Efficiency in Running Form
Most experienced runners can tell when other runners are in shape just by watching them run. They look for efficiency, a measure of how much energy is lost by wasteful movements during running. You run with your legs and all of your other movements are used just to balance your body. The main reason you don’t fall when you are walking or running is that your brain constructs a "center of gravity", a point around which all movements on one side are balanced by equal movements on the other side. For example, when your right leg goes forward, your left arm goes forward and your right arm goes backward. You do this without thinking and your movements are automatically calculated in your brain.
A study from The Hospital of Laval in France shows that even the best runners lose their efficiency when they become fatigued (Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, June 2006). Experienced runners have consistent stride length and form. This study shows that with fatigue, their stride length decreases and, more importantly, they start to lose form by adding a significant amount of side-to-side movement that wastes energy and does not drive them forward.
Running slowly does not teach your brain how to balance your body when you run fast. Good form comes from practicing running very fast in training. People who run slowly all the time usually have poor running form. They waste movements that do not help them move forward. For example, their feet often move to the side after they raise their feet from the ground. Their arms do not move loosely and comfortably to balance their bodies. They may run with toes pointed outward, which is a sign of weak shin muscles. If you want to improve your running form, run faster a few times every week.
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Dear Dr. Mirkin: You’ve said that inflammation can lead to a heart attack; won't I cause inflammation when I exercise so hard that my muscles hurt?
Anything that damages tissue can cause inflammation, such as smoking, high cholesterol or hypertension. When a germ gets into your body, your immunity produces proteins called antibodies, white blood cells and cytokines that kill germs. However, as soon as the germ is gone, your immunity is supposed to shut down. If it doesn’t shut down, these same factors attack and destroy your body tissues; this is called inflammation. Inflammation increases risk for heart attacks, strokes, certain cancers, and diabetes and even worsens diseases such as psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and asthma.
Many scientists have expressed concern that hard exercise damages muscles, so it may turn on inflammation and harm you. However, a study from Verona, Italy shows that hard exercise does not cause inflammation (Journal of the Canadian Medical Association, October 25, 2005). It measured C reactive protein, a blood test that indicates inflammation, and showed that there was no difference in levels in sedentary people, those who cycle for fitness, competitive professional bicycle racers and international-class cross country skiers. So muscle damage from hard exercise does not increase inflammation. More on inflammation
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Dear Dr. Mirkin: Are there any medications that will speed healing of a pulled muscle?
Muscle pulls are a hazard of exercising. The only drugs that have been shown to help heal muscles are anabolic steroids and asthma medications such as albuterol. Anabolic steroids are illegal and have dangerous side effects. Pain medicines such as ibuprofen do not speed healing and may delay it. You may make matters worse if you mask the pain that warns you not to use the injured muscle. Cortisone-type injections block pain and reduce swelling, but they also may delay healing.
The immediate treatment for any pulled muscle is RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. Stop exercising immediately, apply an ice bag wrapped in a towel on the injured part, wrap a bandage loosely over the ice bag, and raise the injured part above the heart. Remove the ice after 15 minutes and reapply it once an hour for the first few hours. The only effective treatment is rest. You should not exercise that muscle until you can do so without feeling pain. When you return to exercising, start out at reduced intensity and duration, working back up gradually to your normal workout. Stop immediately if you feel pain.
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