A new study found that most people don’t know their running foot strike pattern, and this could end up increasing their risk of developing a running-related injury, according to researchers.
For the study, researchers asked 710 participants to correctly assess whether they run with a rearfoot strike pattern (where the heel of the foot is first to make contact with the ground) or a forefoot strike pattern (where the midfoot is the first to make contact with the ground). Surprisingly, the majority of study participants were incorrect about their actual strike pattern. Only 42.7 percent of participants were able to correctly identify their footstrike pattern.
According to the study:
- 28.3 percent reported as a rearfoot strike runner
- 47 percent reported as a forefoot strike runner
- 24.6 percent admitted they did not know their foot strike pattern
Interestingly, among those who did not know their strike pattern, 81 percent were rearfoot strike runners and 19 percent were forefoot strike runners when asked to run for analysis. Perhaps more interesting – runners who admitted they didn’t know their foot strike pattern had the highest prevalence of running-related injuries, suggesting that body awareness may play a crucial role in injury prevention.
Researchers also believe that certain shoe characteristics may increase a runner’s risk of injury if they are unaware of their true footstrike pattern.
“The shoe lies between the foot and the ground, and features like a large heel-to-toe drop make it more challenging for runners to identify how they’re striking the ground. That clouds how we retrain people or determine if someone is at risk for future injury,” explains Heather Vincent, Ph.D., director of the UF Health Sports Performance Center and lead author of the study, in a media release.
The research further notes that runners with a rearfoot strike running pattern may be at an increased risk of developing a repetitive stress injury compared to those with a forefoot strike pattern. Their findings suggest that rearfoot strike runners have a lower variability of foot contact angle when running, which may amplify localized tissue loading and injury risk.
Researchers also took a closer look at shoe characteristics among runners in the study. They found that shoe-to-toe drop proved to be a consistent factor in foot strike detection and injury risk. They found that shoes with a higher heel-to-toe drop were associated with an increased injury risk. In other words, running shoes with an overly cushioned heel may be putting runners at a greater risk of injury. As we’ve talked about in previous blogs on foot strike pattern, this may be due to the fact that runners who believe they have more protection in their heel will land harder when running, which eventually can wear down tissues. Just because you have a cushioned heel doesn’t mean you should be smacking the ground hard with your heel on each stride.
“I had to teach myself to get out of the big, high-heeled shoes down to something with more moderate cushioning and to work on foot strengthening,” said Dr. Vincent. “It may take up to six months for it to feel natural. It’s a process.”
Another key finding from the study was that switching running shoes was also tied to injury risk. Runners who had changed their footwear in the previous six months were nearly three times more likely to report running-related injuries. This suggests that runners need to take their time breaking in new shoes so as not to overload their feet and legs as they get used to new stress patterns brought on by the change in shoes.
To learn more about transitioning to new running shoes or for help tweaking your running form, check out some of our previous blogs!