Running Injury Prevention: The Essential Guide to Better Form
Running injury prevention is an important topic for any runner, whether you’re training for a marathon or just getting started. There are two types of factors that can contribute to a running injury:
- Extrinsic factors — external influences like running surface, training schedule, and footwear
- Intrinsic factors — internal influences like muscle imbalances, previous injuries, and running biomechanics
If you’re dealing with an injury, seeing a chiropractor or another healthcare professional can help identify which internal and external factors are contributing to your condition so you can correct them. This article focuses specifically on how to perfect your running biomechanics, since faulty mechanics are one of the most common causes of running injuries.
🏃 Dealing with a recurring running injury? A biomechanics assessment can pinpoint exactly what's driving it.
Where Should Your Foot Land?
Let’s walk through the gait cycle and talk about what your stride should actually look like. When your foot hits the ground, where should it land—on your heel, your mid-foot, or the ball of your foot?
Your foot should strike either mid-foot or on the ball of the foot, depending on your running speed. Sprinters covering short distances should run on the balls of their feet, since the foot is more rigid in that position and allows for faster movement. But you can’t sustain a forefoot strike over long distances—it puts significant strain on the Achilles tendon, calf, and plantar fascia. If you’re running even 5km, you should be landing with a mid-foot strike.
Heel striking should never occur, even at slower running speeds. It creates a higher braking force and increases ground contact time, both of which slow you down and increase the force traveling through your knees, hips, and low back. Heel striking is probably the most common mechanical mistake leading to pain and injury, and it also increases the vertical distance you travel with each stride, wasting energy in the process.
👟 Not sure what your own foot strike looks like? A gait analysis can show you exactly where to make adjustments.
Where Should Your Foot Land in Relation to Your Body?
Now, where should your foot land relative to your body—in front of you, or in line with you? Your foot should hit the ground in line with your hip, which again helps minimize that braking force. To land your foot in line with your hip, you need to lean forward slightly from the ankle. Avoid leaning forward from your hips instead, as this tends to cause low back and hip flexor problems.
Where Does Your Power Come From?
Your hip. The biggest muscles in your body generate the most power, and when you extend your hip back, it works like pulling back a slingshot—releasing your leg forward is where your power comes from, thanks to what’s known as the stretch reflex. There’s no benefit to pushing off a second time through your toes; it generates very little additional force and can actually contribute to plantar fasciitis.
What About Your Upper Body?
Your shoulders should move with a simple, pendulum-like forward and backward motion—but avoid letting your arms cross over the midline of your body. On the backswing, your hand should swing back to just above and behind your hip joint for most running speeds, swinging back further as your speed increases.
Breathe from your abdominal muscles for a fuller breath and less tension in your shoulders. Try not to over-flex your abs while running, since this can prevent you from taking a full, deep breath.
Key Takeaways
Most running injuries come down to a combination of extrinsic factors (surface, footwear, training load) and intrinsic factors (biomechanics, imbalances, past injuries). Focusing on a mid-foot strike, landing your foot in line with your hip, generating power from the hip rather than the toes, and keeping a relaxed upper body can go a long way toward preventing common running injuries.
Ready to Run Pain-Free?
If you have any other questions or would like help treating or preventing a running injury, contact Dr. Jen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Heel striking increases braking force and ground contact time, which slows you down and increases stress on your knees, hips, and low back. A mid-foot or forefoot strike is recommended instead, depending on your speed.
No. Running on the balls of your feet is best suited for sprinting short distances. For anything 5km or longer, a mid-foot strike is recommended to avoid excess strain on the Achilles tendon, calf, and plantar fascia.
Your arms should swing in a simple forward-and-backward pendulum motion without crossing the midline of your body, swinging further back as your speed increases.
Heel striking is one of the most common mistakes, along with leaning forward from the hips instead of the ankle, both of which contribute to increased injury risk.
