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The knee joint is the largest and most complex joint in the human body, and it is also the part most prone to injuries during running. Knee injuries are closely related to running posture, but there is no standard answer for running posture.
If the running posture is incorrect, it will not only fail to strengthen the body but also cause certain damage to health. Running posture is one of the most important elements of running. Accumulating incorrect running postures can cause serious problems and even become a source of frustration.
Everyone has their own most comfortable running posture. After all, everyone's speed and muscle strength conditions are different. There is no need to learn the running posture of experts, but some problematic postures may still appear. Correcting these issues can naturally reduce knee injuries. Today, the editor will explain some common running posture problems.
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Knees straight without bending
During running, muscles undergo a series of dynamic operations that change rapidly. When landing, if the knee joint is straight and not bent, the impact on the knee joint will increase.
This is because only when the knee joint is appropriately bent can the surrounding muscle groups form a natural cushioning mechanism, reducing the wear on the knee joint cartilage and allowing the support force to be transmitted to the thigh and core muscles. If the knee joint is straight, the impact of landing is not reduced and is entirely borne by the knee joint.
You might see in photos that experts' knees do not appear to bend much during running. This is because, after long-term systematic training, their muscle strength reaches a certain level, and the landing transition frequency is so fast that it looks like their knees are straight. If you haven't undergone systematic training, be cautious in imitating experts' running postures to avoid injuries.
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Unstable body center of gravity
People who sit for long periods often have an unstable center of gravity, usually manifested as an imbalance in muscle strength distribution, with tightness in the front and looseness in the back. This can cause insufficient hip extension and excessive forward leg swing during running, meaning the legs stay mostly in front of the body's center of gravity.
This unreasonable running posture not only affects movement efficiency and speed but also increases the risk of injury.
In this situation, the body's forward momentum is poor, and the center of gravity is not forward but upward, increasing the impact force when landing. This can easily cause long-term damage to the knees and lower back due to excessive impact.
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Insufficient strength in large muscle groups
Insufficient strength in large muscle groups is also a cause of knee injuries. The hip joint is the engine of human movement and the intersection of various muscle groups. The muscle groups responsible for hip extension mainly include the gluteus maximus at the back of the hip, some lower back muscles, and the muscles at the back of the thigh, providing ample power for lower limb extension.
Take the gluteus maximus as an example. When its strength is insufficient, it can lead to weak push-off, 'running while sitting,' difficulty in leaning the center of gravity forward, poor forward movement, slow push-off reaction, and long ground contact time after landing.
At this time, other muscle groups will compensate to complete the movement, increasing the pressure on the knee joint. Therefore, runners should not only focus on the mileage of each training session but also strengthen body strength training.
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Overstriding is counterproductive
When it comes to stride length, many people might picture this: the front leg is lifted high and extended forward, the back leg pushes off at a large angle and then kicks up high, and the arms swing vigorously.
First of all, everyone should understand that effortless 'efficient' long strides are based on good physical fitness. For example, reducing ineffective movements and leaning the body forward require a certain level of core strength and stability. Shortening ground contact time requires stronger ankle strength, and good push-off effects require strong hip extensor muscles (gluteus maximus, back thigh muscles, lower back muscles) and hip flexibility.
Therefore, the technique of ordinary runners cannot be the same as that of professional athletes. Mismatched speed, ability, and technique will only increase muscle burden and the likelihood of injury. Average runners should focus more on coordination, smoothness, and economy of movement, maintaining a reasonable stride frequency, and running steadily and easily without increasing body damage.
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Body center leaning backward
The body center of gravity leaning backward lacks forward momentum. Only when the body center of gravity leans forward does the line of gravity fall in front of the supporting leg, creating a forward force that helps complete the forward movement more naturally.
If the center of gravity leans backward, this 'leveraging' process is absent, and landing feels more like a pole hitting the ground, increasing knee pressure and reducing the efficiency and economy of movement.
Therefore, in the early stages of training, it is necessary to strengthen auxiliary training, including core strength training, leg strength training, flexibility training, etc., as beginners generally have poor physical fitness. Focus on your weak areas, meaning you should strengthen whichever part is particularly weak.