Soleus Strain From Forefoot Running

Soleus Strain From Forefoot Running

When a runner first learns forefoot running, temporary soleus pain and tightness may be expected because in their normal role in forefoot running, the soleus muscles help control ankle plantar flexion (forefoot pointing downward) upon and at touchdown (shown above) which helps reduce the downward force of the leg and guides a smoother, more steadied and controlled exchange between the foot and the ground. This is why an unconditioned soleus may be slightly prone to pain when learning forefoot running, BUT the pain will FULLY subside once the soleus has completely adapted to forefoot running.

In this blog post, I outline why soleus strain and pain may be expected when a runner transitions from heel strike to forefoot strike running…Read more here!

Bretta Riches

Bretta Riches

"I believe the forefoot strike is the engine of endurance running..."

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.
Bretta Riches

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