Many runners believe that wearing the wrong shoe type for the foot is a leading cause of running related injuries.1 This belief stems from traditional shoe prescription methods where running shoes are prescribed on the basis of matching shoe features to foot type e.g. motion controlled shoes to pronated feet. Unfortunately there is a lack…read more

It is a common belief amongst runners that static stretching (i.e. long holds of >15 seconds) decreases injury risk and improves running performance.1 Current research evidence demonstrates this belief is incorrect.1,2,3 Based on current research, stretching in the short or longer term has no impact on injury risk in runners.1 In fact static stretching prior to…read more

“When I was told that I couldn’t run, I lost a stress outlet and didn’t enjoy life.” – Jane Fitzgerald, Osteoarthritis patient Osteoarthritis (OA) is often seen as a barrier preventing an athlete from being able to participate in exercise such as running. Recent studies have shown that not only is this a common misconception,…read more

There are several reasons why people are turning to running for exercise. It has proven physical and mental health benefits. People who run frequently can live up to 3 years longer than people who do not exercise! More people partaking in jogging, running training and marathons than ever before and this is described as a…read more

The important benefits of strength training for endurance runners have been well documented in numerous research publications.1,2,3,4 Resistance training is now considered a critical component to a well planned training program for runners of all levels. The key benefits runners can obtain from a strength-training program include: Faster running performance Improved running economy Reduced risk…read more

It was a pleasure to travel to Perth last weekend. It was a busy weekend, presenting at an evening seminar, the state conference and also on a GLA:D Australia course with my friends at Curtin University. As promised, my slides from the APA presentations are published below If you are interested in the running symposium…read more

          Rich Willy, PT, PhD Assistant Professor School of Physical Therapy and Movement Science Missoula, Montana, USA Photo credits: Jackie Merritt   Although research has shown resistance training has a multitude of health benefits and reduces risk of overuse injury in athletes by about 50%, many runners skip the weight room…read more

[View the story “Summary of my SoMe from the past couple of weeks” on Storify]

Read the paper Jean-Francois Esculier, Laurent Julien Bouyer, Blaise Dubois, Pierre Fremont, Lynne Moore, Bradford McFadyen, Jean-Sébastien Roy ALTMETRICS I had the great pleasure of catching up with JF Esculier who has just published his RCT completed as part of his PhD. The findings very clearly highlight the importance of education in runners with knee cap pain. Don’t throw the baby…read more