Increasing cadence could be an effective thing to try for runner’s knee, as well as maybe doing some work to increase gluteus medius strength if you have issues with hip stability.

I have switched to Vibrams and yes, I no longer suffer from knee pain, shin splints and it makes running fun again.

People who do experience problems are the ones that have been running for a while and then go out and do 3 miles in Vibrams thinking, the “start off slow” rule does not apply to them.

Well, I’m here to tell you, you have to start off slow. Maybe walk in them for a while, then build up to a mile and go from there.

I can’t imagine wearing my running shoes again.

Mark,

It often goes unmentioned, but even some of the runners he filmed in Kenya
running barefoot did heel strike. This even includes 1 or 2 (can’t recall)
who had never worn shoes. Do you have the paper? If not, I can send you a
copy.

Pete

Could be my commenting system – I’ll check into it.

Pete

I believe my thick-soled, insert-laden stability shoes were improperly matched to what I was doing. More of my “midfoot” strike was actually “forefoot” because I couldn’t feel the middle well. It was as if the shoes shifted my foot too far forward, especially for what they were prepared to do.

Had I actually a) not gone that far, and b) had a shoe with a lower toe-to-heel height, I most likely would not be sitting on the sidelines.

This said, thanks for all the information. I am learning a lot and have 2 different pairs of shoes to try when I get back to fulltime (and shorter distance) running!

As I go longer into my marathon training one thing I’ve noticed is a perceptible difference in how my knees react during long runs. I’ve never had any real problems with them, but lately I can feel stress I haven’t before. I was wondering just the other day if it had anything to do with slowing down the pace, which would make sense since I’m no longer running as “light” as I normally do. All my weight is, theoretically, on those joints longer as my stride slows.

Just out of curiosity I’m going to see if I can determine what my current stride/minute rate is. When I started back running a few years ago I used to listen to BPM music, and for the most part was around 150-155. I know it’s much more now, but it will be interesting to see just how much.

Regarding Lieberman having identified some barefoot runners who heel strike, I believe that is an artifact of his subjects doing their running on the lab’s treadmill (all of which are partially cushioned). Regardless of the extent of cushioning present on Lieberman’s treadmills, however, his subjects certainly know that there is no risk on a treadmill for them to heel land on an unseen small pebble (an otherwise excruciating pain which would *quickly* revises the strike pattern of a neophyte barefoot runner subject to nature’s vagaries) the normal feedback mechanisms prompting running form changes are partially inhibited.

Regarding the initial awkwardness of running with a shorter stride, you’re absolutely right that *any* change feels that way until the neuro-muscular patterning becomes somewhat ingrained and the subject begins to see the benefit of their making the change. From my perspective, though the treadmill has the potential disadvantage of inhibiting running form changes, for a sincere runner interested in experimenting with their running form it makes an ideal test bed since without distraction of their environment they can concentrate fully on changes to their cadence, stride length, and overall running form, and how those elements affect their overall efficiency (measured indirectly by their respiration.) I have been doing exactly that over my repeated treadmill runs of late, while wearing minimal shoes such as the Nike Free Runs, Brooks running flats, and VFFs, and I think it’s paying off in my running form (i.e. a more rapid cadence of ~180 spm, a somewhat shorter stride, slight forward lean from my ankles, and landing closer to my COG). The jury is out until I have a chance to run competitively, but I’m very encouraged, so thanks again.

I am really late in chiming in but I love this post and keep coming back to read it. One thing with Heiderscheit’s study is the limitations of link segment modeling. These only model external forces and incorporate any of the loading that occurs from muscular contractions. These variables could obviously impact the results and conclusions. And of course, we don’t know if greater forces are bad.

I thought you might like an article I just wrote summarizing the changes that occur with barefoot, shod and different footstrike positions. You have covered these areas extensively but I tried to add some of the research that is conflicting (which you have done as well) and might be a little lesser known.

If you ever want the original papers (in pdf) I can send them.

Here is the link

http://thebodymechanic.ca/2011…

Keep up the great writing,

Greg

“I’m having repeated problems with comments disappearing… hmm.. perhaps it is my browser or something, or that anything coming from Sweden is auto-classified as spam :-).”

It’s not just Sweden! I had similar issues with a previous post and simply gave up.