Running pain? It’s all in the hips!

June 5, 2007

Study suggests that running injury may be prevented by strengthening hips

A landmark study done at the Running Injury Clinic at the University of Calgary has identified that weak and inflexible hips may be the root cause of many running injuries.
 
In a study of 284 patients who went to the Faculty of Kinesiology Running Injury Clinic complaining of leg pain, 92 per cent were found to have weak hip muscles. As part of their consultation, patients were given a program to improve hip strength and/or flexibility, along with other recommendations to optimize their rehabilitation.
 
The results were astonishing. Of the 284 patients, 89 per cent reported a significant improvement in pain within four to six weeks.
 
“Whenever I give a public presentation I always tell people I don’t want to see them at my Running Injury Clinic until they’ve tried three simple hip strengthening exercises for two weeks, which is probably not great for business,” says Dr. Reed Ferber a biomechanist and professor with the Faculties of Kinesiology and Nursing. Ferber says that from a biomechanics perspective people need hip muscle strength to control and facilitate proper form while running.
 
His study, “Biomechanical Approach to Rehabilitation Of Lower Extremity Musculoskeletal Injuries In Runners,” is significant because of the large number of subjects involved, and the fact that so little research has been done in this area.
 
“I think this is a good news study for people who are living with chronic running pain – you can do something about it,” Ferber says.
 
“This study strongly suggests that a hip strength and flexibility rehabilitation program, based on the biomechanics of running and specific clinical criteria, can effectively resolve pain associated with various musculoskeletal running injuries.”
 
Ferber’s Running Injury Clinic is the only one of its kind in Canada. He says they have seen over 1,600 patients in the last three years and over that time 90 per cent of his patients report being pain free within 4-6 weeks of their initial consultation.
 
The clinic opens today on the University of Calgary campus and plans to incorporate research from the Human Performance Lab and Sports Medicine Centre to help patients achieve the best possible outcomes.