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LER are reporting:
Impact frequency data suggest unique risks for forefoot strikers

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Full story

 

Here is the abstract from the meeting:
Frequency Content of the Vertical Ground Reaction Force Component During Rearfoot and Forefoot Running Patterns
Allison H. Gruber, Irene S. Davis, Joseph Hamill

 

That kinda make sense.

Heel strike --> greater impact loads at the heel
Forefoot strike --> greater loads on achilles and greater forefoot dorsiflexion moments of the forefoot on the rearfoot

Six of one, half a dozen of the other.

 

RF running = high frequencies; FF running = low frequencies = zones of optimal leg stiffness = tune the surface to the running style.

Think guitar strings.

 

Here is another related report from LER:
Foot strike patterns do not predict impact loading rates while running

Link

 

That's quiet interesting. Even though the passive mechanisms undergo greater stress during FF strike, is this level of stress actually injurious? Surely the stress threshold between bone and soft tissue varies under differing loads? Perhaps consideration also needs to be given to the manner in which soft tissue behaves during different strike patterns and whether or not that influences stress threshold i.e. concentric vs eccentric contraction