I'm in my fifth week of PT for a fairly serious hamstring pull in my right leg. The injury began at least six weeks before that. The therapist's strategy is to strengthen my glutes and other muscles surrounding the hamstring. (Clamshells, bridges, etc.) I've improved minimally, but when she asked me to count my strides per minute, I noticed that my left, leg, the "good" leg has an odd clop-clop-clop foot strike that I'm thinking could have overtaxed the right hamstring. While running, I feel as if the right leg is lugging the left.
I used to racewalk 8-minute miles, so I'm conscious of foot strike even though I no longer racewalk. Must be at least ten years since I stopped racewalking. My runs, during the few years preceding this hamstring injury dropped from 7-minute miles through 8's, 9’s, 10’s, and now--with the injury--12-minute ones. As recently as 2013, I’m sure I could still do at least 8-minute miles. My lifetime average until then was probably around 7:45's. And, right now, injured, I lose power after five miles, though my routine pre-injury was sevens plus a weekly long run.
What I’m noticing right now, is the right leg moves straight forward and back. It's hits the outside of the heel gently, takes weight along the outside of the foot, and pushes off from the big toe, very similar to my old racewalk stride. My left leg, beginning from the back stroke, lifts off toward the outside. With a gangly sort of motion, I pull it back inline and it lands, I think, on the ball of the foot with a “clop” sound that’s very noticeable on concrete, especially given that the right foot’s motion is silent. In other words, the right leg moves very nearly in line while the uninjured left makes a narrow loop.
I've worn orthotics since before I started running at age 36. The current pair dates to a very few years after that. I also have a Spenco lift, something like an eighth-inch but less when compressed, in my right shoe due to leg length. Once or twice, though now there's no convient place, I've run barefoot a few hundred yards on stadium grass (real, not plastic) with no problem.
It’s entirely possible that I’ve always had this unequal left/right stride, but I wonder if it rings bells with anyone, especially as cause of injury. I’ve come up with next to nothing searching Google and this forum. Plenty about stride and foot strike, but not about unequal left/right.
For decades, back when I was running well, I had the notion that running slowly generates injuries by destroying form. That may be bogus, a chicken or egg first thing, since most people run more slowly as a result of injury, but I can’t help wondering.
Thanks,
Ovevs