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The Automatic Strike-Change Phenomenon: When Running Barefoot Patients Change from a Heel Strike to a Forefoot Strike Without Any Instruction

Received: 17 February 2021     Accepted: 2 March 2021     Published: 10 March 2021
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Abstract

The department of Military Sports Medicine of the Royal Netherlands Army has an ongoing research line ‘Exercise-Related Leg Pain’ since 2011. This study investigated which immediate changes occur in running technique while running barefoot or in minimalist running shoes on a treadmill, which proportion of service members automatically changed from a heel strike landing to a forefoot strike landing without any instruction to do so, and whether these patients experienced a subsequent gait retraining program as easier and completed it faster or with a better clinical outcome. In total, data from 53 patients with exercise-related leg pain were used to answer the research questions. Running barefoot, 24.5% of patients automatically changed from a heel strike landing to a forefoot strike landing (16.7% of the men, 54.5% of the women), in minimalist shoes the percentage of automatic strike-changers was 5.7% (2,4% of men, 16.2% of women). Running barefoot, the patients used shorter strides and a higher cadence than in traditional running shoes and the vertical ground reaction forces under the midfoot and heel were lower. Automatic strike-changers were not better candidates for the treatment program, in terms of subjective ease of the gait retraining sessions and duration or outcome of the treatment program. Running barefoot is a helpful methodology to facilitate gait retraining.

Published in International Journal of Sports Science and Physical Education (Volume 6, Issue 1)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijsspe.20210601.11
Page(s) 1-7
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Exercise-related Leg Pain, Gait Retraining, Landing Patterns, Barefoot Running, Military

References
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[2] Zimmermann WO, Helmhout PH, Beutler AI. Prevention and treatment of exercise related leg pain in young soldiers. A review of the literature and current practice in the Royal Netherlands Armed forces. J R Army Med Corps 2017, 163, 94-103.
[3] Dijksma I, Bekkers M, Spek B et al. Epidemiology and financial burden of musculoskeletal injuries as the leading health problem in the military. Mil Med 2019, 185, 3-4, e480-e486.
[4] Davis IS, Rice HM, Wearing SC. Why forefoot striking in minimalist shoes might positively change the course of running injuries. J Sport health Sci 2017, 6, 154-161.
[5] Zimmermann WO, Bakker EWP. Reducing vertical ground reaction forces: the relative importance of three gait retraining cues. Clin Biom 2019, 69, 16-20.
[6] Zimmermann WO, van Valderen NRI, Linschoten CW et al. Gait retraining reduces vertical ground reaction forces in running shoes and military boots. Transl Sports Med 2019, 2, 90-97.
[7] Zimmermann WO, Linschoten CW, Beutler AI. Gait retraining as part of the treatment program for service members with exercise-related leg pain: preliminary clinical experiences and retention. S African J Sports Med 2017, 29.
[8] Ligthert E, Helmhout PH, van der Wurff P et al. Het onderbeenspreekuur in het Centraal Militair Hospitaal, deel 1. NMGT 2017, 70, 90-98. [Dutch].
[9] Zimmermann WO, Hutchinson MR, van den Berg RH et al. Conservative treatment of anterior chronic compartment syndrome in the military, with a mid-term follow up. BMJ Open Sport & Exerc Med 2019, 5, e000532. Connors, J., & Levy, J. (2020).
[10] Paquette MR, Zhang S, Baumgartner LD. Acute effects of barefoot, minimal shoes and running shoes on lower limb mechanics in rear and forefoot strikers. Footwear Science 2013, 5, 1, 9-18.
[11] Knapik JJ, Orr R, Pope R et al. Injuries and footwear (part 2). J of Special Operations Med 2016, 16, 1, 89-96.
[12] Williams GN, Gangel TJ, Arciero RA et al. Comparison of the single assessment evaluation method and two shoulder rating scales. Am J Sports Med 1999, 27, 2, 214-221.
[13] Bonacci J, Saunders PU, Hicks A et al. Running in a minimalist and lightweight shoe is not the same as barefoot: a biomechanical study. Br J Sports med 2013, 47, 387-392.
[14] Squadrone R, Rodano R, Hamill J et al. Acute effects of different minimalist shoes on foot strike pattern and kinematics in rearfoot strikers during running. Journal of Sports Sciences 2014, 33, 11, 1196-1204.
[15] Rios-Leon M, Ortega-Santiago R, Madeleine P et al. Topographical pressure pain sensitivity maps of the feet reveal bilateral pain sensitivity in patients with unilateral plantar heel pain. J of Orthop and Sports Phys Ther 2019, 49, 9, 640-646.
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  • APA Style

    Wes Zimmermann, Naomi van Valderen. (2021). The Automatic Strike-Change Phenomenon: When Running Barefoot Patients Change from a Heel Strike to a Forefoot Strike Without Any Instruction. International Journal of Sports Science and Physical Education, 6(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsspe.20210601.11

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    ACS Style

    Wes Zimmermann; Naomi van Valderen. The Automatic Strike-Change Phenomenon: When Running Barefoot Patients Change from a Heel Strike to a Forefoot Strike Without Any Instruction. Int. J. Sports Sci. Phys. Educ. 2021, 6(1), 1-7. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsspe.20210601.11

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    AMA Style

    Wes Zimmermann, Naomi van Valderen. The Automatic Strike-Change Phenomenon: When Running Barefoot Patients Change from a Heel Strike to a Forefoot Strike Without Any Instruction. Int J Sports Sci Phys Educ. 2021;6(1):1-7. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsspe.20210601.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijsspe.20210601.11,
      author = {Wes Zimmermann and Naomi van Valderen},
      title = {The Automatic Strike-Change Phenomenon: When Running Barefoot Patients Change from a Heel Strike to a Forefoot Strike Without Any Instruction},
      journal = {International Journal of Sports Science and Physical Education},
      volume = {6},
      number = {1},
      pages = {1-7},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijsspe.20210601.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsspe.20210601.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijsspe.20210601.11},
      abstract = {The department of Military Sports Medicine of the Royal Netherlands Army has an ongoing research line ‘Exercise-Related Leg Pain’ since 2011. This study investigated which immediate changes occur in running technique while running barefoot or in minimalist running shoes on a treadmill, which proportion of service members automatically changed from a heel strike landing to a forefoot strike landing without any instruction to do so, and whether these patients experienced a subsequent gait retraining program as easier and completed it faster or with a better clinical outcome. In total, data from 53 patients with exercise-related leg pain were used to answer the research questions. Running barefoot, 24.5% of patients automatically changed from a heel strike landing to a forefoot strike landing (16.7% of the men, 54.5% of the women), in minimalist shoes the percentage of automatic strike-changers was 5.7% (2,4% of men, 16.2% of women). Running barefoot, the patients used shorter strides and a higher cadence than in traditional running shoes and the vertical ground reaction forces under the midfoot and heel were lower. Automatic strike-changers were not better candidates for the treatment program, in terms of subjective ease of the gait retraining sessions and duration or outcome of the treatment program. Running barefoot is a helpful methodology to facilitate gait retraining.},
     year = {2021}
    }
    

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    AU  - Wes Zimmermann
    AU  - Naomi van Valderen
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    DO  - 10.11648/j.ijsspe.20210601.11
    T2  - International Journal of Sports Science and Physical Education
    JF  - International Journal of Sports Science and Physical Education
    JO  - International Journal of Sports Science and Physical Education
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    AB  - The department of Military Sports Medicine of the Royal Netherlands Army has an ongoing research line ‘Exercise-Related Leg Pain’ since 2011. This study investigated which immediate changes occur in running technique while running barefoot or in minimalist running shoes on a treadmill, which proportion of service members automatically changed from a heel strike landing to a forefoot strike landing without any instruction to do so, and whether these patients experienced a subsequent gait retraining program as easier and completed it faster or with a better clinical outcome. In total, data from 53 patients with exercise-related leg pain were used to answer the research questions. Running barefoot, 24.5% of patients automatically changed from a heel strike landing to a forefoot strike landing (16.7% of the men, 54.5% of the women), in minimalist shoes the percentage of automatic strike-changers was 5.7% (2,4% of men, 16.2% of women). Running barefoot, the patients used shorter strides and a higher cadence than in traditional running shoes and the vertical ground reaction forces under the midfoot and heel were lower. Automatic strike-changers were not better candidates for the treatment program, in terms of subjective ease of the gait retraining sessions and duration or outcome of the treatment program. Running barefoot is a helpful methodology to facilitate gait retraining.
    VL  - 6
    IS  - 1
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Author Information
  • Department of Military Sports Medicine, Royal Netherlands Army, Utrecht, The Netherlands

  • Department of Military Sports Medicine, Royal Netherlands Army, Utrecht, The Netherlands

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