Running is an intense sport, which burdens you with a lot of body weight with every step you take. It increases upto seven times of your body weight with each step you take while you are running. Yet it’s incredibly healthy for you. Running strengthens your body, boosts your happiness, improves your cognitive functioning & helps in prolonging your life. But if you do it incorrectly it will put stress on the joints & rest of areas on your body, including your feet. Keep on reading to know how your feet get affected while you run. Get premium quality running clothes from here.
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How your feet strike the ground
There are 3 basic ways in which your foot strikes the ground: with your heel, midfoot and forefoot. Researchers have debated over which foot striking type works best for your body, & verity of evidence shows each has its own benefits. So answering which is one’s best is complicated. A runner who is focused on a single type of foot strike is not that efficient. It’s mainly because different foot strikes work differently for people it mainly depends upon the condition they are running in and the equipment they use.
Heel-to-toe strike is seen to be detrimental to the feet as your heel strikes the ground with a forceful impact. Forefoot method, allows the Achilles tendon regarding cushioning for absorbing the impact, making your foot endure evenly distributed force. Running with right shoes that have proper cushioning help in absorbing major impact of a heel-strike motion, and reducing injury occurrence.
Types of foot striking
1) Forefoot Running
If you’re a heel striker, your foot strike pattern would be favored by many elite runners. Number of studies state the benefits of landing on your middle and front foot while running & then rolling by the toes. Proponents of your forefoot claim that this running technique enhances your momentum forward better compared to the heel striking & puts lower stress on the knees. Running on toes can also cause bouncing, that’s an inefficient way of running. Studies indicate it’s a potential for stress related injuries.
The running shoes are seen to have an increased heel-to-toe drop so the design would help in guiding your foot to midfoot striking. But rise in minimalist & low heel-to-toe drop shoes tell that it’s the design which is no longer standard.
2) Midfoot Strike
In a midfoot running strike you land on your foot’s mid-sole. Midfoot running proponents say that this striking technique helps in shocking absorption, while lessening impact on your joints. As compared to the heel striking, this running pattern shortens the time duration during which your foot gets in touch with the path, it’s really helpful for speeding up pace.
However, this striking style is not appropriate for everybody & might feel uncomfortable & unnatural. Research suggests that the midfoot & forefront running pattern increases injury risks to your ankle, foot & Achilles tendon.
3) Heel Striking
Heel striking is exactly what it sounds—your heel hits the floor first followed by your mid-sole & toes. Majority of the runners rely on using the rearfoot strike as it feels more natural than other running patterns. Also heel striking stretches & strengthens your calf muscles & ankles. Striking by using your rear has a potential of making runners prone to over striding, which leads to injury or pain in your knees & hips. Your ankles & knees get to absorb a large portion of the impact, that is why it’s important to make sure you are outfitted in the right footwear.
Landing on the heels also generates more stress in the lower legs, which leads to shin splints.
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How should you run?
We know the question might be arising in your mind. But the answer isn’t that simple. It’s more than a foot strike. Any form isn’t bad. The issue is the majority of the heel-strikers run with the wide stride length, this could be bigger and cause strain on your body. Foot strike is highly complicated and remarkably diversified. You can mix up our landing as well. This will make your runs injury free and puts less stress all over.
The best thing you can do to yourself is letting your feet find it for you. One to get started is changing the shoes to a lowered heel or running with the shorter stride, it will change your footstrike and change you from being a heel striker to the midfoot or even forefoot-striker. It’s not that you aren’t needed to refine the running as you start running, but paying attention to what techniques affect the feet and how it feels.
Don’t shy from testing your foot with different types of footstrikes to see how it will feel. You must know what your body’s reaction to running impacts. You can ask your coach to refine your movements and find better running form.
