Research

Noehren and BioMotion Lab Featured in Runner’s World

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 26, 2015) - Brian Noehren, assistant professor in the University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences Division of Physical Therapy, and his work with the BioMotion Lab are featured in the March issue of the magazine, Runner’s World. The writer, Cindy Kuzma, visited the lab in October and spent the day seeing all that goes on in a research laboratory. The subsequent feature piece in Runners World features the research of Noehren and the BioMotion throughout.

The article, “Hip Check," focuses on the hips as a commonly overlooked culprit in running injuries. Many runners mistakenly blame their running shoes for their pain and injuries.  

Kuzma writes: “Injured runners frequently come to see physical therapist Brian Noehren with their shoes and orthotics in tow, regaling him with tales of how they’ve cycled through different brands and models of shoes in an attempt to treat themselves.”

However, research shows that weaknesses and imbalances in the hips are more often to blame for running injuries than inferior footwear.

Kuzma writes: “In a 2013 study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, [Noehren’s] team assessed about 400 healthy women. Fifteen went on to develop runner’s knee, and when the researchers looked back, they found those who ended up with the injury ran with greater hip adduction, meaning their hips turned toward the center of their bodies with every stride. If your pelvis drops, your femur will collapse inward, which puts added pressure on your knee, which will eventually create pain.”

To read the full article, please pick up the March 2015 issue of Runner’s World.

Media Contact: Ann Blackford at 859-323-6442 or ann.blackford@uky.edu