Rearfoot Strike versus Forefoot Strike, Which one is better?

This is a common question that I come across with many runners, which foot strike pattern should I choose to help me run better?

There is little scientific evidence showing that one-foot strike is more beneficial than the other. A rear-foot strike is more commonly seen in recreational runners and transitioning to a forefoot strike does not mean improvements in running economy or reduced risk of injuries.

However, there are certain situations where transitioning to a different strike pattern can help. This is based on many factors such as injury history, running analysis findings, movement assessment, footwear etc.

If you are in the process of changing your foot-strike pattern, make sure to modify your running mileage/training accordingly and perform specific strength exercises to help your body transition smoothly.

If you are interested in working with us, schedule a free discovery call!

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Xu Y, Yuan P, Wang R, Wang D, Liu J, Zhou H. Effects of Foot Strike Techniques on Running Biomechanics: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Sports Health. 2021 Jan/Feb;13(1):71-77. doi: 10.1177/1941738120934715. Epub 2020 Aug 19. PMID: 32813597; PMCID: PMC7734358.

Thompson, Missy et al. “The Coupling of Stride Length and Foot Strike in Running.” Frontiers in sports and active living vol. 4 768801. 12 Apr. 2022, doi:10.3389/fspor.2022.768801

Improve Your Running Mechanics: Big Toe Extension Mobility

Big toe extension mobility is often overlooked when talking about efficient running mechanics, why is this so important?

During the phases of running, proper push-off requires your big toe to extend at least 45 degrees which is crucial to set up for an efficient propulsion phase. This is also known as triple extension when the trail leg is in full hip, knee, and ankle extension.

When there is a lack of big toe extension mobility we can see a decrease in hip, knee, and ankle extension. This can cause your stride length to be shortened which leads to an insufficient propulsion phase. Being able to push off your big toe also tightens the band of tissues underneath your foot (plantar fascia) to create a spring mechanism that propels your leg forward with less energy.

Here are some exercises to help improve your big toe extension mobility:

1️⃣ Lunge with big toe extension stretch

🔸Shift your weight onto the big toe on the back leg
🔸You should feel a stretch on your toe and/or bottom of your foot.
🔸Perform 5 slow repetitions

2️⃣ Quadruped rock backs

🔸As you sit back onto your ankles focus on stretching your big toe
🔸Perform 5 slow repetitions

3️⃣ Heel raises with elevated big toe

🔸Place a towel roll under your big toe right before the ball of your feet
🔸Focus your pressure on the big toe while pushing up
🔸Perform 3 sets of 15

If you are currently dealing with and injury, we can help!

Improve Your Running Efficiency: Increasing Step rate to prevent Over-striding

What is over-striding and why is it bad?

Over-striding is defined when your initial foot strike lands in front of your center of mass (picture on the left). This causes an increase in joint loading, ground reaction forces, and breaking forces. If your body is not able to adapt to these forces an injury can occur. Ideally, your foot should be landing close to your center of mass, somewhere between your ears and eyes.

Here's a quick strategy to improve your running efficiency and decrease joint loads

One simple strategy is by increasing your step rate per minute (SPM) by 5-10%. This has been shown to reduce lower extremity joint loading and improve running kinematics. The picture on the right shows me running at a 10% increased SPM which puts my initial foot strike closer to my center of mass.

🔸Increasing your SPM by more than 10% requires greater oxygen consumption which can affect your running efficiency
🔸I use an app called RunTempo, which is a metronome to help find and modify your SPM when training
🔸Give this a shot and see if it helps!

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References:

Bramah C, Preece SJ, Gill N, Herrington L. A 10% Increase in Step Rate Improves Running Kinematics and Clinical Outcomes in Runners With Patellofemoral Pain at 4 Weeks and 3 Months. Am J Sports Med. 2019 Dec;47(14):3406-3413. doi: 10.1177/0363546519879693. Epub 2019 Oct 28. PMID: 31657964; PMCID: PMC6883353.

Lyght M, Nockerts M, Kernozek TW, Ragan R. Effects of Foot Strike and Step Frequency on Achilles Tendon Stress During Running. J Appl Biomech. 2016 Aug;32(4):365-72. doi: 10.1123/jab.2015-0183. Epub 2016 Mar 8. PMID: 26955843.

Heiderscheit, Bryan C et al. “Effects of step rate manipulation on joint mechanics during running.” Medicine and science in sports and exercise vol. 43,2 (2011): 296-302. doi:10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181ebedf4.

What Is a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist?

We specialize in pelvic-related issues, including using internal and external diagnosing techniques to evaluate the function, muscle strength and muscle / neurological control of the pelvis. We also have to knowledge to discuss issues that you may not feel comfortable talking about such as urine Incontinence, pain during sexual intercourse, pelvic area pain, painful bowel movements, etc.

Guidelines For Safe Exercise During Pregnancy

Can I still work out when I’m pregnant?

What exercises can I do and what can’t I do?

Is exercising going to cause anything bad to my baby during pregnancy? 

These are the concerns that moms get when they find out they’re pregnant. There are so many benefits of exercising during pregnancy, however, there are also some factors that we need to be aware of. As long as you understand the rules, you are good to go! 
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‼️If you have a history of chronic heart and lung disease, history of premature labor or diagnosed with the following: Placenta Previa*, Cervix Insufficiency*, Preeclampsia*, please consult with your OB/GYN and pelvic rehab physical therapist for a tailored exercises program. These conditions need to be monitored carefully when performing exercises. We do not want you to stop what you love doing, but there are some conditions that we need to be cautious.

🔑The first rule of thumb is to listen to your body! If you sense something is weird or just not right please stop what you’re doing and consult with your OB/GYN and pelvic rehab physical therapist. Do not overexert your body! 

*Placenta Previa: When the placenta lies low in the uterus, it may partly or completely cover the cervix. This is called placenta previa and can cause vaginal bleeding.
*Preeclampsia: A disorder during pregnancy or after childbirth in which high blood pressure and other signs of organ damage can occur.
*Cervical Insufficiency: A condition in which the cervix is unable to hold a pregnancy in the second trimester.

Click Below to download the full guidelines

includes postures to avoid, types of exercises that are safe to perform and an exercise regimen

When and What Exercises Can I Do After Having a Baby?

After delivery, new mothers start to become busy with nursing, learning their baby’s schedule, preparing food, doing house chores along with many other tasks. Throughout this busy time, one question that always arises is, when is the proper time for me to back to get back to exercising and being active? Also, where do I start?

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) committee, exercise routines may be resumed gradually after pregnancy as soon as medically safe, depending on the mode of delivery (vaginal or cesarean birth) and the presence or absence of medical or surgical complications.

Pelvic floor exercises (Kegels) can be initiated in the immediate postpartum period. However, I highly recommend you consult with a pelvic floor physical therapist to properly perform a Kegel exercise if you’re not familiar with it.

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Remember your body just underwent trauma from delivery...

Week 1-4 is a healing period for your body. At this time, the most important thing to do is to practice Kegels in a variety of different positions and activities as well as build up a relationship with your baby.

Week 4-6 you might be able to start light abdominal/core engagement exercises. This could help you prevent Diastasis Recti from occurring. However, everything has to start with light intensity (30%), do not overstress your abdominal muscles. If you see a gap or dome on your belly while performing exercises, please decrease the intensity or consult with a pelvic floor physical therapist.

Week 6-12 is the phase when your body should be ready for higher-level activity, we want to start incorporating Kegels into gym exercises. Week 6 would be a good time to consult with a pelvic physical therapist to create a customized return to gym program. 

Week 6-8 you should be starting in the gym with no weight followed by light weightlifting (around your baby's weight). 

Week 8-12 you can begin fast pace walking, and increase reps with light weights. You should avoid high-impact activities such as box jumps, double-unders, sprinting, and also strenuous abdominal exercises such as toes to bar and kipping pull-ups.

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The key to postpartum life is patience, listening to your body, re-training your pelvic floor muscles, and building up a relationship with your baby. :)

Why Is There a Gap In My Tummy?

How do I tell If I Have Diastasis Recti?

Diastasis recti is commonly seen in pregnant mothers but men can suffer from it too. In women, this condition can present during pregnancy or after delivery. Initially, people often notice a dome on their tummy when engaging their abdominal muscles, especially when getting out of bed. Some people also complain of feeling like their organs are falling out or feel their tummy is loose and unstable.

The most common question I get from people is: "Will the gap in my tummy close at any point?"

My answer to people who ask whether the gap will ever close is "I'm not sure". The severity of Diastasis Recti varies significantly. If the connective tissue that holds both sides of your abdominal muscles (also known as the "linea alba") is stretched out too much then you may need to consult with your surgeon to address that. However, regardless of how severe your diastasis recti is, everyone needs to strengthen their transverse abdominal and pelvic floor muscles to improve the ease of performing daily activities. The transverse abdominal muscle is the main muscle responsible for creating tension in your linea alba. Having proper linear alba tension helps to create a firm midline instead of a gap.

I’ve been doing a lot of ab workouts and core strengthening, but why isn't it getting better?

*If you’ve been doing core exercises for 6 weeks or it’s been 6 months after your delivery and you still haven’t seen any improvements, please consult a pelvic physical therapist for further assessment and treatment. 

There could be many factors preventing you from getting better:

1️⃣Your body hasn’t fully recovered from hormonal changes during pregnancy.

Your body needs at least 1 year to let your connective tissues (Linea Alba, muscles, ligaments) recover. *Please be patient! Your body has experienced a lot during pregnancy and we need to be nice to our bodies to help with recovery.

2️⃣You’re not using the right abdominal muscles.

We have two layers of muscles, the superficial layer consists of the external and internal abdominals, and the deeper layer consists of the transverse abdominals. Most people overstress their abs and engaging the superficial layer more instead of the deeper layer.

How would I know whether I’m using the right muscles?

When you contract the transverse abdominals properly, you will see a flattened tummy from your ribs down to your pelvis instead of seeing your rib cage flare-up.

3️⃣The exercises that you are doing are not designed to help you return to your everyday activities. In other words, your exercises are not activity-specific.

We mainly performs activities in an upright position, but many people only train their muscles lying down. For example, only doing reverse crunches will not help you engage your whole abdominal wall when you have to carry your baby.

You should incorporate upright positions in your work outs, such as lunges and squats with weights, to help you train your muscles in different positions.

4️⃣Your exercises are not challenging enough or too challenging. 

How do I know whether my exercises are too hard?

If you see a dome in your tummy while performing core exercises.

How would I know whether my exercises are too easy?

I want you to take a second to think about the frequency and reps you do per week. I understand it’s hard to find the time to do exercises because your life is occupied by your baby and you are very busy. However, I also want you to spare some time for yourself and your body. The exercise dosage should be 3-4 times/week. The intensity should make your muscles feel fatigued. *Please watch out for the dome!

5️⃣You still need to lose some fat tissue from pregnancy.

I normally tell my clients this when discussing their diet and nutrition intake. Most of the time, moms don’t have enough time to eat regularly and properly, and thus don’t get enough nutrition. This makes it harder for your body to recover and get back into shape. Please don’t compare yourself with moms on Instagram with beautiful bodies. Everyone’s body is different and we all have different healing times. We need to listen to our bodies. Focusing on yourself is the most important thing to do now. 😊

Is Urine Incontinence Normal?

Do you always need to go to the restroom before a trip “just in case?”

Your pelvic floor muscles are working 24/7 nonstop just like your diaphragm. It’s not only contracting when you want to hold your pee, hold your poop, or having sex, etc.. You need to train your pelvic floor muscles to contract, relax, and push down during various activities, such as driving in the car, standing in line for food as well as watching cat videos on Instagram. 🐱 

Can't wear your new cute leggings for fitness classes because you're worried about urine leakage?

Performing basic pelvic floor muscle exercises is fairly easy because you don’t need any equipment or a specific time to workout. Contracting your pelvic floor muscles is not like lifting heavyweights. Imagine you are holding a baby's finger, you are not going to squeeze as hard as you can. This squeeze is equivalent to contracting your pelvic floor muscles. I sometimes tell my clients to use 30% of their force to squeeze and if done correctly, it might feel like they're doing nothing. But, Yes! 30%! 💪

Cautious about sneezing or laughing because you don’t want to pee your pants? 😐

You've probably already googled Kegel exercises before you read this. But pelvic floor health is not just about Kegel exercises. Consulting a pelvic floor physical therapist about your problem can help you to understand your issues in-depth and guide you through your rehab journey. 🙂

Having urge/stress incontinence or urine leakage should not be a normal occurrence in your life. You shouldn't be ashamed because this is an issue that can be addressed. 🙌