That's why we do not fall when we run, according to science

At the naked eye, running can seem simple enough. It's just one foot in front of the other, as they say. But if you have already run, you know that it is much more complicated than that.

We have known for a long time that running involves your heart, your legs and even your arms. And to think about it, it is quite amazing not to be dazzled when we run, because we push all our weight forward when we run. So what's the problem – why not fall?

A new study from Ohio State University found that our bodies made microscopic adjustments to keep us from falling, which meant our bodies were the ultimate correctors of the trajectory.

"You might think that running is only a repetition of identical stages," said Nidhi Seethapathi, lead author of the study. "But in reality, there are very small mistakes that happen when you run and that you have to constantly correct to avoid falling."

Our bodies, unconsciously and instinctively, correct our movements to keep us up: "Our muscles and senses are not perfect, which leads to errors.If we do not correct these self-generated errors, we would fall," said Seethapathi. .

The study consisted of running each participant on a treadmill at three different speeds while the researchers monitored and measured the movement of their torso, the position of their steps and the force with which their legs pushed against the ground. And yes, the study took into account external factors in the study, such as bumps on the deflection or cracks in the pavement.

The researchers found that runners automatically corrected the deviations and errors of their bodies by adjusting the location of each step and the force with which their leg hit the ground. Even more impressive, these runners corrected imperfections in one step at the next step– show that our bodies can "repair" our current pace to stay upright.

All this to say that our bodies are incredible machines. Even robots can not stand up like us. So the next time you go for a jog, send a small thank you to your body. It prevents you from falling without moving (consciously) a muscle.