Effect of Adopting Proper Running Form Techniques on Hip Strength in Healthy Females

The purpose of this study is to determine if instruction and practice in “proper” running form techniques strengthens the hip abductor and hip external rotator muscles and thereby reduce the risk of certain knee injuries such as patellofemoral pain syndrome and iliotibial band syndrome. Four healthy, college-aged female recreational runners completed this study. Subjects were randomly placed into a control and experimental group. Both groups ran within a controlled range of 12-16 miles per week on a treadmill for six weeks, and were measured for hip strength at the first week, third week, and sixth week of the running protocol. Isometric hip abduction and hip external rotation strengths were measured with a hand-held dynamometer. The experimental group received 3-sessions of proper running form instruction. Six separate two-way ANOVA tests were performed to identify changes in hip abductor and hip external rotator strength over time and intervention. Due to the small sample size, no statistically significant results were found, but there was an observed trend in increased hip abduction strength and increased hip muscle strength symmetry in the experimental group. This suggests a need for future studies with a larger sample size

Role of Teamwork and Assessment in Student Learning

Teamwork and communication are valued in the workplace, but often we teach and require students to do individual work. As a result of participating in the Honor’s Institute last August, I saw the benefits of teamwork during the learning process. Students take on a role within the group and become accountable for their work. Assessment of their performance also provides individuals feedback allowing them to grow. In this interactive session I will place participants into teams and facilitate an exercise