Device Helps Researchers Study Impact Of Runner’s Stride On Injury

BOSTON (CBS) – On Marathon Monday, thousands of marathon runners will push their bodies to the limits to support a cause. One of them? Advancing medical research in the area of running. One local hospital has recruited hundreds of marathoners to study the effect of a runner’s stride on injury. This will be Loren Newman’s second running of the Boston Marathon but 26.2 miles will be a breeze for him. The 29-year old from Cambridge is an “ultra” runner and has conquered two 100-mile races in the past. “It really kind of blurs the line between being a hobby, an addiction, a little bit of a religion,” says Loren. For Loren, or really for any runner, exactly how hard your feet hit the pavement is crucial. “If you strike the ground and pound it into submission, you’re more likely to get injured than if you land more lightly,” says Irene Davis, PhD, a physical therapist and founder of the Spaulding National Running Center in Cambridge. “Your body is a big filter so you have to take the shock that you get when you land and you have to filter it,” adds Davis. “Unfortunately the leg takes the bulk of that filtering and so that’s where the bulk of those injuries are.” Hundreds of marathoners were recruited to study the effect of a runner’s stride on injury. (WBZ-TV) To study the effects of force impact on injury, Davis has recruited about 300 runners in this year’s Boston Marathon. The group includes men and women ages 20 to 80. Some...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Boston Marathon Health Local News Runner Resources Seen On WBZ-TV Syndicated Local Watch Listen 2016 Boston Marathon Dr. Mallika Marshall Source Type: news