Gait Patterns & Running Mechanics

Simply put, gait patterns are the unique, repetitive way you move across the ground. But to be a little more specific, it is the sequence of events occurring throughout the entire body that allow you to walk (or run) from ‘A’ to ‘B’. The timing of the events that take place throughout the swing and stance phase is crucial for an efficient gait cycle.

You can probably appreciate how overuse injuries may occur when inefficiencies exist at any stage in one’s gait cycle. These flaws may have a negative effect on joint angles, bone stress, muscle recruitment, tendon loading, and overall timing.

A 2022 study showed that gait modifications had an immediate effect on runners experiencing patellofemoral pain, likely due to altered forces at the patellofemoral joint (3).

Footwear

The foundational role of footwear is to protect our feet, absorb shock, and either improve or maintain foot & lower limb position to facilitate optimal gait patterns. Unfortunately, the world of running shoes is a complex one, where the overwhelming amount of choice, tech, and opinions makes purchasing shoes quite a difficult task.

One common risk factor seen in-clinic is footwear that doesn’t suit the runner’s foot type, biomechanics, or training demands. It’s not uncommon to see shoes that were purchased with the belief they had beneficial qualities (e.g. arch support), only for them to destabilise the foot further.

Additionally – and given their rise in popularity, this is worth a mention – supershoes, such as carbon-plated footwear, may increase running-related injury risk. These specialised types of footwear have been shown to introduce new biomechanical demands on the foot and lower extremities (4).

Training Load

High training loads may increase injury rates, but training can also protect us from injury. This is the training load paradox.

So, what are the risk factors? To put it simply, ‘over’ or ‘under’ training.

Excessive and rapid increases to training load may increase non-contact, soft tissue injuries (5) i.e. running! However, not training enough may mean your anatomical structures are not adapted to the forces you will encounter during a run.

A common guideline used amongst runners and coaches is the ‘10% rule’. This implies that training load should not exceed a 10% increase per week e.g. if you ran a total of 20km this week, then next week should be a maximum of 22km.

As widely adopted as this is, there is no significant amount of scientific evidence to support it – for example, Nielsen et al states some individuals may tolerate 20-25% increases for a short period of time (6) – however the overall message may be worth considering.

Strength

It is no secret that there is an increase in force and soft tissue demand during running. These demands may only increase further with hills, uneven terrain, and trail running.

Weaknesses present in the lower limb may reduce your capacity to handle the loads experienced during running. However, lower body strengthening exercises are known to improve bone density as well as tendon stiffness and thickness (8).

These adaptations in the context of running can reduce risk of injury, as tissues are more resilient to the loading experienced during running. Additionally, resistance training can result in soft tissues being more capable of producing force and power (9), which directly affects running performance and economy i.e. faster and more efficient running.