There are countless reasons heel strike running is damaging to the legs. This is because heel striking and knee stiffness go hand-in-hand at touchdown, which causes the knee-joint to lock at landing, which in turn prevents the knee extensors from absorbing energy and impact. In this scenario, impact is amplified as the high impact nature at heel strike increases mechanical work on the knee to bring the vertical velocity of the body segments to zero. Worse still, impact becomes unattenuated, causing the knee-joint to be overloaded with impact shock. This is not the case with forefoot running. Read more here!
Why Heel Strike Running is So Bad for Your Legs
