Nicole Coffey, one of the owners of Ladner Village Physiotherapy, is a life long runner with several half marathons under her belt. This blog is the second instalment in a three part series on common running injuries and how to prevent them. Enjoy!
In a continuation from my last blog, here are a few more commonly misunderstood running topics. Hopefully they save you some time and some pain. As always, if you have any questions about your specific running style or gait please feel free to contact the clinic for an assessment with one of our physiotherapists!
Heel Strike vs Midfoot or Forefoot Strike
This debate came to the forefront quite some time ago when the minimalist shoe fad hit town. And yes, it’s true that people with a heel strike have a higher chance of knee pain (1). BUT: those who have a mid-foot strike have an equal and proportionate risk of Achilles and calf injuries (2), so it’s one or the other, one is not superior.
The “evil heel-strike theory” was based on the concept that landing on your heel meant you were increasing your “braking force” as the ground reaction force pushed back at you (in the opposite direction that you were travelling) and therefore you would have to work harder to overcome that. Turns out that isn’t true!
There is no difference in the efficiency of running for a heel strike vs. a midfoot strike.
Also worth noting, if you happen to be a rear-foot striker and you try to change yourself to a mid-foot striker you increase your chance of injury to your calf and Achilles pain (3) So, run the way you run. The majority of people prefer a heel strike. A heel strike is not the devil it was once made out to be, and if you try to change your gait pattern you are probably doing yourself more of a disservice. Time to focus your energy on more helpful techniques.
Cadence
This is one topic people don’t often think to ask me, but I feel like it’s worth noting. Should you pay attention to your cadence? My answer to this one is “yes, it couldn’t hurt.”
Cadence is the number of steps you take in one minute. An elite runner will run about 180 steps per minute, efficient recreational runners should aim for 160-170 steps per minute. Increasing cadence can indeed decrease some risk of knee pain. This is because a slower cadence means you are taking longer steps, which means you are spending more time in the air and actually travel a little higher, which means you are landing harder and from a higher height. This heavier landing puts extra strain and impact on your joints. “Subtle increases in step rate can substantially reduce the loading to the hip and knee joints during running and may prove beneficial in the prevention and treatment of common running-related injuries.” (3).
Also note that taking faster steps does not mean you have to run faster. You can still run a 6 minute mile or a 10 minute mile, the difference is if you are taking big huge long slow strides vs tiny quick little steps.
“Calm brain fast feet” - I’m not sure where that saying is from but I really like it.
Once again, remember that any change must be implemented gradually. If you increase your cadence by more than 10% you decrease running efficiency, which means you are going to work harder and get tired more quickly, which is not the point.
Happy running everybody! Next up we will talk about the role of stretching and foam rolling for runners!
Looking for the other instalments? Check out Part 1 - Running Volume and Part 3 - Strength Training!
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