Monitor the Iceberg: Subtle But Progressive Signs of Running Dysfunction

"But for many runners, staying healthy feels like a game of chance, with periods of blissful, pain-free running suddenly disrupted by pain and injury without warning. In reality, healthy running and injury are far from binary. Rather, they are at two ends of a continuum. Approaching the injury end of the spectrum often begins with subtle signs that get progressively more noticeable. The closer attention we pay to those small issues, the better we are able to avoid the injury end of the continuum altogether."

"Most running injuries are not random. Instead, many stem from deep-seated biomechanical dysfunctions. These are situations where key body parts and systems fail to function correctly over time, whether due to insufficient motion, force, or coordination. This can occur at a micro level, such as restricted mobility in specific joints or tissues, or at a macro level, involving whole-scale inefficiencies in stride mechanics, including posture and propulsion."

Running health and injury exist on a continuum, with performance decline often appearing as the earliest visible sign. Biomechanical dysfunctions commonly underlie running problems, arising from insufficient motion, force, or coordination. Dysfunction can be micro (restricted joint or tissue mobility) or macro (inefficient stride mechanics, posture, and propulsion). Loss of speed and endurance typically precedes stiffness, soreness, and pain, which can progress to full injury. Injury functions as a lagging indicator of reduced system efficiency. Early detection and correction of subtle dysfunctions sustain performance and reduce the risk of escalating injury.

Read at iRunFar