Running: Foot Strike
Over the past few decades there has been a lot of talk in the running community about foot strike. Is there an ideal foot strike to improve running efficiency? Does foot strike relate to injuries? And should runners try to train and adopt a different foot strike than what is natural to them? Using current research, I will try to give a clearer understanding of foot strike and answer those questions.
Foot strike is defined as the part of the foot that makes initial contact with the ground in a running gait pattern. There are three types of foot strike: rearfoot (heel strike followed by ball of the foot contact), midfoot (ball of the foot strike closely followed by heel contact), and forefoot (ball of the foot strike with no heel contact).
Rearfoot strike has overwhelmingly been found to be the most common type of foot strike with some studies showing that >90% of runners are rearfoot strikers. Some believed that humans adapted to a rearfoot strike pattern due to the cushioned shoes that we wear, but studies in non-shod running groups had similar results finding that non-shod runners still prefer a rearfoot strike in larger numbers to a midfoot or forefoot strike, although the differences were not as drastic as in shod runners.
A recent study showed that rearfoot strikers have a more efficient metabolic rate and thus are more well suited to long distance running as opposed to forefoot strikers who tend to be more efficient sprinters.
The following chart highlights the main differences between foot strike patterns.
After viewing the chart above, it would seem that everyone should try to adapt a midfoot strike, right? Well, not necessarily. As previously mentioned, this is not the natural strike in the overwhelming majority of runners. A recent study looked at the effects of changing foot strike patterns amongst runners. Overwhelmingly there was no difference in running efficiency or risk of injury for those runners that switched from a rearfoot pattern to a midfoot or forefoot pattern. So don’t fear, whichever foot strike feels natural to you is your ideal foot strike pattern, and you should not aim to change it.
However, the concern when it comes to absorbing shock and reducing injury risk is not so much a foot strike issue as it is a point of contact issue in relation to one’s center of gravity. As previously mentioned, rearfoot strikers tend to over-stride and reach their foot too far out in front of their center of gravity which can lead to poor shock absorption and increase stress in the knees and hips. When landing with the foot directly under your body, your joints are better aligned to absorb the ground reaction forces which can reduce injury risk. So can someone be a rearfoot striker and also land with their foot directly under their center of gravity? Absolutely! So instead of trying to adapt your foot strike to something other than what is natural to you, I would recommend trying to avoid over-striding as that appears to lead to more risk of injury than foot strike pattern.
Shannon Hall, PT, DPT
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