Injury-Free Running by Tom Michaud

Author:Tom Michaud
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: North Atlantic Books

Modify Your Running Form to Avoid Injury

Because the best predictor of future injury is prior injury, the most effective way to avoid future running injuries is to accommodate your prior running injuries. The easiest way to do this is to select either a heel or forefoot contact point depending upon your prior injuries. While studies comparing impact forces associated with different contact points consistently show that the same force is absorbed by your body, regardless of how your foot strikes the ground, it is possible to shift the location of the impact force simply by changing your contact position. If you have been plagued with chronic knee pain, transitioning to a forefoot strike pattern can reduce load on the back of your knee by 50%. Conversely, if you been struggling with plantar fascial or Achilles injuries, definitely consider switching to a lateral heel strike, as this will significantly reduce stress on the back of your calves and arches. The same is true for runners with a history of recurrent ankle sprains, since forefoot contact points increase the risk of inversion ankle sprains. As a general rule, midfoot and forefoot contact points tend to be more comfortable in runners with neutral arches and wide forefeet, while runners with low arches and narrow forefeet tend to prefer making ground contact along the outer heel.

If you have been dealing with an injured knee and you don’t want to switch to a forefoot contact point, an alternate technique to offload your knee is to lean slightly farther forward at the hips during initial contact. This slight forward lean has been shown to redistribute pressure away from the knee and into the hamstrings (Fig. 4.7).

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