Give it a try at home! Test your balance by standing on one leg. Take a look in the mirror – do you notice the opposite hip dropping? If so, it could indicate a weakness in your stabilizing leg and puts you at a high risk for injury. Although this study focused on runners, this concept applies to all sports. Stay safe and strong!
Glute weakness is a common problem among runners that can lead to a host of painful injuries. From IT band syndrome to patellofemoral pain syndrome, having weak glutes can wreak havoc on your body. But don’t despair! By addressing this issue head-on, you can prevent these injuries from derailing your running goals.
What kind of injuries could arise from this movement dysfunction?
– Patellofemoral knee pain
– ITBand Syndrome
– Achilles Tendonitis
– Piriformis Syndrome
– Gluteal tendonitis
– Tibialis Posterior tendonitis
– Medial knee pain
So you may be wondering, can you prevent hip drop and running injuries? Yes!
As a chiropractor, here is how I take a full body approach to the treatment:
First step: Identify where the joint dysfunction is by assessing the hip, low back, ankles, and knees to ensure that everything is moving properly. The problem can start anywhere in the kinetic chain from the ankle to the neck. I do this through movement analysis and joint palpation. When you notice that one hip is raised, it can create asymmetries throughout the spine. The chiropractic adjustment restores the joint mobility.
Second step: Identify the areas of muscle imbalance that were causing the joint dysfunction and treat them with various soft tissue techniques. This may be noticed with muscles in the front of the hip tighter than the back, or the right tighter than the left. Often when there is a tight muscle, the one that opposes it is weak. Manual muscle therapies address the muscular tightness.
Third step:Provide you with exercises to increase your strength and maintain your stability post-chiropractic adjustment, especially in the gluteus medius, the main hip stabilizer.
Carly Zuehlke is a sports chiropractor in Haarlem who specializes in the treatment of runners. As a two time marathon runner herself, she understands that the last thing a runner wants to hear is to “take time off and rest.” She will do what she can to help you continue to run while recovering from your running-related injury.
