Asymmetry a Major Contributor to Injuries in Track Athletes

Running injuries such as Achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, patellofemoral syndrome, and back pain are all too common. In the therapy and medical world there is a wide variety of approaches to treatment of these conditions. Medical professionals use everything from anti-inflammatories, to massage, to joint mobilizations, to cortisone injections, and to therapeutic exercises. However has the asymmetric nature of running track been overlooked? Recently, I was looking at vacation pictures from the beach. I happened to notice in one of the pictures that my right calf looked bigger than my left. So, to test my hypothesis I pulled out a tape measure. My hypothesis was confirmed. My right calf is a half inch bigger than my left. Having run track for years I decided to investigate this further. I have always loved numbers. So, the math nerd in me is coming out. I got out my pen and paper and sprinkled in a little research to come up with the following information. Let's say, for estimation's sake, that the average step width is 0.5 meters. The average width of a track lane is 1 meter. If a person runs a whole lap around the track in lane two he has run 6.28 meters further than he would have in lane one. Here comes the math. If 0.5 meters for the step width is approximately half of lane one, then the right leg is running 3.14 (also known as pi) meters further than the left per lap. That calculates to approximately 40 meters more running for the right leg in a 5k track race! Add that up over a track season and you have one strong right leg in comparison to the left. Recently, at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene Oregon, Moses Mosop broke the 30k world record on the track. Covering 30k on the track means his right leg went over 200 meters (or more than a half lap around the track) more than his left leg! Consider the impact that has on pelvic alignment, functional leg length, strength, and flexibility and you have a recipe for injury. So, what do we do with this information as therapists? We check for symmetry! Is flexibility the same between sides? How does the strength compare? How do you move and what is your posture like? Is muscle girth the same? We take the information gathered to come up with an individualized treatment plan for each athlete. Some exercises will likely be involved as will joint mobilizations and manual therapy techniques. Anti-inflammatories and rest will likely help in the short-term. However, if the root of the problem is not addressed then you can expect the injury to return.