Trail Running on the Beach vs Ankle Injuries
Posted by Jason Kay on Tue, Jun 28, 2011
Trail Running on the Beach vs Ankle Injuries
Where I ran last weekend: Ortley Beach, NJ (but admittedly, closer to the water)
Trail running on the beach or beach running is actually a really great workout for the ankles (and butt, and legs, and...). All you need is beach access and sunscreen... its generally cooler and breezy near the ocean, so its somewhat pleasant (or much more so than inland, even with the lack of shade) but you also get some irregularities such as varying pitch, and the odd rogue wave or kids playing or dodging wayward balls which at least makes it interesting.
But the biggest benefit to your ankles and knees is the soft, variable surface (unless of course, you are running on Daytona Beach, in which case you will need running shoes, because it's surface is best described as near-sand stone... I mean cars used to RACE on its surface!).
The (usually) soft, viable surface acts much like those proprioception-strengthening exercises I keep going on about. The softness of the surface also greatly reduces impact shock to the joints and spine while increasing the effort. The softness and variable nature of the sand also requires all the 'little' muscles to help out to keep you stable as you keep your cadence.
This is the same thing that a balance-ball, or 1" thick foam mat (or a folded up towel) will do to cause you to work harder to balance, and thus build stability and increase your proprioception or kinesthetic awareness.
First, lets go back and define what proprioception is (incase you never read the medical definitions blog). Proprioception or kinesthetic awareness is the body's ability to sense movement and joint position. This is your body knowing where in space it is, without you looking.
With your brain knowing where your ankle is (or ANY other joint for that matter), your subconscious brain then "snugs" the joint tighter with the muscles at the appropriate time. If the receptors are used to measuring a specific body part, and that part is changed or damaged, then the brain is misinterpreting the signals, and needs to be retrained, which is why your ankle feels loose or insecure after you've healed from an injury, but haven't finished PT.
Basically, you are rebuilding your muscle memory. When you do this successfully, that loose, weak, floppy ankle will start to feel more secure. Unless you've destroyed your tendons and/or ligaments through repeated or severe injury (or in my case, both).
And to wrap up, the basic mechanics of working out on an unstable surface, like a balance-ball or a beach with help your brain recalibrate the signals it's receiving from the receptors throughout the body.
So beach running not only helps prevent ankle injuries, but it also gets you away from that annoying kid who keeps bouncing the sandy ball off your forehead as you're trying to read. And while you won't need one of my braces for the beach, you may still need it while running in the woods. I know I do, which is why I invented the MaxX K (and named it after my grandfather, who got me into engineering).
Go out, Stay Protected, Have Fun.
