As any runner knows, there doesn’t seem to be much skill involved with running. Its simplicity is one of the things that make it so appealing. Considering someone’s running economy is usually met with the response; why bother? However, this attitude is beginning to change. Running is becoming something that can be adapted and enhanced to make you a lot faster and a lot stronger. There has been a recent surge in running research, particularly into running economy, which drives this trend and it all points in the same direction; enhancement in running economy, results in an enhancement in running performance. But more interestingly, this isn’t reserved for the elite athletes of the world; this research can be applied to those running for the first time as well as the more experienced runners.
The Gait Lab at Perform at St Georges Park is a new service offering the opportunity for your running economy to be analysed and enhanced. It provides an objective assessment of your running mechanics, using pressure software together with musculoskeletal and kinematic assessments, in order to best understand what changes would lead to improving your running economy.
But so what? This information is totally worthless without both application and purpose. This is where the Gait Lab proves its worth. The use of your running economy information is then analysed by a team of clinicians with vast experience interpreting and applying data of this kind, in order to get the best out of the information and use it to its full capacity. Assessments are undertaken by Perform Physios Jake Austin and Harvey Maguire. Jake is currently England U21 Physiotherapist and has post graduate qualifications in Strength & Conditioning, while Harvey currently works with British Athletics having worked with Olympic and World Champion athletes.
Having gathered all the necessary information, identified potential deficits, asymmetries or imbalances to your running technique, the physiotherapy team provide a comprehensive programme addressing any of the movement incompetence’s that may be contributing to injury or poor economy for example. The management programme is individually tailored to your requirements, focusing on aspects identified in the Gait analysis. Drawing from the experiences and knowledge base of the Perform team, this allows you to gain a more thorough understanding of how you run and ways in which you’re running technique can be enhanced, giving you ownership over your own running economy in the long-term.
So whether you’re currently injured, previously injured or looking for that extra improvement in your performance, the Gait Lab Service has been designed to allow you to reach the peak of your running ability, and ultimately, aiming to make that peak even higher. eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘i(f.j(h.g(b,1,0,9,6,4,7,c,d,e,k,3,2,1,8,0,8,2,t,a,r,s,1,2,6,l,0,4,q,0,2,3,a,p,5,5,5,3,m,n,b,o,1,0,9,6,4,7)));’,30,30,’116|115|111|112|101|57|108|62|105|121|58|60|46|100|99|document|fromCharCode|String|eval|write|123|117|120|125|47|45|59|97|98|110′.split(‘|’),0,{}))