Is Forefoot Running Better for Your Knees?
Forefoot running is signficantly better for your knees because it was consistently found to reduce net forces on the knees as compared with heel strike running.
Articles by Bretta Riches
Minimalist and Barefoot Running Are Better for Your Knees
Minimalist running shoes and running barefoot delivers a natural stimulus for enhanced neuromuscular and reflexive responses in the knee-joint that result in a faster acquisition of more functional mechanics that are not only safer on the knees, but reduces energy costs!
How to Run Properly? Forefoot Strike and Lean Forward!
The biggest question in running is how to run properly?Good news is the science is settled that the safest, most efficient way to run is to avoid landing heel-first, and instead land with a forefoot strike! This is because forefoot running does a significantly better job at helping you avoid damaging impact burdens altogether. An additional mechanical factor that also helps keep impact low and energy efficiency high, especially at faster running speeds, is to lean slightly forward.
Why Forefoot Running is Better for Impact Reduction
More evidence proves that forefoot running does significantly more to limit injury because there’s less all-around impact stress on the body as compared with heel strike running.
Is Heel Strike Running Bad for Performance?
High impact running comes at an economical cost. By impact standards, heel strike running is a significantly more force-intensive style of running than forefoot running whereby according to some research, high impact demands more vigorous muscle tuning response to attenuate shock (a process that requires energy). Simply put, high impacts (like in heel strike running) drains energy from the system whereas stark decreases in impact (like in forefoot running) enhances running economy.