In running, nearly most of all injuries are directly caused by landing heel-first (heel strike) when running, and these injuries are actually perfectly prevented by forefoot running (see here what a proper forefoot strike looks like). In fact, heel striking when running was found to be one of the main contributing factors to plantar fasciitis (PF), which is characterized by intense burning heel pain or a piercing pain in the underfoot during running.
How exactly does landing heel-first when running cause PF, and how does landing forefoot-first resolve the painful condition?
Landing heel-first when running requires the front of the foot (the forefoot) to pull up at landing in order to allow direct contact on the heel (shown above) whereby a study by Warren at el. in the journal, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, found that runners with the most forefoot-lifting at touchdown had the highest incidence of plantar fasciitis.
<Moreover, similar reports by Pohl et al., Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, revealed that landing heel-first when running produced the highest instantaneous rates of loading which exposed the plantar fascia to excessive stress.
Bottom line, heel strike running forms the basis for the risk factors that fuel plantar fasciitis, but this is not the case with forefoot running because landing forefoot-first produces the mechanics that makes it possible to avoid the risk factors that cause plantar fasciitis.
Why Forefoot Running is Best for PF
Forefoot running reverses the foot mechanics of heel strike running whereby the front of the foot does not lift upon and at landing, simply because the heel is the last part of the foot to contact the ground, not the first, as shown below:
In fact, many healthcare professionals recommend drills that require you to point your forefoot down as a strengthening exercise for the rehabilitation prescription for plantar fasciitis!
Another way forefoot running is safer for the plantar fascia is by lowering damaging instantaneous loading rates. But how?
In running, instantaneous loading rates depend on knee-joint angle and upper body (center mass) posture relative to initial foot strike position.
- Forefoot running was found to make the most positive difference in ordering your knee-joint and upper body positions that results in the largest improvements in impact reductions on the foot as well as on the shins, knees and even the lower back, shown below:
Take Home Message
This research brings a fresh reminder that when it comes to preventing practically any type of injury, especially plantar fasciitis, foot strike pattern matters immensely because it directly affects impact production by directly affecting your entire body mechanics.
The mechanics engaged by landing heel-first when running will always cause the plantar fascia to become too strained to avoid injury. To potentially avoid plantar fasciitis altogether, forefoot running is well on record for eliminating the exact risk factors that cause the nagging condition, and when you root out injurious risk factors, more progress can be made in your training as a runner. But forefoot running is more than just good for plantar fasciitis. It also prevents knee, shin and back injury, too! Read more here on that!Â
References:
Pohl MB, Hamill J and Davis IS. Biomechanical and anatomical factors associated with a history of plantar fasciitis in female runners. Clin J Sport Med, 2009; 19(5): 372-76.
Warren BL and Jones CJ. Predicting plantar fasciitis in runners. Med Sci Sport Exerc, 1987; 19(1):71-73.
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