Keep hips in shape

Runners plagued by bad knees and achy ankles might be blaming the wrong joint, a local sports medicine practitioner said.

“Weak hips are the likely culprit in leg injuries,” Dr. Alice May-Sexton said.

“We used to believe that a lot of runners’ problems started with the feet and worked their way up, but we’re finding that if we get the hips stable, it will fix a lot of the foot and ankle issues.”

May-Sexton, herself an avid runner, has treated athletes at all levels, from Olympians and NBA professionals to beginning runners and cyclists at her Clear Lake-area practice, HealthSource Sport Chiropractic and Progressive Rehab.

“It’s a delicate balance,” she said. “Hips, knees and ankles combine to form a kinetic chain, and any chain is only as strong as its weakest link.”

When the hips aren’t strong enough to stabilize running strides, the knees could pay the price.

“Knees are only meant to to bend in one direction,” May-Sexton said.

“If you have side-to-side motion caused by instability, your knees aren’t able to handle it.”

It’s easy to identify hip weakness with a simple test, May-Sexton said.

“Stand in front of a mirror, lift one foot up, and do a one-legged squat,” she said.

“If your hip drops down when you do that, there’s hip weakness.”

Since the hip socket absorbs seven times the body weight when running, it’s important to keep hips as strong as possible.

One exercise May-Sexton recommends is the “bird dog,” which starts with a runner on the floor in an all-fours position.

The movement is to raise the left arm straight to the front and right leg straight back, forming a straight finger-to-foot line.

After holding the position for five seconds, switch to the other arm and leg for another five seconds, keeping the back in a neutral position.

“It simulates a running motion, and runners can build up the number of repetitions they do,” she said.

It’s also possible to build stronger hips and a more stable gait just in the course of daily activities.

“I brush my teeth standing on my weaker leg because it gives me a little chance to strengthen it every day,” May-Sexton said.