Heel striking when running- Is it really that bad?

Everyone has heard it at some point- you should run on the balls of your feet and not your heels. Whether it was from a gym teacher in elementary school or an article touting the benefits of running in barefoot-style running shoes, everyone who runs has heard it at some point. The real question is, does it really matter whether or not you heel strike when you run?

The short answer to the question is no- it does not matter whether you heel strike or not. Some of the top distance runners in the world heel strike and they are just fine. There is also no evidence that heel striking itself inherently increases your risk of a running related injury. However, that does not mean that there is not a little more nuance to the topic.

Heel strike vs. midfoot strike vs. forefoot strike

There are three basic types of foot striking patterns: forefoot, midfoot and rearfoot strikers. Forefoot runners land largely toward their toes, rearfoot strikers on their heels, and midfoot somewhere in between. Which is going to work best for you is largely a personal choice towards whatever feels the most comfortable when you run. More than 70% of all runners are naturally heel strikers, and this is likely because heel striking has been found to be more energy efficient in most runners at a slow to medium speed. Additionally, most people will change what part of their foot contacts the ground based on how fast they are running. In general, the faster pace that you are running, the more towards the forefoot that you are going to land. However, this is not to say that there are not differences between the various foot striking patterns. Forefoot strikers see greater forces through the achilles tendon, calves, ankles and metatarsals. Rearfoot strikers tend to put more force through their patella (knee-cap), patellar tendon, hip and knee joints. This suggests that while overall injury risk may not differ between the two groups of runners, each may be at increased injury risk in these specific areas that are seeing more stress when running.

More than worrying about whether or not you are landing on your heel when you run, you should be thinking about where relative to your body your foot is landing when it contacts the ground. You want your foot to be as close to underneath your centre of mass as possible with it contacts the ground. This will allow you to efficiently transfer your energy into the stance phase on that foot and begin your next stride. If your foot lands too far in front of your body, you are going to create a “breaking” force that is going to momentarily slow you down, before your body has to propel itself forward again to catch up to your leg. This is termed “over-striding” and is something that you want to avoid no matter what type of foot striker you are. The two easiest ways to prevent over-striding are to slightly lean forward when you are running and to shorten your stride length.

So next time that you are out for a run, don’t worry so much about trying to run on your toes or on your heels- just find whatever is naturally comfortable for you! Land with your feet underneath your centre of gravity, lean slightly forward, shorten your stride and you will take your running to the next level!

Happy running.