Can running gait retraining improve running efficiency

We’re asking ourselves if the individual’s gait may place more stress on sensitive tissue and whether we can modified it. I also often wonder though what impact such changes may have on performance. This new study went some way to answering that question and exploring the interplay between gait, loading and efficiency…

Step Frequency Training Improves Running Economy in Well-Trained Female Runners – Quinn et al. (2019)

                                                  Resource : Running Physio

Runners with good economy use less oxygen than runners with poor economy at the same steady state speed (Barnes and Kilding 2015 – a great open access paper if you’d like to find out more).

• Quinn et al. (2019) report that step rate increased by approximately 7.5% which is also how much Willy et al. (2015) aimed to increase step rate by in their study which saw reductions in impact force, hip adduction and knee load.

• A recent study (Pizzuto et al. 2019) found that knee flexion/ extension and hip adduction during stance were associated with running economy, with hip adduction explaining as much as 43% of the variance in economy. In a nutshell increased knee flexion or hip adduction during stance appear likely to have a negative effect on economy. They’re also thought to increase load on several tissues, especially the patellofemoral joint (Lenhart et al. 2014, Neal et al. 2016).

• Increasing step rate by 10% has been found to reduce peak knee flexion and hip adduction (Schubert et al. 2014) and reduce patellofemoral load and peak muscle forces for the calf, quads and glutes (Lenhart et al. 2014). 

• An increase in step rate has also been reported to reduce peak achilles load, (Lyght et al. 2016) tibial load (Edwards et al. 2009) and plantar fascial load (Wellenkotter et al. 2014)

•  Luedke et al. (2016) found those with a low step rate (164 or less) were more likely to develop shin pain that those with a higher step rate (174 or above).

Resource : Running Physio

Key Note to remember:

• If step rate is already high or we increase it too much it can have a negative effect on running economy and lead to a high number of loading cycles.
• It’s important to recognize that increasing cadence is far from a cure all and should be based on an individual’s need and goals.
• Step rate is influenced by speed and height and tends to be higher in more experienced athletes (Luedke et al. 2018). There’s no single approach to it (such as aiming for a cadence of 180) that will suit everyone.

Bonus: Download free Running Assessment Sheet by clicking the link below

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1i66OtYrOvZHy5siRDL61_qiZlDfTQXgo