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Choosing the Right Shoe

You may already be aware that there are three categories of running footwear: neutral, stability, and motion control. A neutral running shoe is designed to provide cushioning and less foot control as compared to its motion control counterpart. A stability shoe has some component of pronation control material, which is generally placed near the middle or arch of the shoe. A motion control shoe typically provides a significant amount of pronation control and often has some type of non-deformable material, such as a plastic plug, placed on the outer rear edge of the shoe. This is all good to know, but what is the science behind fitting a runner with the proper shoe? Continue reading “Choosing the Right Shoe”

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The Science of Muscle Strengthening

by Dr. Reed Ferber, Ph.D. CAT(C)

Dating back to 2005, research from our laboratory and others from around the world has focused on how improving muscle strength can help runners. For example, we published a study on runners with patellofemoral pain (PFP), often called “runner’s knee” and identified by pain under the kneecap. The runners in the study performed two simple hip-muscle strengthening exercises every day for three weeks. Continue reading “The Science of Muscle Strengthening”

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Wearable Technology

by Dr. Reed Ferber, Ph.D. CAT(C)

It has been reported that 88% of runners who participated in official road races in the last two years have used wearable technology and/or running-related apps for training optimization and distance recording.Interestingly, over half of all runners who use a wearable sensor reported “mileage tracking” and “injury prevention” as the top two main reasons why they had such devices. In fact, for both 2016 and 2017, wearable technology was the number one worldwide fitness trend. Devices such as basic activity trackers, smartwatches with heart rate monitors and GPS tracking devices are found on nearly every runner. Continue reading “Wearable Technology”

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Movement Mapping

by Dr. Reed Ferber, Ph.D. CAT(C)

“Running safety is an example of an important topic for women in particular,” says Marion Hart, the For Women Only training program instructor at Winnipeg’s Regent Avenue store. “We talk about ways to ‘run smart’, such as letting someone know when and where you’re running, carrying a phone and identification with you, and not running alone at night.” Continue reading “Movement Mapping”