In heel strike running, the heel-to-toe rollover action causes the foot to pronate more (i.e. the foot is forced into extreme positions), which increases bending and twisting strain on the Achilles. At the same time, there’s more all-around force components on the Achilles in heel strike running, and less elastic energy is stored in the tendon as well, which may result in less metabolic savings as compared with forefoot running.
In running, changing your foot strike pattern from a heel strike to a forefoot strike landing does not increase the risk of an Achilles injury. Even better, forefoot running enables the Achilles tendon to function more optimally as an energy-saving spring whereas heel strike running may actually be an impediment to the economic elastic properties of the tendon.
Heel strike running was found to be one of the biggest risk factors for Achilles injury because the hips and foot were found to be used too intensively to propel the body forward through each over-stride. This was found to shred the Achilles tendon as compared with forefoot running, which has a more protective effect on the tendon by eliminating an over-stride, driving higher step-rate and less risk of over-pronation.
Heel striking when running is highly damaging to the Achilles tendon because for one, it was found to prevent the Achilles from contributing elastic energy, which result in greater muscular effort and energy expenditure then forefoot running. For another, heel striking when running projects unusual high amounts of bending strain as well as collision and frictional forces on the Achilles, which are notoriously linked to causing Achilles tendinosis.
Published studies show that heel striking when running causes irregular movements of the heel, leading to more physical forces on the Achilles tendon than forefoot running.
Heel strike running was found to increase the risk for an Achilles injury by causing excessive heel motions that increases bending strain and rotational stress on the tendon as compared with forefoot running.
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