Treating runners can be a difficult task.  There are many types of injuries and they originate from a number of different areas. Is it a running form error? Is it weakness? Maybe something is too stiff?  The number of possibilities is partially why so many runners struggle to return to activity.  We discuss this throughout our running courses as look at the ACE Running Readiness Assessment to identify the “weak link(s)”.

Here, I wanted to talk about the Unilateral Hip Bridge Endurance Test¹ and its amazing utility in runners with knee pain, back pain, and many other issues.  If you’re not familiar with the test, you can watch me explain it below.  On the surface, the test appears to be a simple test of the glute max, but as you look deeper, the knowledge you can gain from this is extraordinary.

The first step of the test is to perform a bilateral bridge.  At this point you gain a few points of knowledge:

1. Is the runner not able to lock out the hips? It could be strength.  I
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