Whether you run competitively or for fun, understanding your biomechanics, or how the different parts of your body move together, can make you aware of weaknesses, imbalances or inefficiencies in your performance. Examining your stride, your muscle strength and being more conscious of the surface you train on could lower your risk for a running-related injury.
Gait Analysis Provides Information About Running Stride
Research published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine found that reducing the landing shock of one’s strides — running softer — might help prevent running injuries. The study looked at 320 novice runners and assigned them to either a gait-retraining group with real-time, visual feedback or a control group that ran on a treadmill with no visual feedback on performance. Researchers later tracked the injuries of participants in both groups over the next year. The runners in the two-week gait-retraining program experienced a 62 percent decrease in running-related musculoskeletal injuries.1
A musculoskeletal evaluation, video gait analysis and proper strength and conditioning exercises could help improve landing mechanics. By running on a treadmill to the beat of a metronome (there are plenty of free running apps with this feature) you can start to become more aware of your cadence.
How Biomechanics Impact Running Style
Your foot strike pattern has a lot to do with where your body absorbs the landing shock of your stride. Foot strike refers to how you land on your foot each time you take a step.
“Adjusting your running mechanics can be challenging. Focusing on details such as arch collapse or knee positioning can lead to overcorrection or awkward movement patterns," said Andrea McCarthy, DPT, physical therapist with the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network. "A better place to start is focusing on a softer or quieter landing. These simple adjustments can lead to improved gait mechanics.”
There are three different foot strikes:
- Midfoot strike: heel and ball of the foot strike the ground simultaneously
- Heel strike: initial contact with the ground occurs at the heel
- Forefoot strike: initial contact with the ground occurs at the ball of the foot
The majority of runners are heel strikers.2 Heel strike runners absorb more impact in the knees, whereas midfoot and forefoot strikers experience this impact most in the ankles. The optimal foot strike to reduce running injury risk is highly contested in the running community. There isn’t enough scientific evidence to say one is superior to another. More randomized control trials investigating different foot strike patterns in relation to running injuries are needed.
Discomfort or pain in the ankle, knee, shin or foot could be reasons to change your foot strike pattern. It is best to seek the help of a professional to assess your gait.
“About 10 years ago barefoot running and landing in a forefoot strike became more popular and by many was considered the answer for injury prevention", said McCarthy. "The reality is, each strike pattern places strain on different areas of the body and therefore has pros and cons. If you think you want to change your strike pattern, it’s best to work with a running professional to do so safely.”
Build a Smart Training Program
Running injuries are rarely sudden. They are usually overuse injuries caused by repetitive impact. Muscle strains, tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, shin splints and stress fractures all fall into the category of overuse injuries. An overly aggressive training program is one of the most likely reasons for overuse injuries in runners.
“Perhaps the simplest but most effective way to improve your running form is to address your step rate or cadence," said McCarthy. "You can find out your current step rate by counting every step you take for a minute or using a smart watch that calculates this for you. An ideal cadence is around 180 steps per minute. If your step rate is lower, you may benefit from increasing your step rate by 5-10 steps per minute.”
Adequate rest between workouts will give your muscles, bones and joints time to recover. McCarthy recommends supplementing running workouts with strength and conditioning training to prevent injury.
The Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Runners’ Clinic located at NX Level - Wauwatosa understands the physical demands of running and use data-driven, holistic approaches when designing performance improvement and injury treatment programs for you. Whether you run a few miles on weekends or participate in marathons, our experts can help you achieve your maximum performance level.
Learn more about improving athletic performance and injury prevention.
1 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0363546517736277
2https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17685722
