Is Heel Strike Pattern Running Bad For You?

HEEL STRIKE PATTERN

Most common footstrike pattern in runners is arguably heel strike pattern. Yet it gets such a bad press and is often blamed for many running related issues and something that must be remedied.

However there is no clear benefit by switching to a different strike pattern and in fact there is a case to be made that rearfoot strike may be more efficient, especially in endurance runs. Well, the reality is all footstrike patterns have some pros and cons, and they all affect loading at the hip, knee, ankle and foot joints in different ways. All can be contributors to pain and injury and switching can relieve your symptoms for short term by diverting the load paths. However, training to make deliberate and significant changes in someone’s footstrike can also lead to sudden increase in load on different tissues & structures, potentially leading to separate issues.

What we should be doing is maybe thinking of Footstrike as a range that falls on a spectrum or continuum. As we change speed, stride length, Cadence and / or fatigue levels, then we can move along this continuum and find ourselves using various footstrike patterns that will be most appropriate for that particular moment. If trying to change pattern to enhance performance then there may be little to no benefit in reality, if trying to change to help reduce pain and manage injury then little variations and changes could be beneficial to alter load and tissue stress.