Is a Heel Strike a Proper Running Form? NO!

To date, there’s more verifiable proof that heel strike running is not the proper way to run, and that forefoot running is (see here what a proper forefoot strike looks like). This is because heel strike running produces more net-impact forces that exceed far beyond pain and injury predisposing levels regardless of cushioned footwear and making adjustments elsewhere to your running. Bottom line, the risk of impact-related injuries, like long bone injuries are always a looming threat in heel strike running, but are significantly reduced in forefoot running.

How to Fix Lower Back Pain From Running: Fix Your Foot Strike!
This diagram says it all! In running, foot strike pattern directly corresponds to impact production and can either positively or negatively influence your entire running mechanics. Landing forefoot-first is the least force-intensive way to land on your foot when running because it improves ankle, shin, knee and torso angles at touchdown, which collectively, does a better job at lightening mechanical loads on every front than heel strike running. There’s more to worry about in heel strike running because just by landing heel-first is enough to throw your entire body mechanics out of normal range of motion, resulting in an torso posture that is too far behind initial foot strike position as well as an overly long over-stride which taken together produces significantly more all-around force components on the shins, knees and lower back, and there is not running shoe that can correct for this.


By all estimates, foot strike pattern when running also determines the level of impact absorption whereby heel strike running makes the body much less capable at absorbing impact whereas forefoot running improves the shock absorbing capacities of the foot and leg, helping to farther narrow or even eliminate injurious impacts.

The facts (references below article) are pretty clear that heel striking when running makes you highly prone to impact-related repetitive stress injuries, such as back, hip and knee pain as well as tibial (shin) stress fractures and plantar fasciitis, as compared with forefoot runners [1], re-affirming that forefoot running naturally provides better protection against impact, and here are some of the big reasons why:

    • In a forefoot strike landing, most of the landing impact is absorbed through the small bones and muscles of the foot [2], which minimizes impact from the ankle up.

  • Arch compression, eccentric contraction of the triceps surae and Achilles tendon stretch also works in our favor to absorb impact in forefoot running.

The fact that heel strike runners have more impact projected onto the body implies that the wrong musculoskeleton structures are used to absorb impact. For instance, heel strike runners rely on the heel pad for impact absorption, but the heel pad has been found to be a poor shock absorber during heel strike running, but not walking with a heel strike. This is why heel strike runners need to wear running shoes with a thick padded heel, but these shoes were found to do nothing to absorb heel impact! This is why heel injuries remain high in heel strike runners.


Furthermore, heel strike running up-engages the plantar fascia to contribute to impact absorption, but this was found to hyper-stretch and increases strain and maximal tension on the plantar fascia during the support phase, thereby increasing the risk of plantar fasciitis [2], as compared with forefoot running.

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The Take Home Message

Foot strike pattern plays a defining role injury prevention. Forefoot running makes your entire mechanics more productive and protective so you are better able to avoid the impacts responsible for injury whereas heel strike running always has the opposite effect. In fact, here are well over 30 reasons heel strike running is incredibly damaging and uneconomical than forefoot running.

If you’ve enjoyed my post, you’ll LOVE the content over at my YouTube channel, here, where I SHOW why forefoot running works, and heel strike running hurts!


References:

[1]. Pohl M., Hamill J and Davis IS. Biomechanical and anatomical factors associated with a history of plantar fasciitis in female runners. Clin J Sports Med, 2009; 19:372-6.

[2]. Thompson et al. Kinematic and kinetic comparison of barefoot and shod running in mid/forefoot and rearfoot strike runners. Gait & Posture, 2015; 41:957-959.


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