Many beginner and novice runners ask me how they should be running. Running training should be focused on injury prevention or for performance. So we will focus on injury prevention and treatment with this post. Landing with a midfoot strike has been associated with decreases in peak impact loads and a decrease in knee pain (patellofemoral symptoms). Below is a diagram from a breakthrough article in Nature from Lieberman et al., that shows landing forces with different striking patterns.
Notice the lack of the sharp increase spike with a mid foot strike. One of the main points to take away from the article is the decrease in force and lack of transient impact with strike with a mid foot strike. This difference and benefit of barefoot vs shod running is for another post, but these two articles show great evidence to help support a mid foot strike to help prevent injury and decrease impact forces to the legs. I promote most long distance runners to land with a mid foot strike, with a shorten stride length, and increased step rate to help prevent injuries and to return to pain free running. Feel free to contact Pursuit Physical Therapy at 407-494-8835 regarding any questions or visit www.pursuittherapy.com for more information.
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