Steamboats for Walking & Running

Joe Simko, Laura Comtois, and Sean Huffman

Fit For Life Physical Therapy

The secrets behind Steamboats… it is like peeking underground at Disney World.

What exactly are Steamboats and how can they help me with my walking or running program?

What if someone told you there was a magic exercise that would prevent and fix all running and walking injuries?  Do not believe them.  Everyone is different, has a different body structure, different running or walking form, different training, different history, and different impairments.  

However, there is an exercise that can address many impairments that contribute to lower body injuries and may help your running or walking in some capacity, if done properly.

This exercise is called “Steamboats.”  Legend has it that the name comes from a long-ago physical therapy continuing education conference in, you guessed it, Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

If you or someone you know has been to Fit For Life Physical Therapy for a running or walking related injury, you have heard of this exercise.  This is because it works on many areas and is likely to address some of your weak links. 

To run optimally, adequate strength and single leg stability are required. Steamboats help strengthen the ankles, hips, and core in all directions as you are balancing on one leg and resisting a piece of TheraBand with your opposite leg.  

The ability to balance on one leg and adjust for changes in your center of gravity is a key factor in reducing the stress and impact placed on different structures of your legs.  Steamboats help improve this single leg stability by challenging dynamic balance and muscle coordination.

Many running or walking gait impairments are a result of poor muscle coordination during single leg stance and may include hip drop, forward or side trunk lean, increased pronation, and increased arch or rotation in the back.  Steamboats work all these areas, if done properly, and may be a good addition to an injury prevention routine to keep you running or walking strong.

• Top Left:  Wrap a TheraBand around a table leg, and balance on your other leg.  Pull backwards with the leg in the band as far as you can without bending forward at your trunk or arching your back, pause and return slowly.  Repeat the exercise 10 times.
• Top Right:  Rotate 90 degrees and pull the band inward towards the midline of your body, pause and return. Repeat this 10 times. 
• Bottom Left:  Rotate 90 degrees again to face away from the table and pull the band forward.  Pause and return. 10 times.
• Bottom Right:  Finally, rotate another 90 degrees and step inside the band with your other foot.  Balance on this foot and move your leg away from the table while balancing on one leg.  10 times.

Repeat on both sides.  The key with this exercise is to maintain your balance throughout the entire exercise and keep your trunk steady.

If you would like a piece of TheraBand or if you have any questions about this important running & walking strengthening and balance exercise that we call Steamboats, feel free to contact us.

Fit For Life Physical Therapy cares for people of all activity levels - to help prevent, recover from, or rehabilitate sports & orthopedic injuries.  We are proud to move people every day.

Please visit our website https://www.fitforlifephysicaltherapy.com/, email us at info@fitforlifephysicaltherapy.com, or call or text us at any of the phone numbers for our three convenient locations inside Fleet Feet/FrontRunner stores:

Polaris:  1270 East Powell Road Lewis Center, Ohio 43035 ~ 614-981-2065

Upper Arlington:  1344 West Lane Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43221 ~ 614-981-1979

New Albany:  5792 North Hamilton Road, Columbus, Ohio 43230 ~ 614-581-7441