Run properly, or injure your knees and ankles prematurely

ISN'T IT PARADOXICAL THAT IF YOU EAT RAW FRESH FOOD YOU MAY GET PARASITIC INFECTIONS? IN ORDER TO PREVENT CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, MANY DOCTORS ADVISE US TO PUT ON THE RUNNERS AND GIVE THE HEART A WORK OUT.

BUT ARE YOU RISKING OSTEOARTHRITIS OF YOUR KNEES?

I had dinner with a coursemate who is an ophthalmologist in his mid-30s. He said he could not run anymore as his knees hurt. He used to be an avid runner and athlete.

I had run with him before and the problem with his gait is that he toe-strikes (landing on the toes). The correct gait is to heel-strike (land on the heel) so the forces of the body is transferred to the calf muscles and the hamstrings. If you toe-strike, the forces goes to your ankles and knees. That is why a lot of regular joggers find that when they are in their early 30s they cannot run anymore.

BOUGHT THE EXPENSIVE NIKE SHOES?

What is worse, the normal Reebok and Nike shoes are all made for heel-strikers, and if you are a toe-striker it will magnify the problem. Just imagine! All the padding is on the heel of the shoe, and you land on your toes. The padding will act as a fulcrum to further worsen the forces onto the ankles and especially the knees.

WHAT TO DO? Get on a treadmill and video your running. Observe in slow motion, how your feet land. A lot of good athletes are actually toe-strikers. If you toe-strike, then there are several things you can do to remedy your gait.

Firstly, what I did was to lift my sofa or bed with my toes and feet twice a day. This makes the dorsi-flexors (muscles that lift your feet and toes towards your face) stronger. Then you would naturally heel-strike with your gait.

I am indebted to a trainer from the Western Australia Institute of Sports who taught me the above in my early 20s. Now I am still running strongly and regularly without pain at all. Don’t believe me then go to the steep Bukit Kiara/Tmn Tun track on Sunday evenings he!he! Usually wear a yellow cap that covers my front but not the top of my hair.

In Australia, they can custom make jogging shoes for toe-strikers while they are being rehabilitated for their painful knees and strengthening of their dorsiflexors. Don’t think there is such a service here though!

If you are a regular jogger, your shoes need to be changed every 6-9 months or when there is no spring/cushion left in them. Happy running!