We are always looking for ways to get faster while running, but instead of looking at the things to make you faster let’s focus on the things that are slowing you down and work to minimize their effects.

Sit too much

We spend a lot of time sitting: sitting in the car, sitting at work, sitting at school, and sitting in front of the TV the list goes on and on. Sitting may be comfortable and a useful low energy position but it can be killing your running ability. By sitting on your gluts you are deactivating the most powerful and important muscle for running. You are putting your hip flexors in a shortened position which will reduce your ability to extend your hips, another key part of running.

The Fix

Get up and move!! This is one of the easiest ways to combat too much sitting. Get up and move around every 20 min or so add some deep squats, lunges anything to get you out of that seated position for a little. This is where a sit to stand desk can come in handy to allow you to spend time in alternate positions. Also, shoot for a minimum of 5000 steps a day, these can add up quickly just walk to places you would otherwise drive to, park a little farther away or go for a short walk during your lunch break.

Slump while sitting

As if sitting by itself isn’t bad enough we tend to sit in a slumped posture with our heads jutted forward to try and be closer to the computer screen or looking down at a desk all day. This will make everything from above worse plus have an effect on your upper body posture. Your head will move forward which will place more strain on your low back as you try to hold your “bowling ball” with outstretched arms instead of close and stacked over your pelvis. Your shoulders rounded which will reduce your ability to complete a natural arm swing motion while both running and walking.

The Fix

Again get up and move around is the most important aspect to help correct this. No posture is truly bad, the only bad part is how long you stay in any given posture. Check the ergonomics of your desk, make sure you bring your computer screen towards your face not your face towards the screen. Stretch your pecks in the doorway or while lying on a foam roll to balance out the rounded posture.

Bad footwear

Many people spend a lot of time discussing the importance of X or Y type of running shoe and why each one is special or “faster”. But no one really puts much focus on the shoes they wear most of the day. You can wreak havoc on your feet by wearing hard, stiff, lifted heel shoes all day that stiffen up and weakened joints and muscles of your foot making it hard for your foot to complete its job as your initial contact to the ground while running.

The Fix

Try and get shoes with thin and flexible soles that allow your foot to move freely on the ground and adjust to variances in terrain and make the muscles of your footwork. Or even better try to fit in some barefoot time every day. You can add a little bit of barefoot running in grass or sand to the end your runs to help your feet remain strong and flexible allowing you to run better.

Just run to run

Running is a great way to exercise and improve your overall fitness but there are many things outside of running you can and should do to prepare yourself to run further, better and faster. Ideally you get into running with some level of fitness behind you or you build your way into slowly and with the proper progressions. Run the same speed, distance, and/or route over and over.

The Fix

Get your running form looked at by a professional in order to optimize your stride and become more aware of how you’re running. It’s also to mix up the distances and paces at which you run in order to create varying stresses that your body must adapt to in order to make you a stronger and more resilient runner. There are also plenty of great strengthening and alternative aerobic training activities that may not be running but can greatly help your running.

Sincerely,

Dr. Max Biessmann
PT, DPT

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Graduated from the University of St Augustine with a bachelor in Microbiology from the University of California, Davis. Max began swimming competitively at the age of five and swam through college. Max also ran cross country in high school, so he naturally gravitated toward triathlon. Max has completed 10 IRONMAN races, including the IRONMAN World Championships in Kona twice, and he has a decade of swim and triathlon coaching experience. He is excited to have a career that allows me to combine the biology and scientific research-based approach with his passion for coaching and sports.

Max is excited to be the newest member of the Rausch PT team, and looking forward to helping people achieve their goals through physical therapy and all the unique opportunities available here at Rausch PT.

Click to learn more about Sean and our other physical therapists »

Let’s talk! We are here to help. Give us a call for a complimentary consultation. We would love to meet you.

Did you know there’s no prescription needed from a doctor to see us – but we will communicate your progress and treatment to your doctor if you’d like us too!

(949) 276-5401

Disclaimer — All the information that you find on our blogs and social media pages are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be used as your personal professional diagnosis, or treatment. Come and see us for your excellent, personalized care! https://staging.rauschpt.net/

Physical therapy might not be your first thought when it comes to nagging back pain, pesky headaches or even helping to control diabetes. But maybe it should be. Physical therapy (or PT as it’s commonly called) isn’t just for severe pain or after an accident or injury. PT encourages movement across all healthcare practices, from a fall to joint replacement to chronic shoulder pain. PT can be used to improve your ability to enjoy the activities that you love to do.

Here are five things that PT can help you manage:

Improve mobility, balance, and strength. Physical therapists are movement advocates. Part of their job is to teach you about cause and effect in the human body. Knee pain could be the result of needing to strengthen your hips, while carpal tunnel and neck pain could be the result of typing and texting too much. Physical therapy can help you adjust how you move in everyday activities as well as improve your form when you exercise. It’s important to be proactive about physical therapy and taking care of your body mechanics. A good PT will help explain why your body is reacting in a certain way and work with you to address and correct it.
Avoid surgery. While surgery is sometimes unavoidable, pre-surgical PT (sometimes referred to as “pre-hab”) can help ease recovery time and may provide a better outcome post-surgery. Some patients have seen such an increase in motion and a reduction in pain after going to PT that they’ve opted out of surgery altogether.

Prevent injury. There’s a good chance you’ve never seen a physical therapist unless you were injured, but it’s a good idea to treat PT as a form of preventative care. Maybe you want to have a competitive sports advantage or work on your posture. A good PT will learn about your activity level and teach you about what can be done to prevent injury — including how to be more aware when it comes to movement.
Manage aging. As we age we are at risk to lose muscle mass and strength, making it harder to balance our own body weight. PT can help address joint pain, arthritic pain, and osteoarthritis issues. It’s also important for aging adults to learn to make modifications and adjustments for everyday activities (like getting up out of a chair or walking up and down steps). PT can help you move with confidence and decrease the risk of falls and injury as you get older.

Help control diseases or condition. Physical therapy extends well beyond rehabilitation centers. Some physical therapists are trained to help people with conditions involving their heart, lung or weight — or specialize in treating pelvic floor pain and dysfunction. People with type 2 diabetes, for example, can benefit from physical therapy as physical conditioning assists with weight loss through movement potentially reducing the need for medications and reducing the risk for heart disease and stroke. Another area of focus in PT is helping to manage neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis. When it comes to physical therapy, movement is medicine — and sometimes the worst medication prescribed after being diagnosed with an illness is “bed rest.”

Let’s talk! We are here to help. Give us a call for a complimentary consultation. We would love to meet you.

Did you know there’s no prescription needed from a doctor to see us – but we will communicate your progress and treatment to your doctor if you’d like us too!

(949) 276-5401

Disclaimer — All the information that you find on our blogs and social media pages are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be used as your personal professional diagnosis, or treatment. Come and see us for your excellent, personalized care! https://staging.rauschpt.net/

{Source: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/5-reasons-you-may-not-have-thought-of-to-see-a-physical-therapist}