FAQ
Can I keep running whilst injured?
It is often best to stop for a short time while starting your rehab exercises – this can reduce the time you may be out of action and lessen the chance of long-term damage. With a lesser or intermittent injury it may be okay to reduce your mileage and immediately incorporate the new techniques and exercise drills that Forwardmotion provide you with.
Can you change the way I run?
Yes! Or rather, we help you to change the way you run. This is done by improving your muscle imbalances, strength and flexibility along with technique practice.
How quickly might I see the benefits?
Sometimes this can be instantly; sometimes-mechanical issues need to be worked on over time. We can objectively measure instant subtle changes to technique when our clients are given advice and we can expect performance benefits and pain reduction to follow.
Working to radically change your technique will take longer and usually requires several sessions to progress.
I am a competent runner, what can Forwardmotion do for me?
As a serious runner you probably clock up a fair number of miles, meaning more footfalls. This will multiply the risk of injury if your mechanics are not good. You may also have seen a lack of progress in your times and wonder if your technique could use some attention. You will certainly be looking for any efficiency gains that can be achieved.
We can work to improve the performance of all runners by enhancing their technique in relation to their biomechanics. Improved efficiency will be enough to see a step change in running performance.
I'm a beginner, can Forwardmotion help?
Yes! We work with all levels of runners and they all want the same things: less injuries and better performance! Most people develop their own running style over time and as such may develop bad habits that lead to poor technique resulting in areas of the body becoming overworked and eventually prone to injury. By reviewing your biomechanics and putting in place elements to improve aspects of your technique, the efficiency of your running will improve and risk of overuse injury will decrease significantly.
If you are new to running you can use Forwardmotion to stop you from developing bad habits. Come to us and find out where you might be able to improve. Sometimes there are a few very important things to put right before you increase your running mileage.
Should I stop seeing my therapist until after my gait analysis?
No. Our service can go hand-in-hand with your current treatment. You can use Forwardmotion Gait Analysis to eliminate the underlying causes of the injury.
What do I need to know before my appointment?
Clothing. Please remember to bring your usual running shoes. It is also helpful if you bring along some well-worn shoes so we can see the wear pattern. We will need you to wear running shorts so we can see your thigh muscles and a running vest or T-shirt.
We will usually mark joint positions and pain areas on your skin to allow video analysis and body angle measurements to be more accurate.
Bare-foot-running. This will be done on the treadmill for accurate analysis of your specific alignment.
Triathletes. You may want to see how their running changes after a bike ride. In which case bring your bike!
Homework! Please expect to be ‘involved’ in the process. This means you will usually have some type of exercises to do, or changes of your training regime to make.
What do you mean by biomechanics?
This is a term that relates to the mechanics of our bodies and the forces that act on it. It involves the detailed analysis of posture, alignment, flexibility, strength, and speed. It is very important to have everything working to the optimum in order to limit abnormal forces and to generate force in the desired manner. These findings are taken into account when analysing a runner’s technique to make a unique and bespoke service.
What does running technique mean?
This simply describes the way a person runs. Although running is a very natural process we all vary in how we do it. Our movement patterns are individual to us because we are all biomechanically different. Detailed analysis includes foot type & position, leg alignment, pelvic alignment, stride length, ground reaction times, body angle, joint angles, head position and arm movements. We also compare what each side of you is doing.
What happens at the session?
You will be asked to fill in a pre-analysis questionnaire, which helps us to get to know you, your goals and your running problems. It also includes a brief medical history.
The physical assessment starts with gaining an overview of a runner’s posture, flexibility, alignment and relative strength (of specific muscle groups). This gives us a very good starting point and can often tell us what injuries a runner is likely to suffer. These may be due to muscle imbalances or poor alignment issues for example. Recommendations are usually made, such as stretching or strengthening exercises specifically for that person. Recommendations may be made for your usual Physiotherapist or Sports Therapist to work on.
Your running technique will be analysed using both ultra slow-motion video and our Optogait system. We observe the way your body currently moves during running, from this we can show you flaws in your technique, explain where your weaknesses lie, and show you how we can help.
Once the data has been collated we analyze the results and produce a full report. These reports contain specific information including locating potential weaknesses and help understand the nature of possible injuries, i.e. uncovering any abnormal mechanisms which may be related to your own particular problems. You will be provided with your own ‘action plan’ with recommendations on stretching and strengthening to increase performance and avoid injury. We ensure that all of your questions are answered wherever possible and that you leave with an action plan for technique improvement.
We consider the Past, Present and Future for all our clients. Consideration of past problems and difficulties is made whilst analysing a runner’s present biomechanics and technique. Then clients are given specific advice to help them correct their technique and improve their efficiency. This is followed up with corrective exercises, drills, a CD of their running style and recommendations regarding trainers and insoles. Sometimes insoles will help the corrections and clients are advised accordingly.
What is Optogait?
Optogait’ is a state-of-the-art system that brings a proven philosophy of assessment to injury prevention and rehabilitation to help athletes run more efficiently and identify posture-related or movement-related problems. By acquiring the fundamental parameters of the athlete’s gait, OPTOGAIT allows the All3motion team to quantitatively measure underlying mechanical inefficiencies and target any problematic areas. With this information, we can develop the right exercises to properly address the athlete’s specific needs for enhanced performance.
What problems can technique improvements cure?
The list is almost endless! Everything from headaches to toe pain can often be altered by correction of abnormal mechanics. Typically we see people with foot pains, ‘shin splints’, knee pains, hip pains, persistent muscle tightness, backache and tightness around the neck and shoulders. Good technique is also the cure for an inefficient running style that will limit performance gains.
Who should have their gait analysed?
The Forwardmotion gait analysis will benefit runners and triathletes who want to improve their performance or reduce the occurrence of an injury. Runners can benefit from performance improvements by improving their efficiency. The term ‘running economy’ is used to describe how efficiently we are running. We want more speed for the same effort! The team at Forwardmotion will look at your specific motion in order to construct a tailored improvement programme.
Running injuries tend to be repetitive stress injuries with thousands of footfalls causing a gradual breakdown of a body part. When we are not working in a mechanically correct way there is abnormal stress on one or more structures. At Forwardmotion our team will seek out the route cause of these injuries and establish a tailored improvement programme to eliminate and prevent running injuries.
We also conduct Triathlon specific assessments, which are altered so that we can analyse what happens to the athletes gait after a bike ride. Please speak to us about this before your appointment. We also consider the impact of a triathlete’s swimming and cycling muscles on their running technique.
Using the invaluable data from our Optogait system combined with slow motion video analysis of your running technique, we recommend the aspects to be improved. We have a holistic approach and consider your unique genetic makeup, goals and abilities.
Why Forwardmotion?
At Forwardmotion we bring together cutting edge technology with proven biomechanical principles and a love of sport. At Forwardmotion we are one of the few companies that assesses how the entire body performs during the process of running. Without promoting one particular running style for all, we aim to fine-tune everyone’s individual running technique.
The Team: The Forwardmotion staff are experienced Chartered Physiotherapists with a background in treating everyone from elite sports people to ‘the weekend warrior’. They are also keen runners and triathletes themselves with a passion for performance enhancement and injury prevention. They understand injuries and how a body should work!
The Equipment: The Optogait equipment is state of the art digital gait analysis equipment developed for and primarily used in elite sport because it is unique in the information that it provides. It gives quantitative measurement of the fundamental parameters of a runner’s gait, which will highlight underlying mechanical inefficiencies that can then be targeted.
This is supplemented by video analysis, which allows joint angles to be measured, and technique to be further analysed. This is very useful to show a client what they may need to improve on.
We use a premium quality treadmill without the ‘flex’ that some treadmills have. In this way we are more closely replicating the mechanics of running outside. Our software can then recommend which training shoes would be the best for that athlete.
Will I require a further assessment?
This depends on your goals. Once we have given you the advice you need we would expect you to improve. Even a small change can mean the difference between being in pain or not. If we are working on significantly altering your running gait it will take several sessions. Trying to radically change your style too quickly can result in injury.
You may choose to have a new assessment if you have a new injury or a new goal and want to bring your performance up to the next level. A subsequent analysis can compare your new measurements with the previous data held on file.
Will my details be given to any third parties?
We do not give out any personal information about our clients to third parties unless the client gives permission. Examples might be for Physiotherapy recommendations or for orthotic prescription. We can also talk to your Personal Trainer or Coach if you want us to.
