Humans are designed to run — it’s one of the most natural things our bodies can do.

Yet, so many runners end up injured: foot pain, shin splints, sore knees, tight hips, dodgy ankles and stiff backs. Sound familiar?

If running keeps flaring something up — even after rest, stretching, foam rolling, or new shoes — then chances are, the issue isn’t the running. It’s the body you’re bringing to the running.

Let me explain…

Your Body Has a Design — And It Matters More Than Your Shoes

Think of your body like a well-built bicycle. It’s meant to move forward smoothly, efficiently, and without rattling itself to pieces.

Now imagine that bike’s wheels are misaligned. Even by a few degrees. You’d still be able to ride it, but not for long — because the strain would build up. The frame would take a hit. Something would eventually snap.

Your body’s the same. Instead of two wheels, you’ve got eight key load-bearing joints: your ankles, knees, hips, and shoulders. And just like the bike, they’re meant to be aligned — stacked, balanced, and working together as a team.

Modern Life Wrecks Your Running Form (Without You Realising)

Modern life wrecks your posture — sitting, stress, injuries, and one-sided habits slowly pull your body out of alignment.

That lack of movement causes muscles to tighten, weaken, and compensate. Hips hike up. Feet turn out. Knees rotate inward. Shoulders slump. Over time, these subtle shifts throw your whole structure out of sync.

You can still run, of course — but you’ll be running on a wonky frame, and that’s when the injuries start.

Why Stretching, Strengthening, and Shoe Swaps Don’t Always Work

I see this all the time: people try to fix the pain, not the pattern. A knee hurts, so they ice it. A tendon flares up, so they rest it. They try new orthotics, foam roll like mad, or do quad strengthening exercises from YouTube.

Sometimes it helps… briefly.

But then the pain comes back, or pops up somewhere new.

Because the real issue isn’t in the knee, the foot, or the tendon — it’s in the posture. If your structure’s out of balance, your body will keep compensating no matter how strong or mobile it is.

You’re fixing the leak with paper towels — but the pipe’s still broken.

The Long-Term Fix: Reset the Body, Not Just the Pain

You don’t need to give up running. You just need to fix the body you bring to the run.

That means getting your muscles working together again. Bringing your joints back into alignment. Re-teaching your body how to move like it was designed to.

You don’t do that by “trying to run with better form.” You do it by using simple, targeted posture correction exercises that rebalance the whole body from the ground up.

That’s what I help runners do every week — and it’s why so many who “tried everything” finally find relief when they address their posture properly.

Want to Start Fixing It?

Here’s one of the posture exercises I often give runners as a starting point →

This won’t fix everything overnight, but it will start to get your muscles working as a team again — which is step one in running the way you’re built to: smoothly, powerfully, and pain-free.

 

Written by Ameet Bhakta
Posture Specialist | Health Through Posture
Clinics in London, Tunbridge Wells & Online
Trusted by GPs, consultants, athletes & busy professionals