Relationship between foot strike pattern, running speed, and footwear condition in recreational distance runners

Abstract

Compared to competitive runners, recreational runners appear to be more prone to injuries, which have been associated with foot strike patterns. Surprisingly, only few studies had examined the foot strike patterns outside laboratories. Therefore, this study compared the foot strike patterns in recreational runners at outdoor tracks with previously reported data. We also investigated the relationship between foot strike pattern, speed, and footwear in this cohort. Among 434 recreational runners analysed, 89.6% of them landed with rearfoot strike (RFS). Only 6.9 and 3.5% landed with midfoot and forefoot, respectively. A significant shift towards non-RFS was observed in our cohort, when compared with previously reported data. When speed increased by 1 m/s, the odds of having forefoot strike and midfoot strike relative to RFS increased by 2.3 times and 2.6 times, respectively. Runners were 9.2 times more likely to run with a forefoot strike in minimalists compared to regular running shoes, although 70% of runners in minimalists continued to use a RFS. These findings suggest that foot strike pattern may differ across running conditions and runners should consider these factors in order to mitigate potential injury.

A public dataset of running biomechanics and the effects of running speed on lower extremity kinematics and kinetics

“…The present study observed no change in the foot-strike patterns as running speeds increased. Although there is a general understanding that the point of contact shifts from the rear toward the anterior part of the foot as running speed increases (Cheung et al, 2017), this may not be true for speeds below 5 m/s (Breine et al, 2014; Hatala et al, 2013), i.e., within the range adopted in the present study. This contrasting evidence across studies highlights the fact that the relationship between running speed and foot-strike patterns is complex and needs to be examined further, particularly considering long distance running pace.…”

16 Weeks of Progressive Barefoot Running Training Changes Impact Force and Muscle Activation in Habitual Shod Runners

“…The strike pattern is another relevant aspect that must be considered on the study of BF running training. Although strike pattern may limit BF effects [8,63], it seems to be also determined by footwear condition [64,65]. Due to its complexity, strike pattern appears as an issue that should be investigated more deeply.…”

Measurement agreement between a newly developed sensing insole and traditional laboratory-based method for footstrike pattern detection in runners

“…There has been an increasing interest in footstrike pattern detection during running, possibly because of its potential relationship with injury [1–3] and performance [4]. There are three types of footstrike patterns: rearfoot strike (RFS) refers to when the heel lands before the ball of the foot; forefoot strike (FFS) refers to when the ball of the foot lands before the heel; and midfoot strike (MFS) refers to when the ball and heel of the foot land at similar times [5].…”

“…Biomechanically, a MFS is the optimal footstrike pattern but past research has indicated that runners find it difficult to self-adjust to a MFS [1]. Regarding running performance, when speed is increased by 1 m/s, the odds of having a FFS or MFS relative to RFS increased by 2.3 and 2.6 times, respectively [9]. Hence, it may be beneficial to provide real time information about footstrike pattern to runners.…”