🏃‍♂️ Running Gait Explained: How Your Muscles Work When You Run

Running is one of the simplest and most natural forms of movement — yet it’s also one of the most biomechanically complex. Beneath every stride lies an intricate sequence of muscular coordination, joint control, and neurological timing. Whether you’re a weekend jogger or training for a marathon, understanding your running gait can help you improve performance, prevent injury, and move with greater efficiency.

At Neurohealth Wellness on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, our chiropractors specialise in running gait analysis, movement assessment, and injury recovery. We help runners of all levels move without pain, restore balance, and perform at their best.

Understanding the Running Gait Cycle

Your running gait can be divided into several phases, each with its own muscle activity patterns and joint mechanics. The infographic above — based on research by Chumanov et al. (2012) and Lenhart et al. (2014) — shows how different muscles engage at endurance running speeds.

Knowing which muscles work (and when) is essential for improving efficiency and avoiding overuse injuries such as shin splints, hamstring strains, and runner’s knee.

🦵 1. Initial Contact

This is the moment your foot first touches the ground.

Key muscles: Calves, quadriceps, and gluteus medius activate strongly to stabilise your pelvis and prepare your leg to absorb impact.
Purpose: Shock absorption and joint alignment.
Clinical note: Weak glutes or quads can lead to hip drop or knee collapse, often causing patellofemoral pain or IT band irritation.

Chiropractic care for runners focuses on reactivating these stabilising muscles through targeted adjustments and functional retraining.

⚖️ 2. Load Absorption

As your body weight transfers onto the stance leg, your muscles control and distribute the load.

Key muscles: Calf, quads, and glutes remain active; smaller muscles like the adductor magnus and hamstrings co-contract to stabilise the hip and knee.
Purpose: Controlled deceleration and load management.
Neurohealth tip: This is where many overuse running injuries start. Our chiropractors use soft tissue therapy, cupping, and movement retraining to improve balance and joint alignment.

🦶 3. Mid Stance

Here, your body passes over your planted foot — a critical phase for stability and efficiency.

Key muscles: Activity slightly decreases as your tendons and fascia store elastic energy for the next stride.
Purpose: Stability and energy storage.
Clinical insight: Optimal ankle mobility and midfoot control allow your body to use this “spring” effect efficiently. At Neurohealth Wellness, we help runners restore natural foot mechanics to improve running economy.

🚀 4. Propulsive Phase

Now it’s time to push off the ground.

Key muscles: The calf, hamstrings, and glutes contribute, but most propulsion comes from releasing stored elastic energy rather than muscle force.
Purpose: Forward propulsion with minimal effort.
Neurohealth focus: Many runners overuse their calves or quads due to weak glutes or restricted hip extension. Our chiropractors help retrain glute activation and hip mobility for smoother, more powerful running.

🦵 5. Toe-Off and Early Swing

Your foot leaves the ground and your leg begins to swing forward.

Key muscles: Iliopsoas, rectus femoris, TFL, and adductors flex the hip, but the load is relatively light.
Purpose: Repositioning the leg for the next stride.
Clinical note: Tight hip flexors or anterior pelvic tilt can shorten your stride and reduce running efficiency. Chiropractic adjustments and mobility work can restore natural hip range of motion.

🔁 6. Mid to Late Swing

Your leg prepares to land again.

Key muscles: Hamstrings eccentrically slow the leg, and tibialis anterior lifts the foot to prevent tripping.
Purpose: Controlled deceleration and preparation for the next contact.
Neurohealth insight: The hamstrings are under the most strain here — this is when most hamstring injuriesoccur. Our chiropractors and massage therapists (including Ana) combine hands-on care with rehab exercises to improve coordination and prevent strain.

🧠 Running Efficiency Starts with the Nervous System

Running isn’t just about strong muscles — it’s about neural precision. Every stride is orchestrated by the brain and spinal cord, coordinating movement timing and reflex control.

Through chiropractic adjustments, we enhance this neuromuscular communication, helping your muscles fire more effectively and your body move in synchrony. This improves not only performance but also recovery and resilience.

🩺 How Chiropractic Care Supports Runners

At Neurohealth Wellness, our team treats runners holistically. We look beyond symptoms to uncover the root causes of inefficiency or pain.
Our approach includes:

Running gait analysis and movement pattern assessment
Spinal and extremity adjustments to restore optimal joint motion
Soft tissue therapy and cupping for muscle recovery
Personalised rehab and strengthening plans
Education on running technique and foot function

Whether you’re dealing with tight hips, recurring knee pain, or simply want to improve your stride, our team helps you run smarter, not harder.

🌏 Run Stronger with Neurohealth Wellness on the Northern Beaches

Located in Allambie Heights, near Brookvale, Neurohealth Wellness supports runners and athletes across Sydney’s Northern Beaches. We focus on restoring natural movement, balance, and strength so you can enjoy running without pain or limitation.

📍 Address: 33–35 Kentwell Rd, Allambie Heights
📞 Phone: (02) 9905 9099
💻 Book Online: www.neurohealthwellness.com.au/booking

References

Chumanov, E. S., Heiderscheit, B. C., & Thelen, D. G. (2012). The effect of speed and influence of individual muscles on hamstring mechanics during the swing phase of sprinting. Journal of Biomechanics, 45(12), 2394–2401.
Lenhart, R. L., Thelen, D. G., Wille, C. M., Chumanov, E. S., & Heiderscheit, B. C. (2014). Increasing running step rate reduces patellofemoral joint forces. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 46(3), 557–564.
Novacheck, T. F. (1998). The biomechanics of running. Gait & Posture, 7(1), 77–95.
Saunders, P. U., Pyne, D. B., & Telford, R. D. (2004). Factors affecting running economy in trained distance runners. Sports Medicine, 34(7), 465–485.
Nigg, B. M., & Enders, H. (2013). Barefoot running — Some critical considerations. Footwear Science, 5(1), 1–7.

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Running Gait Analysis Explained: Move Better, Run Stronger, Stay Injury-Free