury to the left lower limb if you keep running without addressing the compensation. 

How to prevent secondary injury? We need to train our proprioception!  

In our running clinic Maria one of our Consultant Physiotherapist, Osteopath and Running Technique Coach has developed a unique method to address running injury and running injury prevention. She would carry on running injury assessment and based on the stage of your condition she will develop individualised treatment including exercises which will stimulate your nervous system to improve your proprioception. The benefit of this approach are that your balance, your posture and your movement patterns will be more functional, effective, and will prevent secondary injury.  

Maria has trained in athletics for many years and participated in several competitions at national level. She believes that once the injury is no longer symptomatic the treatment does not end just there. Yes, there is more to improve!  

Compensation mechanism don’t just stop when the pain goes away. Thus, when you go back running after an injury, those compensations can affect other part of your body later on.  

Maria can carry on running gait video analysis. She will provide you with feedback and develop a suited treatment plan which can include running techniques coaching session. A coaching session will address your running movement pattern. You will learn how to perform running drills and exercises specific to your condition. You will learn to master a more efficient and safe running style during the running coaching sessions, which ultimately will also enhance the overall running performance, increasing speed and endurance. Yes, there is more! 

Maria will conclude your coaching session with a general osteopathic treatment for runners aimed to prevent injury.  This will include assessment and treatment of restricted joints, fatigued muscles and tendons which may be overloaded in the process of learning your perfectioned running style.