By Chad Flickinger, MPT, CES, PES
As a physical therapist I am often asked, “What is the ONE book I should read about running?” I have not had a good answer, until now. This year I discovered “Anatomy for Runners: Unlocking your athletic potential for health, speed, and injury prevention,” by Jay Dicharry, MPT, SCS.
Dicharry states, “This book’s aim is to reveal how the musculoskeletal system responds to running and how to optimize this relationship.” He does a wonderful job of explaining anatomy, physics and biomechanics in relation to running, which makes it easy to understand. The book is based on current research on running but conveys technical information in a practical sense that can be immediately applied to training.
“Anatomy for Runners” is written for everyone, whether you are trying to qualify for Boston or training for your first 5k. The book examines why running is simple, yet so many runners get injured. It opens with a functional look at the body and the forces encountered with running. It then progresses to different running styles, both healthy and unhealthy, using common injuries or aliments that many runners experience. The remaining sections of the book take you through a series of tests to allow you to assess your range of motion, strength and stability. After the assessment, there are exercises to help improve any areas where you may have deficits. The assessment and exercises are clearly written and have large pictures.
The best part of the exercise section is that the readers learn why they need to do the exercises. If we understand why we need to do an exercise, we are more likely to do it. The exercise may help you prevent injury, manage minor problems and, most importantly, improve overall running efficiency. Improved running efficiency means many years of happy, healthy running and increased potential to meet all of your running goals.
Even with this great information, things don’t always go as planned. If you have an injury or have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us for an evaluation or a conversation.
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Chad Flickinger, MPT is a physical therapist with Proaxis Therapy in their East Chapel Hill Office. He has been treating endurance athletes for more than 10 years and greatly enjoys keeping people active, healthy and pain-free. Visit www.proaxistherapync.com or call 919-918-4171 to learn more.
