At a basic level, running-related injuries (RRI) occur because the forces acting on the body exceed the capacity of the tissue to absorb the forces causing a breakdown of the tissue. When looking at ways to reduce RRI, the general strategy should be to make the body's ability to absorb forces greater than the forces acting on it. This can be accomplished by improving flexibility, increasing strength, reducing participation, improving recovery, and finally improving running form through gait retraining. Due to constraints of research by the ability to get large enough data sets, most literature has looked at one of these ways to make the forces manageable for a runner, while there are many ways. Running is not the only time that the body absorbs forces. This is especially true in a military population where there is a cumulative effect of forces from marching with heavy load, prolonged standing, and limited recovery. Gait retraining has been shown to reduce injury rates by as much as 60%. Two studies have looked specifically at military populations to show that gait retraining can be effective for reducing a common injury in the shin. Military studies have also shown that gait retraining is transferable to wearing boots, even when the gait retraining is done in shoes. In the commercial sector, many studies have shown the benefit of changing running form with cadence modification, increasing forward lean, reducing collapsing at the knee, and modifying the position of the foot when the foot hits the ground. The aim of this study is taking the best evidence from gait retraining efforts and personalize the methodology to the individual runner. No study to date has provided individual recommendations for gait retraining, nor has the capabilities to do so that this portable 3D motion analysis system provides. The results can be used on a large scale to have a significant reduction in RRI and a monumental benefit to society.
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Running Related Injury
Timeframe: Up to 24 weeks from DTF to Completion of BMT