Born to Run?

Were we, as human beings, born to run? The anatomy and physiology of our bodies certainly indicates that the answer to this question is yes.

There are twenty-eight bones in the human foot alone, making up joints designed to absorb and distribute the forces associated with walking and running evenly through our bodies. Moving up the leg, our ankle, knee and hip joints help us absorb these forces, carrying them through our spines all the way up into our neck and head. Our movement is studied in terms of biomechanics by podiatrists, pedorthists, orthopedists, and other professionals.

Biomechanically speaking, we are in fact born to run. When studying the gait cycle, or the movements we make while running and walking, it has been shown that running is a much more efficient process than walking. That is, more of the energy that gets put into running gets translated into forward motion. While walking, much of the energy that gets put into walking gets translated into up-and-down motion, as well as motion from side-to-side. In the biomechanical world, this is referred to as frontal plane and transverse plane motion, respectively.

Additionally, our muscles are designed for longer strides and greater forces than we usually use them for during walking. Take for example the gluteus maximus. The gluteus maximus is one of the largest muscles of the lower extremity, yet is barely used at all in walking. When we pick up the pace and begin running, our gluteus maximus becomes more active. This is especially apparent when running up-hill.

Consider the shape of the foot. The ball of the foot is a muscular and well-padded area, designed to absorb impact and keep us steady. In proper running form, the ball of the foot is where we ideally want to land, which propels us into the next stride. When we strike with our heel first, it can set us up for a number of running-related problems. Many running purists are turning to barefoot running, which embraces the natural design of the foot as a running tool.

A number of other factors come in to play when discussing the idea of running as human nature. Our body’s chemistry allows us to run for long distances at a moderate pace, whereas most other mammals sprint short distances followed by periods of rest. This is made possible by our storage of energy, which we can readily use. We store carbohydrates simply for the purpose of burning them for energy when we need them, such as in intense exercise.

Of course, running in the modern human is more exercise and less necessity. We don’t necessarily have the need to run away from a predator anymore, or chase down our dinner in a field. The evolutionary traits, however, are still around from our Caveman ancestors.

So the next time you are struggling through that run, just remind yourself of this: You were born to do this!

Central Florida Foot and Ankle Center, LLC.
101 6TH St. NW.
Winter Haven, Fl. 33881
863-299-4551
http://www.FLFootandAnkle.com