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As a runner who’s eager to seek out methods to run higher and assist others to do the identical, I’ve usually contemplated the query – what’s the best technique to run?

New analysis from Bas Van Hooren and colleagues in Sports activities Medication has tried to reply this by finishing a scientific assessment and meta-analysis. They included 51 research with 1115 runners!

What did they discover?

The next step charge (cadence) and better vertical stiffness and leg stiffness have been related to decrease power price/ higher working financial system. Decreased vertical oscillation and trunk flexion might also assist effectivity. Larger knee flexion in swing is usually inspired by coaches however may very well be related to poorer working financial system!

We’ve summarised their findings at totally different phases within the working gait cycle within the photographs beneath (tailored from Van Hooren et al. 2024):

How would possibly we apply this clinically?

Runners with a low step charge (e.g. lower than 175) could profit from a small improve (e.g. 3 to eight%), which could be achieved by working to the beat of a metronome or music. This will help tackle over-striding (which is assumed to scale back effectivity) and enhance leg stiffness and scale back vertical oscillation. Encouraging a extra upright trunk place could assist effectivity too.

Power coaching and/or plyometrics might also assist working financial system by growing decrease limb stiffness.

Runners are sometimes suggested to modify to forefoot strike to enhance effectivity however this assessment concluded that working financial system didn’t considerably differ between rearfoot or midfoot/forefoot strikers. Growing knee flexion throughout swing can also be generally steered however this can be related to worse working financial system and better power price.

This exhibits that we should be cautious of a one-size-fits-all all method – suggestions needs to be based mostly on particular person evaluation and desires.

Runners usually actually worth gait evaluation and recommendation on enhancing their approach so we’ve an in depth module dedicated to it in Operating Repairs On-line. Discover out extra about our on-line course and the way it will enable you to get nice outcomes with injured runners right here.

Just a few issues to contemplate…

The associations between biomechanics and financial system have been usually small to reasonable and, in some instances, have been non-significant or ‘trivial’. There’s additionally restricted proof that biomechanical modifications result in improved efficiency.

Altering working gait takes effort which is able to come at a metabolic price (particularly initially) so any advantages have to outweigh these prices to enhance financial system/ effectivity.

There’s a number of nice element within the paper so I’d extremely advocate studying this open entry assessment. Right here’s the hyperlink  https://hyperlink.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-024-01997-3