Don’t Make This Return to Run Mistake

As an initial entry point for return to running after an injury, slow jogging is a terrible option. 

There I said it.

Slow jogging or as the literature often refers to it “slogging” (Ugh, it’s even just terrible to say-  “Slogging)  is underwhelmingly un-athletic. It’s often lazy and lumbering. It’s lukewarm. Sport is dynamic. It is hot and then cold. On and then off. And slow jogging  is the professor that drones on about nothing of relevance to simply check a box that ultimately is left unchecked. 

What did slow jogging ever do to me you ask? 

It became a catch all for return to run after injury. It became a pre-requisite to sprinting and change of direction. It became the calling card of the un-calculated “just go slow and ease back into it” approach. Running is a skilled athletic movement. It requires foundational levels of strength, elasticity, power, and endurance. Slow jogging is a dead end to returning these qualities back, and in some circumstances, is exposing the recovering runner to GREATER forces than other seemingly more intense methods would be. Not only are we slogging in circles chasing our tail, but we are potentially creating technical and tolerance issues while we do it. If this is not enough for you to join my vendetta against slogging (ugh) then please keep reading. 

Running issues (and the associate qualities that need to be built back up during rehab to mitigate injury risk) can be over simplified into two major inefficiencies:

  • excess stiffness problems -too much force dispersed over to small an area (i.e bony stress)

and 

  • over compliance issues – too large an excursion of ROM creating increased load in areas that may not be as equipped for repetitive forces (knee/hip) and creating increased joint excursions thus increased eccentric stress (achilles and patellar tendon) and potential accumulation of musculotendinous micro-trauma.

For many injuries, slow jogging is not the graded re-introduction to loading that we think it is. For an issue that is either related to stiffness or compliance it is in the middle ground. Ground forces are surprisingly high and joint excursions are as well due to longer ground contact times. A 2019 paper by Hunter et. al demonstrated that lower than normal running speeds actually had higher estimated cumulative tibial loads than normal selected or fast speeds of running. Slogging often predisposes runners to a more lumbering gait style in which there is a slower cadence, higher vertical oscillation, and harder ground contacts. These characteristics are associated with higher vertical ground contact forces and a faster vertical loading rate both of the elements we are trying to shield the recovering athlete from. Additionally, these qualities are not serving as preparation for the faster, more elastic running that the athlete will need to progress to in order to sprint and perform specific sporting tasks. The initial return to run progression should serve as a bridge. Slogging is a dead end. It is unproductive at best. 

I will not send slow jogging out to pasture without providing alternative options. If we reverse engineer the process and look at the end goal (high quality running and sprinting) we can pick out the qualities needed to achieve success. These include the ability to produce and tolerate stiff ground contacts buffered by elastic qualities of the muscle and tendon. While slow jogging fails to train either of these qualities, progressions of drills such as rudiment hops, dribbles, skips, and bounding fit the bill. All of these interventions can be scaled and titrated with progressive volumes and intensities over time to match and progress the capabilities of the rehabbing athlete.  

For return to sport rehab, just say no to slogging. There are much better options to protect the vulnerabilities of the reconditioning process while appropriately scaling stress and promoting athletic qualities. 

-Anthony

Hunter JG, Garcia GL, Shim JK, Miller RH. Fast Running Does Not Contribute More to Cumulative Load than Slow Running. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 2019 Jun;51(6):1178-1185. DOI: 10.1249/mss.0000000000001888.

FUEL UP!

Article: A framework for the etiology of running-related injuries

This is a monster of a paper that connects a lot of dots related to causation and management of running related injuries. For anyone working with runners, this is a must read in our opinion.

Bertelsen ML, Hulme A, Petersen J, et al. A framework for the etiology of running-related injuries. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2017;27(11):1170-1180.

Podcast: PT Inquest Episode 214: Questionable Research Practices

In this episode, Erik and JW question some of the merit and findings of research practices in exercise and sports medicine. This is a great episode to explore how to critically appraise research findings with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Book:  59 Lessons – Fergus Connolly

Fergus has had a legendary career working in numerous roles across most major elite level sporting leagues across the world. In this book he imparts a lifetime of personal and professional wisdom. A must read for anyone looking to improve their ability to lead or work as part of an integrated team.

Social Media Follow: Rugby_Strength_Coach

Keir Weinham Flatt combines practical information, observations about the areas for growth for the sports performance field, and humor to make an excellent follow. Strength Coach Network is also a phenomenal resource for those looking to grow and connect in the sports performance realm.

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