Video-Analysis

We learn the best by seeing what we are doing!

Video-analysis of your running is a wonderful tool to add to your training regime. It gives you a starting point, a tool to use with form training, and a tool to use to help with injury recovery. And a person that can give you information beyond a video is a necessity to understand why you run the way you run and to raise your training to another level. A physical therapist with experience in running, training and coaching that performs a video-analysis can provide that much needed information to take you to that next level.

What You Need to Know about a Video-Analysis and Hands-on Assessment:

Ideally, the person performing your video should be able to perform a hands on evaluation on your joints and muscles beyond basic flexibility testing (or the individual should have experience in reviewing video and should have performed hands-on evaluations previously with runners). Each person has a different normal level of muscle tone and joint movement that affects running posture. This is not the same person to person and while two runners may both run with an upright posture or take smaller steps, they may do this for entirely different reasons that are not apparent on video only. An untrained professional may not be able to determine why the stride is shorter (ie. tight hip capsules, less foot joint mobility, or just tight gastroc. muscles) if they have no experience assessing this. An experienced PT can determine what specifically makes your running form happen.

Each person has a different normal level of muscle tone (or tautness of the muscles necessary to hold posture) that affects running posture.

This is assessed by moving the extremities (limbs) through their range of motion, to the end of the joint range. Then the muscle movement can be categorized as high, moderate or low, as there is a range of normal.

Your joints also have different types of movement as well (joint play) that affect how your muscles stabilize your joints during running:

There are:

Active joint movements or what movement you can perform to actively to move a joint by yourself and

Passive joint movements or how far the joint can be moved beyond the range where you move it with your own muscles (another person can move it to the end range just to where it stops, stretching the capsule and soft tissue without you actively helping). This is called joint interplay (movement between the interconnections) and should only be assessed by a professional. Here is an example of this:

This gives vital information to why you use your running form and if anything needs to be changed. It is crucial with so many people stating they can perform a running gait-analysis, to find a qualified person who can perform this testing and who has experience in the ability to apply it to your running form. This type of assessment gives hugely valuable and necessary information. If you are unable to get this done, the next best thing is someone who has experience in video-analysis, performing hands on assessments and understands how this impacts running. This will give you the most information for your training.

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If you are in the area for any of these races or other ones near-by, you can send me your video beforehand and then get your hands-on analysis completed when you travel to the race. I can then get send you the results back after the race. If you want to e-mail me to see if I am traveling to your race or area, feel free to do so too! Go here for more information on how to make your video!

• Carlsbad Marathon (January 22, 2012)
• San Diego Half Marathon (March 11, 2012)
• Ragnar Relay Southern CA (April 20 & 21, 2012)
• La Jolla Half Marathon (April 29, 2012)
• Safari Park Half Marathon (May 6, 2012)
• Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Marathon (June 3, 2012)
• America’s Finest City Half Marathon (August 21, 2012)
• Silver Strand Half Marathon (November 13, 2012)
• ***Please call for marathons in the Los Angeles and Temecula area

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