My cross country coach used to love this one. He demanded we run out and back on the same side of the road to even out the strain that the slanted surface put on one of our legs. It’s natural to assume a slanted road could injure a runner. After all, running on a camber feels a bit awkward, but does running on a slanted road cause injury? Today we’ll dig into the science of running on the side of the road and show you a few things you can do to reduce your injury risk.
How running on a slanted road changes your running stride
In 2013, researchers at San Diego State measured muscle activity of runners as they ran on flat and slanted surfaces at different paces. They found that muscle activity in the downhill (lower part of the slope) leg increased while the foot was on the ground (the stance phase) but did not change significantly for the uphill leg or for either leg in the swing phase (study). The tibialis anterior (the muscle on the front of the shin), the VMO (one of the 4 quad muscles), and the outside section of the calf muscle (gastrocnemius) were the muscles that worked harder on the downhill side.
Does the fact that these muscles have to work harder mean that running on a slanted road causes injury? Well, not exactly, but in some cases it might be worth avoiding. The results of this paper show that running on a slanted surface loads these muscles slightly more. If those muscles are strong and accustomed to running training, that load won’t cause any problems. BUT if you’ve got a history of calf, front of shin, or quad pain from running, this additional load could push one of these structures beyond its tolerance. When a runner pushes a muscle beyond its comfortable tolerance, it starts to send pain signals to the brain. Keep that up long enough and you might end up with an injury.
How do we prevent injury related to slanted road running?
The best way to reduce injury risk from the additional load of running on a slanted road is to strengthen the muscles of our leg. The stronger we get, the less likely small changes in training load will push our muscles beyond their tolerance and lead to injury. These three exercises specifically target the muscles that have to work harder when you run on slanted road or sidewalk.
Exercise 1: Banded Tibialis Raise
Why it works: this exercise can be used to strengthen the tibialis anterior. This muscle rarely gets mentioned but performs several critical functions in the running stride. Strengthening it is especially key for those who’ve dealt with front of leg (anterior) shin splints.
Exercise 2: Weighted single leg calf raise
Why it works: the outside of the calf has to work much harder when you run on a slanted surface. Some exercise gurus recommended turning the toes in or out in a calf raise to specifically target one half of the calf, but it turns out turning your toes in or out barely changes anything (study). Better to just strengthen the muscle overall rather than trying to get too fancy!
Exercise 3: Split Squats
Why it works: it’s difficult and potentially impossible to selectively strengthen the VMO (similar to the calf’s different parts, the quadriceps mostly just work together) but rear foot elevated split squats are a fantastic tool for strengthening the quadriceps overall. This is an essential exercise for all runners.
In summary, depending on your injury history it might be worthwhile to minimize time on slanted surfaces, but it’s not something to worry about, especially if you’re keeping your key running muscles strong.
Reduce your injury risk
You can try this routine, along with a few other key exercises, in the Recover Athletics app. The Recover App helps runners fix aches and pains and prevent injury. A year’s subscription costs less than one trip to physical therapist and we have an unlimited free trial. Give the app a try today!
