550 injured recreational runners on an instrumented treadmill: strike pattern and peak vertical force were the only biomechanical variables that set one injury location apart
Midfoot strike went with Achilles tendon injuries (OR 2.27), forefoot strike with posterior lower-leg injuries (OR 2.59), peak vGRF weakly with hip injuries (OR 1.14); loading rate and cadence did not distinguish locations
Injured runners with a medically diagnosed running-related injury had undergone instrumented treadmill analysis (habitual strike pattern, vertical instantaneous loading rate, peak vGRF, cadence). Injuries were grouped by location per a consensus statement, and each location was compared with the rest of the injured group, adjusting for age, sex and BMI.
Participants
n=550 injured recreational runners, 49.6% female, all with a medically diagnosed running-related injury.
Protocol
Retrospective analysis of instrumented treadmill data; logistic regression of injury location on biomechanics plus age, sex and BMI; 90% confidence intervals.
Key Results
Midfoot strike distinguished Achilles tendon injuries (OR 2.27, 90% CI 1.17-4.41); forefoot strike distinguished posterior lower-leg injuries (OR 2.59, 90% CI 1.50-4.47).
Peak vGRF was weakly associated with hip injuries (OR 1.14, 90% CI 1.05-1.24).
Female sex: lower-leg (OR 2.65) and hip/groin injuries (OR 2.22); male sex: Achilles tendon injuries (OR 1.923).
Strike pattern and peak vGRF were the only biomechanical variables distinguishing an injury location.
Practical Application
In a runner who habitually lands mid- or forefoot, with Achilles or calf/posterior lower-leg pain, the strike pattern is a plausible contributor worth reviewing; this cohort links those patterns to those locations.
Inference: changing strike pattern may move load between sites rather than remove it; the design cannot show this directly.
Not from this paper; the base's own practice: a strike change is a load change for the calf and Achilles, so build it gradually (see REF-1120 for the bone side of a minimalist transition).
Limitations
Injured runners only: shows which pattern goes with which location, not who gets injured.
Retrospective; strike pattern measured on a treadmill, possibly after injury onset.
90% confidence intervals rather than the more usual wider ones; several comparisons.
How this entry was checked and changed
Why this level
cross-sectional/retrospective, compares injury locations among the injured, no uninjured group