What are planes of movement &
Why are they important to my running?
Running occurs in planes of movement. They are the Sagittal Plane, Frontal Plane and Transverse Plane. Observing movement in these planes allows for identification of where running performance is being compromised.
Flexion and extension are the movements which occur in this plane. Flexion occurs in the legs at the beginning of swing phase of running, when the limb is moving forwards. Extension occurs in the stance limb, reaching its full extension at Terminal Stance.
Abduction and Adduction are the movements which occur in this plane. We can observe movement in this plane by looking at a runner’s waistline. Abduction is movement away from the middle line of the body and Adduction is movement towards the middle line.
We can also see frontal plane movement at the rear foot when the shoe strikes the ground, termed ankle inversion and eversion. Notice on the left rear foot the runner is everting more during middle stance than on the right foot.
Rotation occurs in this plane of movement. During running a counterrotation is observed between the pelvis and the ribcage and shoulders. In this picture during left terminal stance the pelvis is maximally rotating to the left and the ribcage and shoulders are maximally rotating to the right. Achievement of optimal transverse plane motion is achieved by having optimal sagittal plane and frontal plane motion control. If you do not have optimal sagittal and frontal plane control then rotation movement can be affected, either too much or not enough.