Heel strike running and increases in mechanical stress on the knees go hand-in-hand because at heel strike the knee automatically unbends and locks-out, which also creates an overly long stride tied to higher-than-normal brake loads that not only pry into the knee, but the shins, hips and even lower back.
Worse still, this misuse of the knee-joint was found to prevent the knee extensors from absorbing energy and impact. Interestingly, this is not the case in forefoot running as it was verified to make the most functional and safest use of the knee-joint in ways that accounts for big reductions in not just braking, but net impacts. Read more here!
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