The Running Body – A Systems Approach to Running Biomechanics
A two-day theoretical and practical workshop with Owen Lewis
Dates: 2–3 April 2027
Course fee: HUF 149,000
Instructor: Owen Lewis
About the workshop
Understanding running requires us to consider how the whole body functions and interacts with the ground. Joint movement, tissue capacity, force transmission and movement coordination collectively shape the way we run and adapt to loading.
Owen Lewis's two-day workshop is based on his forthcoming book, The Running Body: A Systems Approach to Running Assessment and Movement Dysfunction. By integrating functional anatomy, tensegrity, force mechanics and clinical reasoning, the course provides a systems-based framework for assessing running biomechanics.
Throughout the workshop, we explore how individual anatomical characteristics, functional demands and established movement strategies influence running. Optimal function is considered in relation to each individual and the demands placed upon them.
Particular attention is given to distinguishing between symptom location, potential contributing factors and compensatory responses throughout the body. The aim is to develop an assessment approach that supports more informed decisions about treatment, rehabilitation and movement development.
Workshop aims
The workshop aims to deepen participants' understanding of the anatomical and biomechanical relationships involved in running, while developing individualised functional assessment and professional decision-making skills.
Participants will learn to organise their observations, formulate clinical hypotheses, and test and refine them through movement-based testing, reassessment and evaluation of responses to intervention.
The course emphasises the distinction between observed findings and proposed explanations: the presence of two findings together does not, in itself, establish a causal relationship.
Topics covered
Functional anatomy and tensegrity: understanding the body as an interconnected system and exploring interactions between tissues and body regions.
Ground reaction forces and force mechanics: how forces are received, transmitted, distributed and utilised during running.
Joint mechanics and whole-body coordination: how individual joints contribute to the coordinated function of the body as a whole.
Individual running strategies: the roles of anatomical characteristics, functional demands and adaptation.
Loading and tissue capacity: the relationship between loading demands, tissue capacity and load tolerance.
Use, overuse and potentially unfavourable loading patterns: recognising and interpreting these patterns during assessment.
Biomechanical compensations: investigating their possible origins and the responses of the wider movement system.
Neuromuscular adaptation and neural plasticity: their relationship to movement coordination.
Hypothesis-driven assessment: testing assumptions, critically evaluating findings and using reassessment.
Personalised rehabilitation: applying assessment findings to treatment, rehabilitation and movement development.
Practical learning
Theoretical concepts are explored through assessment methods that can be applied in clinical practice and coaching.
The practical component examines joint-specific movement and alignment, force distribution and whole-body functional coordination. Participants use their observations to formulate possible explanations, then evaluate these through testing and reassessment.
The emphasis is on identifying potentially modifiable contributing factors. Assessment findings help guide decisions about which interventions may be appropriate for an individual and which changes should be monitored to evaluate their effects.
What can this workshop bring to your everyday practice?
A clearer framework for assessing running and whole-body function.
A deeper understanding of load distribution and biomechanical compensations.
Greater clarity when distinguishing between symptoms, observed findings and potential contributing factors.
Practical tools for testing and refining professional hypotheses.
A stronger foundation for individualised treatment, rehabilitation and movement development decisions.
Although running is the primary focus, the principles of systems-based assessment and clinical reasoning also apply to other areas of musculoskeletal rehabilitation and movement practice.
Who is this workshop for?
The workshop is intended for physiotherapists, manual and bodywork therapists, running coaches, personal trainers, sports rehabilitation professionals and other movement practitioners who wish to deepen their understanding of functional anatomy and biomechanics and develop their approach to functional assessment.
It is particularly relevant to professionals working with runners who want to better understand the possible relationships between individual movement strategies, loading and musculoskeletal symptoms.
About the instructor – Owen Lewis
Owen Lewis is a movement therapist, educator, author and co-founder of Born to Move. His teaching focuses on functional anatomy, biomechanics and the interconnected function of the whole body.
In The Running Body workshop, he brings together the approach presented in his forthcoming book and practical assessment methods, helping participants develop independent, critical and individualised clinical reasoning.
Deepen your understanding of running biomechanics and develop your assessment skills at this two-day workshop with Owen Lewis.