Corrective Exercises for Runners

Edited by: Danielle Abel

If you're into running or athletes you coach are into running and have wondered where you or your athletes might need to improve to prevent new or reoccurring running-related injuries, this video is for you. It can be really difficult to identify areas of weakness so you or your athletes can get faster and stronger. In this video, we go over the wall test, a simple 2 part test you can do at home or in the gym to identify if you or your athletes lack torsion in the midfoot, along with some corrective exercises you can start incorporating. 

If you or your athletes lack torsion (the ability of the midfoot to move), you might struggle with properly displacing ground forces encountered with running. If you're not distributing the load, your body might try to compensate in other areas, potentially leading to overuse injuries. 

However, you can perform a single 2 step exercise to help you understand if you need to improve torsion. 

How to Do The Midfoot Torsion Wall Test

You might lack torsion in the sagittal plane, frontal plane, or both. Perform both of the below exercises to determine potential areas to correct:

• #1 Sagittal Plane Midfoot Torsion Wall Test:

  • Come to a half-kneeling position facing a wall
  • Bring the 4 fingers of one hand perpendicular to the floor
  • Place the toes of the leg to be tested up against the side of the pointer finger
  • Moving directly forward, keeping your heel on the floor, flex the ankle
  • See if you can touch the wall with your knee
  • Be sure to test both your left and right side
    • If you can touch your knee, you pass, but if you can't, you fail the test. If you fail, try incorporating some Half-Kneeling Weighted Knees Over Toes Ankle Mobility Drills. We cover what those look like here.
• #2 Frontal Plane Midfoot Torsion Wall Test:
  
  • The setup here is similar to the sagittal plane, but you'll put the wall at your side
  • Position the outer aspect of the foot on the side of your pointer finger
  • This time, flex the ankle, knee, and hip slightly and out to the side, as if you were in the foot strike portion of the gait cycle
  • While keeping your big toe down, see if you can touch the wall with the side of your knee
    • Be sure to test both sides here, too; if you can touch the side of your knee, you pass, but if you can't, you fail this test. If you fail, try incorporating the follow sequence of 3 movements into your training:
      • #1 Mobility - Frontal Plane Midfoot Torsion Wall Mobility: Perform this test (linked here at minute 5:44) as mobility; use the opposite foot to hold the toe of the working side down if needed 
      • #2 Strength - Quadricep Banded Hip Abductions: (linked here at 6:29) Use the glute to rotate outward at the hip while keeping the big toe down and pulling upwards on the arch of the foot. Keep in mind the band you use should be very strong; a band that you can easily move is not the best option here. 
      • #3 Integrate -  Dumbbell Forward March: (linked here at 8:01) Now that you've mobilized and strengthened, you'll want to integrate both into the gait cycle. Carrying heavy weights, walk forward slowly, flexing the knee up, then extending, coming down onto the ball of the foot, and shifting the weight onto the midfoot
        • Not only can these help you be more mindful of your running mechanics, but you're also more likely to experience improved efficiency with running as well. 

Performing these tests 1-2 times per month might be a good idea to assess your torsion ability from the front and the side. If you identify areas for improvement, use the provided wall mobility, banded hip abductions, and dumbbell forward marches to help you gain more torsion and pronation through the midfoot. 

Support & Courses Available

If you're a coach and want to learn more about movement assessment & corrective exercise, our course, Movement Assessment 101,  teaches you a new, innovative approach to understanding human movement and performance, how to confidently address common sources of pain, and how to select corrective exercises that actually create lasting change. Click here for more info.