How does forefoot running prevent injury? When you land with a forefoot strike when running, not only does abnormal foot motions (over pronation) get strongly restrained, but there are significantly less overall opposing forces at work on the leg as compared with heel strike running. The main reason for these large improvements in forefoot running is that foot-ground contact-time is significantly reduced (the foot spends less time lingering on the ground, leaving less time for abnormal foot motions and postures to take hold). The foot’s positioning also improves at touchdown such that the foot naturally tends to land closer to your center of mass (upper body), resulting in a much less brute collision force and last but not least, the movement path of the foot at touchdown allows the foot to slide more smoothly down onto the ground, not crash onto the ground with a jarring-force like in a heel strike landing. This is why when it comes to correcting movement impairments of the foot and avoidance of high impacts, especially at the heel, adopting the forefoot running technique tips the balance in favor over wearing stability running shoes with thick under-heel padding. Read more here!
Bretta Riches
BSc Neurobiology; MSc Biomechanics candidate, ultra minimalist runner & founder of RunForefoot. I was a heel striker, always injured. I was inspired by the great Tirunesh Dibaba to try forefoot running. Now, I'm injury free. This is why I launched Run Forefoot, to advocate the health & performance benefits of forefoot running and to raise awareness on the dangers of heel striking, because the world needs to know.
Latest posts by Bretta Riches (see all)
- Cushioned Running Shoes Found to Be Bad for Ankles - 23/04/2024
- Forefoot Running and Achilles Pain - 19/04/2024
- Does Foot Strike Really Matter in Running? YES! - 17/04/2024