The Science of Stride: Biomechanics and Pelvic Floor Efficiency in Running
The science of stride may sound intimidating but it isn’t. You are a runner, or triathlete, so you know what a stride is but have you ever thought about the science of your stride. How about how the pelvic floor plays a role in your stride? In my previous article (here, here and here) I discussed how the pelvic floor can help prevent injury. In these articles, I also provided exercises and workouts to help strengthen your pelvic floor. If it sounds confusing, don’t worry as I will explain what the pelvic floor is and how you can run more efficiently once you know the science of your stride.
What Is The Pelvic Floor?
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that lie at the base of your pelvis, responsible for bowel, bladder, and sexual function. These muscles contract in order to provide stability to the pelvis/core when we lift, reach, run, etc. The pelvic floor should be able to completely relax in order to urinate or have a bowel movement. These muscles also help to provide support to your internal organs (bladder, uterus), working alongside the stabilizing ligaments within your pelvis.
Pelvic floor dysfunction unfortunately is very common amongst athletes but just may not be as apparent as if you had, for example, a shoulder issue.
Common Pelvic Floor Symptoms:
- Low back pain/hip pain
- Constipation
- Painful intercourse
- Urinary frequency/urgency
- Urinary leakage
As endurance athletes, we are all about repetition. Running, for example, is a dynamic movement that requires landing under load over and over again. When we land, all our muscles from our foot up to our pelvis need to coordinate together perfectly in order to place the least amount of strain on our joints/ligaments as possible. It is when these muscles aren’t firing properly all together that can lead to injury – and the pelvic floor muscles play a big role in this.
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Running Efficiency
Wouldn’t it be nice if all our runs were easier? Running efficiency is defined as the amount of energy used per step. Increased efficiency equals easier running, but not just easier cardiovascularly – easier on our muscles and joints. And who doesn’t want to run faster while sparing their bodies at the same time? As mentioned earlier, the pelvic floor is a big component in efficiency. Picture your pelvic floor muscles as a trampoline – when you land, the muscles should lengthen slightly and then quickly bounce back up with your stride. Now picture that trampoline having a broken spring or a hole in it. It doesn’t spring back up as nicely does it? This is exactly the case when you have pelvic floor dysfunction – they are losing that springing action and creating a cascade of unfortunate events that lead to a decrease in efficiency as well as possible injury.
The Kinetic Chain
Let’s take a closer look into the details of the kinetic chain, meaning the biomechanical actions that occur when you land during running:
- Foot pronation
- Ankle dorsiflexion
- Tibial internal rotation
- Knee flexionÂ
- Hip flexion, adduction, and internal rotation
- Pelvis posterior tilt and slight rotation
Think of all the muscles that have to coordinate together to make all of these actions possible – and this is just for landing on one foot one time!
Pertaining specifically to the pelvic floor muscles, the internal rotation of the hip is going to be crucial. Hip internal rotation is part of what allows our pelvic floor muscles to get that lengthening action just before they bounce back up to contract. The overwhelming majority of athletes I see have limited hip mobility, specifically into internal rotation. Test it out for yourself and see how limited you are!
Testing Your Hip Mobility: Are You Ready to Run?
Start by sitting on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat, leaning back into your hands. With your feet out wide, you want to be able to drive your knee inwards toward the floor. If you’re nowhere close to meeting the floor, you are definitely lacking some hip internal rotation mobility. Compare side to side and see if there are any differences.
Keep in mind that if you don’t have the proper mobility to achieve these actions, you are likely compensating elsewhere – leading to possible injury down the line.
If you’re unsure of the cause of the symptoms you’re experiencing, never hesitate to reach out to a pelvic floor physical therapist. It’s also helpful to get a detailed running analysis if you are specifically experiencing your symptoms while running!
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