YOU'RE jogging along with the wind in your hair. You're just getting into your stride when suddenly you pull a muscle in your calf and then you're out of the running - literally - for the next few weeks or more.

Until now I always regarded sports injuries as just one of the risks you take when you exercise. But according to local physiotherapist Anne-Marie Samuel, prevention really is better than cure.

Anne-Marie, who runs Body In Motion, a physiotherapy and sports injuries clinic in Christchurch Road in Boscombe, explains that many injuries can be avoided - it's just a question of style.

"Some people think running is bad for you but very often shin splints, knee pain and achilles tendonitis are caused by poor body alignment. It's nothing to do with having the wrong footwear or over-training," she says.

To prove her point, Anne-Marie offers a video analysis service at her clinic to help people improve their running technique.

"When people come here we treat the injury but if you don't fix the cause of the problem it will just come back again so it's important to find out what caused it in the first place," she explains.

"As well as helping to prevent potential injuries we can also improve your time by helping you to achieve a more efficient running style so you're not wasting any energy."

Having signed up for the Studland Stampede at the end of October - a robust 12k course through the Purbecks - I need all the help I can get so I was keen to give it a whirl.

As I pounded away on a treadmill in the gym below the clinic, I tried hard to ignore the fact I was being filmed - which wasn't difficult because her video-camera isn't much bigger than my mobile phone.

The footage was then downloaded on to a laptop, where we could freeze- frame, zoom in and examine every detail with a click of a button.

On the whole, Anne-Marie, who is herself an accomplished triathlete and really knows her stuff, felt my technique was fine.

But she just gave me a few tips to make sure I didn't lose any force when I was at full stretch.

"People never usually see themselves run and everyone thinks they look like Linford Christie - but it's quite technical. No one ever shows you how to run. You just go out there and hope for the best.

"But with a few simple changes you can usually sort out any biomechanical inefficiencies fairly quickly," she adds.

  • The video analysis service costs £55, which includes a written report. For more information visit bodyinmotion.co.uk or email any enquiries to info@bodyinmotion.co.uk.