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U of C study shows weak hips to blame for most running injuries
 A landmark study from the University of Calgary's new Running Injury Clinic suggests bad knees have been getting a bum rap.
While most running injuries happen in the knees and lower legs, it turns out their root cause is almost always weak hip muscles. So runners should stop blaming faulty knees for causing them so much pain as they jog and start strengthening their hips.
The surprising news came Tuesday when Reed Ferber, who runs the clinic and is a professor with the university's faculties of kinesiology and nursing, announced the results of his study, Biomechanical Approach to Rehabilitation of Lower Extremity Musculoskeletal Injuries In Runners.
"I think this is a good news study for people who are living with chronic running pain," Ferber says. "You can do something about it."
Ferber was stunned to discover that of 284 patients who visited his clinic complaining of leg pain over a period of seven months, 92 per cent had weak hip muscles.
As part of each patient's consultation, he gave them a program to improve hip strength, along with other recommendations to speed their recovery.
The results, say Ferber, were even more astonishing: 89 per cent of the patients reported a significant improvement in pain within four to six weeks. Hip-strengthening exercises helped everyone from senior citizens who take long walks to young runners who participate in races.
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Media Release – Nov. 23rd, 2006