Imbalances can appear in all sorts of ways in our running and daily life. But they aren’t always what you think! Knowing how and when to address imbalances can help improve your economy and ability to prevent injuries.
We may not always think about it this way, but running is essentially a series of one-legged hops repeated over and over again. The repetitive nature of running can exacerbate imbalances in any part of our body. While many mild asymmetries are normal and not necessarily cause for concern, others can make you more injury prone.
Imbalances aren’t always what you think, and can often happen as a result of how you spend your time when you’re not running. You can have imbalances on opposite sides of your body, in your strength and mobility, and even on the opposite sides of a joint like your knee.
While some asymmetries may be advantageous in a sport where one arm or leg needs to dominate, you tend to function most efficiently when you minimize their impact. If an asymmetry creates an imbalance that impacts your running, you can often address it with physical therapy and strength work.
Running Imbalances with Dr. Sarah Ceschin
This week’s guest on the podcast helps runners deal with all types of imbalances. Dr. Sarah Ceschin is a physical therapist from Boulder, Colorado, who I had the pleasure of meeting in person at a recent group run. Sarah works with a variety of athletes, particularly runners and climbers.
If you ever find yourself in need of a physical therapist, try to seek out one who is familiar with treating runners! As a runner herself, Sarah understands the demands of running and helps runners stay healthy and strong. As a physical therapist, she deals with athlete imbalances on a daily basis and is a tremendous resource to learn how to address them.
In our discussion, we dive deep into the topic of asymmetries and imbalances, including:
- How to define an imbalance, and where you may find unexpected imbalances in your body
- Why some imbalances are normal and shouldn’t make you worry
- How more pronounced imbalances may increase your risk of overuse injuries
- The unexpected asymmetries you may discover in trail running
- How fatigue accentuates imbalances: picture mile 26 of a marathon!
- The importance of strength work to minimize the impact of imbalances
If you’re looking to maximize your strength and durability, you’ll enjoy my conversation with Sarah!
Subscribe to the podcast in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, or Google Play.
Links & Resources from the Show:
- Visit Sarah’s website
- Follow Sarah on Instagram and Facebook
- Learn how to prevent overuse injuries here
Thank You InsideTracker!
This episode is brought to you by InsideTracker, one of the most reputable blood testing companies in the world. They were founded in 2009 by aging, genetics, and biometrics scientists to help you analyze your body’s data and get a firm idea of how well you’re responding to training.
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