Is Heel Striking Bad? This Answer May Surprise You

Depending on your experience level as a runner, you've probably heard the term "heel striking" during conversation. Most runner's think heel striking is bad, some may even think it's detrimental. Personally, I don't think that is always true.

Heel striking is a natural part of our walking cycle. Our heel touches the ground first upon contact and then we gradually shift our weight from our midfoot to the toes. If you look at the bottom of the soles of your shoe, you may be able to see how the shoe tread has worn down. The true issue for runner's is more likely from over-striding.

What exactly is over-striding?

Over-striding is a term for when a runner's foot lands too far out in front of their center of mass (COM). For example, imagine a straight line of rope from your head to the toes. This line represents our center of mass. While running, we ideally want our foot to land close to our center of mass or - in other words - below our body. In doing so, this will help reduce too much stress on our lower extremity joints such as our knees and ankles. If we can modify our running mechanics and how our body handles ground reaction forces, then we can reduce our likelihood of running related injuries.

When looking at joint angles, we ideally want our shin angle to be 5 degrees or less (shin is perpendicular with the ground), which will let us know you are landing closer to your center of mass. Also, our knee should be bent 20-25 degrees during initial contact phase (moment foot hits the ground). I don't expect you to measure these angles by yourself, but working with a running rehab specialist/physical therapist can perform a running video analysis and break this down for you.

Everyone has slightly different running forms and that's okay. If you've been running a certain way for years and aren't experiencing pain or issues, great! But for those who are dealing with nagging pain or want to improve their running performance, seeking help from a skilled clinician would be a valuable resource.

Tips to prevent over-striding:

1. Shorten your step/swing phase by landing underneath your body.

2. Increase your cadence, which most running articles consider 180 steps per minute to be optimal.

Key take away from this blog: heel striking is not necessarily bad for all runner's, but over-striding can be the culprit leading to running related injuries.

If you or someone you know would benefit from a running video analysis then tell them to reach out to Dr. Nick Boles at ProMovement. Thanks for reading, stay tuned for more.

Contact Information

Cell: 206-473-2689

Email: nick23dpt@gmail.com

Company: ProMovement LLC