The New York marathon is one of the most famous in the world, taking runners through our fabulous city and past some of its most iconic landmarks right here in Manhattan. We know many of you NY locals are already training hard for the November race, pounding the pavements and building up your miles. We also know that marathon training can take its toll on your body, no matter how fit and healthy you are. Running injuries are common and they’re the last thing you want when you’ve got a training plan to stick to. You might not realize it, but including visits to a Chiropractor, particularly a specialist sports Chiropractor, in your training plan can have a lot of benefits.
Running injuries
Running is a high-impact sport, especially when you’re covering large distances. Every time your foot strikes the ground, you’re sending shock waves up your body, through your bones and muscles. Injuries can occur in a variety of places, from your toes, to your knees and ankles, right up to your hips and your spine. They can range in severity from annoying niggles to stress fractures, but most will require you to either ease off your training plan or take a complete break from it. If you are dealing with a running injury, a Chiropractor can help get you back on the road as soon as possible. They can give you exercises to combat areas of muscle weakness or tightness, help you with pain management, and use a variety of methods to treat your injury – all of which help to reduce your recovery time.
Gait analysis
Prevention is better than cure. So while a Chiropractor can be really helpful in treating and rehabilitating running injuries, they can also help you to minimise your chances of sustaining an injury in the first place. Your running style and gait can have a massive impact on how likely you are to get an injury. Areas of muscle weakness can cause joints to be less well supported, as can over-tightness in other areas. Analysing your gait and how your foot strikes the ground can really help. Runners who over-pronate (which means your foot rolls inwards as you run) or under-pronate (when you foot rolls outwards) need to counteract this to avoid injury. Shoe inserts, the right trainer and the knowledge of your running style can all help. Ultimately a Chiropractor can help you become a more efficient, balanced runner, which can also give your marathon completion time a great boost!
Optogait Running Lab
At the Center, we have a brand new Optogait Running Lab that we’re very excited about. We’d love to offer you the chance to visit it and give your feedback in our early member round (https://launchfit.co/optogait-running-lab-manhattan/). Using the latest technology, we can analyse your running style, identify any muscle weaknesses, create personalised training plans and monitor your progress over the coming weeks leading up to the big day.
So don’t wait until injury strikes and your training is thrown off course. Make a visit to the Chiropractor part of your New York marathon training plan today.