Columbia RunLab
Anh started her running gait analysis journey as a doctor of physical therapy student at Columbia University’s RunLab clinic, the premier performance lab of the Ivy League. RunLab is a faculty and student run clinic providing highest quality, in depth, 3D running gait analysis for a variety of runners from elite to recreational for performance enhancement and injury prevention. The most alluring aspect of RunLab for Anh was that one of its core values lies in community outreach and partnering with nonprofit organizations such as Wounded Warrior’s Project, NYRR Young Runners, and Back on My Feet. Our clinic provided pro bono running evaluation and gait analysis services to support organizations that utilized running as a positive way to bring groups together to combat PTSD, homelessness, and to promote lifelong physical activity.
The captivating aspect of RunLab is the collaborative environment for faculty/students and fosters a learning environment for runners. The runners spend the first hour undergoing strength and flexibility tests, functional movement screens, strength evaluations, and video gait analysis. At the end, all runners from the evening (3-4) reconvene with faculty and students for a real time presentation of data collected by each clinician and a thorough discussion of how the data does or does not correlate to the video gait analysis portion. Unlike traditional performance labs where 1 or 2 clinicians complete the entire video analysis with the runner, we have 8+ biomechanics experts (faculty and students) who analyze the video together with a keen eye. Runners also have the opportunity to learn from watching examples of video gait analysis from other runners of that evening to fully comprehend good vs. bad running mechanics and how it correlates to injury. The resulting product is an environment where clinicians collaborate to identify sources of injury and to prescribe individualized exercises for the runners, as well as a place where runners learn from each other. For runners we evaluate through pro bono community outreach, running gait analysis provides them the tools for lifelong running and minimizing injury risk.
Dr. Colleen Brough, PT, DPT, OCS is the Director of Columbia RunLab and Associate Professor in physical therapy at Columbia University. Dr. Brough is the mastermind behind RunLab and you can read more about the program here: RunLab