How Do I Avoid Shin Splints When Running? Stop Heel Striking!

Unlike forefoot running, heel striking during running is a major contributor to shin splints because it puts unusual strain on the front of the lower leg.

A 2014 study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that heel strike runners who had the greatest dorsiflexion (forefoot pointed up; shown below) at touchdown were at the greatest risk of anterior (frontal) shin splints. The researchers discovered that the greater the dorsiflexion at heel strike, the harder the forefoot slapped down onto the ground shortly after heel strike. This had the main effect of causing repeated and prolonged inner-range contractions of the tibialis anterior (muscle that runs down the front of the shin) which led to premature muscular fatigue and muscle cramps.

How Do I Avoid Shin Splints When Running? Stop Heel Striking! — To land heel-first when running, the forefoot pulls up (ankle dorsiflexion) upon and at touchdown whereby the more the forefoot pulls up at touchdown, the harder it slaps down onto the ground to initiate the stance phase of running. Shin splints stems from the continuous forefoot-slapping because the impact from it ripples up the shins, causing painful rises in contractions of the anterior tibialis.

Conversely, studies have shown that landing with a forefoot strike while running is consistently associated with increased plantar-flexion (forefoot points down; shown below) at touchdown which produces a smoother placement of the foot with the ground, thereby reducing forefoot-slapping and also has a strong effect on reducing energetically-taxing muscle activity in the anterior tibialis. This is how forefoot running does more to remove stress off the shins as compared with heel strike running.

How Do I Avoid Shin Splints When Running? Land with a Forefoot Strike! — One of the essential features of forefoot running is that at touchdown, plantarflexion (forefoot points down) of the foot is automatically increased and therefore dorsiflexion is reduced. In this way, the forefoot coasts down to the ground, resulting in a smooth landing where forefoot slapping is greatly diminished. This landing configuration of the foot in forefoot running is a sustainable solution to shin splints because it was found to be a mechanical imperative that directly minimizes contractions (reduces work) in the anterior tibialis.

This work joins other studies showing that the shins experience higher stress and strain in heel strike running, mainly on the basis of greater dorsiflexion at landing, which is an inescapable consequence since the forefoot must lift up in order to heel strike, whereas in forefoot running, since initial ground-contact is made on the forefoot, there’s no need to lift it prior to touchdown!

Preventing forefoot-slapping isn’t the only way forefoot running safegaurds the shins, it also reduces opposing forces on the shins by aligning the shin more vertically at landing, and not horizontally, like in heel strike running. More on that here!

If you’ve enjoyed this article, you’ll love my content at my YouTube channel where I speak more on forefoot running vs heel strike running as well as the health and performance advantages of barefoot running.

References:

Miller AF., Roberts A., Hulse D and Foster J. Biomechanical overload syndrome: defining a new diagnosis. Br J Sports Med, 2014; 48:415-416.

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