Abstract
<strong>Object:</strong> Recently people have shown an interest in running barefoot or with minimalist shoes, which result in forefoot strike (FFS) patterns that are different from running in normal shod with the rearfoot strike (RFS). To date, there is a dispute whether runners’ footfall pattern has an important impact on running injuries. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to investigate whether there is a relationship between different strike patterns and running injuries by reviewing the literature. <strong>Materials and Methods:</strong> A database retrieval and reference search were carried out with PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect. In the final review, 10 papers were included by matching the inclusion criteria. <strong>Results:</strong> Barefoot running exhibited smaller impact forces, short stride length, higher strike frequency, and shorter contact times compared to the standard shod condition. The forefoot strike pattern showed an increase in the plantarflexed foot, more ankle compliance during impact, smaller loading at the knee and lowered vertical loading rate in the FFS pattern than RFS. <strong>Discussion:</strong> Although the running injury is driven by multi-factorial variables, our literature review did not show any scientific evidence to suggest that footfall patterns are directly related to running injury.
Highlights
Recreational and competitive running has become very popular among amateur and elite athletes
The purpose of this review is to investigate whether there is a relationship between different strike patterns and running injuries by reviewing the literature
Researchers have compared different biomechanical parameters between the barefoot running and shod running by using the treadmill with the outcome showing that barefoot running presented smaller impact forces, short stride length, higher strike frequency, and shorter contact times compared to the standard shod condition (Squadrone & Gallozzi, 2009)
Summary
Recreational and competitive running has become very popular among amateur and elite athletes. With the rise in high injury risks associated with a running activity, researchers have expressed an interest in barefoot running (Hryvniak et al, 2014; Rothschild & Research, 2012). There are different styles of running that are classified by foot position and foot contact area during landing. These include “toe-heel-toe” running defined as forefoot strike (FFS), “flat-footed” running defined as a midfoot strike (MFS), and “heel-toe” running defined as a rearfoot strike (RFS) (Altman, Davis, & posture, 2012; Bobbert, Yeadon, & Nigg, 1992). Regarding the lower injuries’ occurrence in both FFS and MFS runners, it is often classified both as an FFS running style with slight plantarflexion (Lieberman et al, 2015)
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