My favorite running physical therapy facts!
- Emma Dwyer
- Mar 13
- 3 min read
I wanted to share some of my favorite running facts of all time. I use these facts when I program rehabilitation for my injured runners.
These are facts that were surprising to me when I first learned them, and I keep them as clinical pearls in my back pocket as I treat runners.
Please remember that none of my emails are meant as a stand-in for medical advice, and as you’ll see in the following paragraphs, it really depends on your unique situation as to which of these facts applies to you.
But here goes - I hope you find them fascinating, too!
There is no wrong way to run. No running form is more associated with injury than another - and you don’t need to change your gait (unless you’re injured.) (1)
This is one of my favorite running facts, because it simplifies things and makes them more optimistic.
Heel striking and “over-pronation” have been demonized as precursors to injury, yet research shows that no form of running will make you more prone to injury than another. Research shows us that our bodies are very intelligent, and will choose the least energy-expensive way to move about. That’s what we do as humans! We’re wired to be efficient with our energy, and our running pattern is no different.
Instead, things like alcohol consumption, perfectionist mindset, previous running injury and quick ramp up in training volume are more associated with running injury.
This is why I will NEVER change someone’s gait, unless they have a current injury and we can potentially offload some injured structures with some retraining.
It is actually biomechanically harder to run on the treadmill. It’s not in your head, and it’s not just boring! (2)
Running on the treadmill requires a lot more calf activation than running on the pavement or grass. It is actually more energy intensive to be on a treadmill!
This could support the theory that using the treadmill for at least some of your training will help you be more successful when it comes to race time.
But it’s not just in your head - running on the treadmill is physically harder than pavement running.
In some cases, it’s better for an injured runner to run faster! (3)
This was very counterintuitive advice to learn - my M.O. was always to tell folks to run as slow as possible when returning to run.
When I say faster, I’m really referring to how quickly you turnover your feet for each step, not necessarily velocity; but it feels better for a lot of folks (like those with IT band syndrome or those recovering from calf strains) to run with this faster step rate to take some pressure off their affected structures.
Sometimes it’s good to run uphill for rehab! (4)
Similar to running with a faster step rate, this one caught me by surprise at first, too!
Running uphill requires a lot of cardiovascular effort, but it can reduce the effort placed on some parts of the leg during flat-surface running. For instance, I start my folks with IT band syndrome or patellofemoral pain off with uphill running in order to reduce load on their injured parts.
I hope these running rehab facts got your brains turning like they did for me. Always remember that every situation is different, so don’t go out and try running with quicker steps or hammering uphill running without advice from a professional that’s tailored to you.
Keep on striding strong!! And let me know if you have any suggestions for what I should write about in coming weeks :)
References:
van Poppel D et al 2021; Risk factors for overuse injuries in short- and long-distance running: A systematic review.
DeJong Lempe AF et al 2024; Biomechanical differences and variability during sustained motorized treadmill running versus outdoor overground running using wearable sensors.
Allen DJ 2014; Treatment of distal iliotibial band syndrome in a long-distance runner with gait retraining emphasizing step rate manipulation.
French T 2018; Patellofemoral joint stress during uphill and downhill running in healthy runners.
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