Injury-Free Running, Second Edition: Your Illustrated Guide to Biomechanics, Gait Analysis, and Injury Prevention

The ratio of cortical to spongy bone is dependent upon the stresses applied to the bone: Bones that are exposed to high bending forces, such as the metatarsals of your forefoot, are made almost exclusively of cortical bone (A). In contrast, bones that absorb shock, such as your calcaneus (B), are made primarily of soft spongy bone, which allows the

To make matters worse, the forces associated with accelerating the body forward are even greater than the forces associated with initially contacting the ground.

stance phase motions, this portion of the gait cycle has been subdivided into

all in-between speeds, the computer model suggested

Contracture in the perimysium can inhibit information from spindles, increasing the risk of injury. The skin on the bottom of your feet is also important for injury prevention.

Spindle cells tell our nervous system exactly how fast and how far each joint is moving, and that

These important muscles wrap around the torso, connecting our rib cage to our pelvis. The force created by the internal oblique (IO), external oblique (EO), and transversus abdominis muscles (TA) gets transferred through the lumbodorsal fascia (LDF) to help stabilize the entire lower spine (A). Though rarely discussed, the pelvic floor (not shown)

Because your stride length is so short, you don’t hit the ground very hard, and ground contact is typically made with the outside of the heel, with your foot only a few inches in front of you. To run fast while hybrid running, gradually increase your stride length and try to spend as little time on the ground as possible (you hit the ground like a

In the course of a marathon, this translates into a force of over 12 million pounds that must be dissipated by the body. Obviously, even a minor glitch in our shock absorption system will result in injury.