#134 Do I Need a Running Gait Analysis? (feat. Doug Adams, Tinman Elite PT)

On this episode, Nate & Matt are joined by a very special guest, Dr. Doug Adams. Doug lends us his years of experience and expertise in the mechanics of running. They discuss five typical patterns Doug sees in running mechanics like the "collapser" and the "glute amnesiac." They also talk about how your gait and strength impact your running risk, how mechanics and running economy are linked, and, of course, shoes.

Dr. Doug Adams is a Physical Therapist who has published and spoken at an international level on all things related to running. Doug has taught thousands of professionals his systematic approach to providing personalized plans for runners through the Certified Running Gait Analyst and Endurance Running Coaching courses. He also designed and created a portable 3D Motion Analysis system called Helix 3D for analyzing and categorizing running form that is used widely throughout the Department of Defense and commercial sectors. You can find him on Instagram at @RunDNASystem and @DougAdamsPT.

• Team PT for Tinman Elite Professional Running Team
• Adjunct faculty for the 711th Human Performance Wing of the US Air Force
• Co-Founder Omega Project PT in Wilmington, Delaware that specializes in treating endurance athletes and runners

The Subjective: Have you ever had a running/gait analysis done?

Chapters

0:00 - Intro
1:42 - Doug's background & work
6:08 - Doug's work with professional athletes
12:57 - Definining running mechanics
16:22 - The utility of a running analysis
28:40 - Five typical running mechanic patterns
39:14 - Injury risks from each pattern of running mechanics
43:22 - The relationship between gait retraining and strength training
47:56 - The impact of running mechanics on running economy
53:10 - The Duty Cycle's role in injury risk
58:02 - Can you retrain your own mechanics?
1:02:40 - Running mechanics considerations with shoes
1:10:20 - Wrap-up

This week’s episode of the Doctors of Running Podcast is sponsored by Running Warehouse. Check out their new series Test Run on YouTube which pits footwear against one another in a variety of conditions to help you better decide which shoe fits your future running needs. Their first episode takes the team to the trails. From rocky trails to high hills to muddy paths, Connor and team are put through the elements in a series of technical challenges to help highlight the best features of each shoe tested. Watch here: ⁠https://www.runningwarehouse.com/Test_Run__Trail/catpage-TRTPP.html ⁠

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