As the medical director for USATFNJ for 26 years, I learned so much from the runners we treated. Typically, I would be referred a high end high school runner who was third or second in the state in their event and I needed to figure out their problem, and what caused it. Most of the time, the history was full of clues. What I learned is that running problems were due to impact. Impact was due to poor adaptation, poor posture during running, poor gait habits and poor adaptation to their unique body style. Some runners are built for speed and develop competitive running styles naturally while others have to work hard to move up in the ranks. While its not fair, the truth is genetics determine body build and it is something we all must adapt to. Some people have great body mechanics that are inherited and some have parents who were high end runners such as Sandy McLaughlin who is now a world class hurdler. The article mentions everything I have learned about and have seen through my years of working with runners. Bad habits such as inefficient arm swing, over and under striding, hunching the shoulders which aggravates over and under striding, hip drop which is part of asymmetrical gait patterns and even ankle flexibility can help or harm us when we are trying to run faster. More importantly, looking at each runner individually is more helpful than a one size fits all approach. Some extremely fast runners are unconventional and the same can be said for many pro golfers. My job is to help coach them out of their bad habits to improve their overall gait efficiency. For many young runners, improving how you run begins with the following. Proper shoe fit. Many runners we treat are wearing a half size small or worse. Check out our videos on shoe fitting. If they are asymmetrically built, Foot orthotics will improve posture and gait immediately. Just do not make them custom orthotics if they are still growing as they are not custom if they are growing out of them when they arrive. Always, chose the right off the shelf orthotics for them. A chiropractic sports physician evaluation can be quite helpful as the evaluation and history of holistic meaning thorough. A treadmill evaluation can help pick out bad habits in a runner and help us reduce bad habits by creating a training regimen designed to improve running style. Check out the article below with the included videos. Tuesday Topics: The Basics Of Running Biomechanics Need help today. Book online or call one of our two chiropractic sports injury offices today.