The Automatic Strike-Change Phenomenon: When Running Barefoot Patients Change from a Heel Strike to a Forefoot Strike Without Any Instruction

Wes Zimmermann; Naomi van Valderen

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijsspe.20210601.11

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The Automatic Strike-Change Phenomenon: When Running Barefoot Patients Change from a Heel Strike to a Forefoot Strike Without Any Instruction

Wes Zimmermann, Naomi van Valderen

Published in International Journal of Sports Science and Physical Education (Volume 6, Issue 1)

Received: 17 February 2021 Accepted: 2 March 2021 Published: 10 March 2021

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Abstract

The department of Military Sports Medicine of the Royal Netherlands Army has an ongoing research line ‘Exercise-Related Leg Pain’ since 2011. This study investigated which immediate changes occur in running technique while running barefoot or in minimalist running shoes on a treadmill, which proportion of service members automatically changed from a heel strike landing to a forefoot strike landing without any instruction to do so, and whether these patients experienced a subsequent gait retraining program as easier and completed it faster or with a better clinical outcome. In total, data from 53 patients with exercise-related leg pain were used to answer the research questions. Running barefoot, 24.5% of patients automatically changed from a heel strike landing to a forefoot strike landing (16.7% of the men, 54.5% of the women), in minimalist shoes the percentage of automatic strike-changers was 5.7% (2,4% of men, 16.2% of women). Running barefoot, the patients used shorter strides and a higher cadence than in traditional running shoes and the vertical ground reaction forces under the midfoot and heel were lower. Automatic strike-changers were not better candidates for the treatment program, in terms of subjective ease of the gait retraining sessions and duration or outcome of the treatment program. Running barefoot is a helpful methodology to facilitate gait retraining.

Published in	International Journal of Sports Science and Physical Education (Volume 6, Issue 1)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijsspe.20210601.11
Page(s)	1-7
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Exercise-related Leg Pain, Gait Retraining, Landing Patterns, Barefoot Running, Military

References

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[3]	Dijksma I, Bekkers M, Spek B et al. Epidemiology and financial burden of musculoskeletal injuries as the leading health problem in the military. Mil Med 2019, 185, 3-4, e480-e486.
[4]	Davis IS, Rice HM, Wearing SC. Why forefoot striking in minimalist shoes might positively change the course of running injuries. J Sport health Sci 2017, 6, 154-161.
[5]	Zimmermann WO, Bakker EWP. Reducing vertical ground reaction forces: the relative importance of three gait retraining cues. Clin Biom 2019, 69, 16-20.
[6]	Zimmermann WO, van Valderen NRI, Linschoten CW et al. Gait retraining reduces vertical ground reaction forces in running shoes and military boots. Transl Sports Med 2019, 2, 90-97.
[7]	Zimmermann WO, Linschoten CW, Beutler AI. Gait retraining as part of the treatment program for service members with exercise-related leg pain: preliminary clinical experiences and retention. S African J Sports Med 2017, 29.
[8]	Ligthert E, Helmhout PH, van der Wurff P et al. Het onderbeenspreekuur in het Centraal Militair Hospitaal, deel 1. NMGT 2017, 70, 90-98. [Dutch].
[9]	Zimmermann WO, Hutchinson MR, van den Berg RH et al. Conservative treatment of anterior chronic compartment syndrome in the military, with a mid-term follow up. BMJ Open Sport & Exerc Med 2019, 5, e000532. Connors, J., & Levy, J. (2020).
[10]	Paquette MR, Zhang S, Baumgartner LD. Acute effects of barefoot, minimal shoes and running shoes on lower limb mechanics in rear and forefoot strikers. Footwear Science 2013, 5, 1, 9-18.
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[13]	Bonacci J, Saunders PU, Hicks A et al. Running in a minimalist and lightweight shoe is not the same as barefoot: a biomechanical study. Br J Sports med 2013, 47, 387-392.
[14]	Squadrone R, Rodano R, Hamill J et al. Acute effects of different minimalist shoes on foot strike pattern and kinematics in rearfoot strikers during running. Journal of Sports Sciences 2014, 33, 11, 1196-1204.
[15]	Rios-Leon M, Ortega-Santiago R, Madeleine P et al. Topographical pressure pain sensitivity maps of the feet reveal bilateral pain sensitivity in patients with unilateral plantar heel pain. J of Orthop and Sports Phys Ther 2019, 49, 9, 640-646.

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APA Style

Wes Zimmermann, Naomi van Valderen. (2021). The Automatic Strike-Change Phenomenon: When Running Barefoot Patients Change from a Heel Strike to a Forefoot Strike Without Any Instruction. International Journal of Sports Science and Physical Education, 6(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsspe.20210601.11

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ACS Style

Wes Zimmermann; Naomi van Valderen. The Automatic Strike-Change Phenomenon: When Running Barefoot Patients Change from a Heel Strike to a Forefoot Strike Without Any Instruction. Int. J. Sports Sci. Phys. Educ. 2021, 6(1), 1-7. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsspe.20210601.11

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AMA Style

Wes Zimmermann, Naomi van Valderen. The Automatic Strike-Change Phenomenon: When Running Barefoot Patients Change from a Heel Strike to a Forefoot Strike Without Any Instruction. Int J Sports Sci Phys Educ. 2021;6(1):1-7. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsspe.20210601.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ijsspe.20210601.11,
  author = {Wes Zimmermann and Naomi van Valderen},
  title = {The Automatic Strike-Change Phenomenon: When Running Barefoot Patients Change from a Heel Strike to a Forefoot Strike Without Any Instruction},
  journal = {International Journal of Sports Science and Physical Education},
  volume = {6},
  number = {1},
  pages = {1-7},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijsspe.20210601.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsspe.20210601.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijsspe.20210601.11},
  abstract = {The department of Military Sports Medicine of the Royal Netherlands Army has an ongoing research line ‘Exercise-Related Leg Pain’ since 2011. This study investigated which immediate changes occur in running technique while running barefoot or in minimalist running shoes on a treadmill, which proportion of service members automatically changed from a heel strike landing to a forefoot strike landing without any instruction to do so, and whether these patients experienced a subsequent gait retraining program as easier and completed it faster or with a better clinical outcome. In total, data from 53 patients with exercise-related leg pain were used to answer the research questions. Running barefoot, 24.5% of patients automatically changed from a heel strike landing to a forefoot strike landing (16.7% of the men, 54.5% of the women), in minimalist shoes the percentage of automatic strike-changers was 5.7% (2,4% of men, 16.2% of women). Running barefoot, the patients used shorter strides and a higher cadence than in traditional running shoes and the vertical ground reaction forces under the midfoot and heel were lower. Automatic strike-changers were not better candidates for the treatment program, in terms of subjective ease of the gait retraining sessions and duration or outcome of the treatment program. Running barefoot is a helpful methodology to facilitate gait retraining.},
 year = {2021}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - The Automatic Strike-Change Phenomenon: When Running Barefoot Patients Change from a Heel Strike to a Forefoot Strike Without Any Instruction
AU  - Wes Zimmermann
AU  - Naomi van Valderen
Y1  - 2021/03/10
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsspe.20210601.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijsspe.20210601.11
T2  - International Journal of Sports Science and Physical Education
JF  - International Journal of Sports Science and Physical Education
JO  - International Journal of Sports Science and Physical Education
SP  - 1
EP  - 7
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-1611
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsspe.20210601.11
AB  - The department of Military Sports Medicine of the Royal Netherlands Army has an ongoing research line ‘Exercise-Related Leg Pain’ since 2011. This study investigated which immediate changes occur in running technique while running barefoot or in minimalist running shoes on a treadmill, which proportion of service members automatically changed from a heel strike landing to a forefoot strike landing without any instruction to do so, and whether these patients experienced a subsequent gait retraining program as easier and completed it faster or with a better clinical outcome. In total, data from 53 patients with exercise-related leg pain were used to answer the research questions. Running barefoot, 24.5% of patients automatically changed from a heel strike landing to a forefoot strike landing (16.7% of the men, 54.5% of the women), in minimalist shoes the percentage of automatic strike-changers was 5.7% (2,4% of men, 16.2% of women). Running barefoot, the patients used shorter strides and a higher cadence than in traditional running shoes and the vertical ground reaction forces under the midfoot and heel were lower. Automatic strike-changers were not better candidates for the treatment program, in terms of subjective ease of the gait retraining sessions and duration or outcome of the treatment program. Running barefoot is a helpful methodology to facilitate gait retraining.
VL  - 6
IS  - 1
ER  -

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Author Information

Wes Zimmermann

Department of Military Sports Medicine, Royal Netherlands Army, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Naomi van Valderen

Department of Military Sports Medicine, Royal Netherlands Army, Utrecht, The Netherlands

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APA Style

Wes Zimmermann, Naomi van Valderen. (2021). The Automatic Strike-Change Phenomenon: When Running Barefoot Patients Change from a Heel Strike to a Forefoot Strike Without Any Instruction. International Journal of Sports Science and Physical Education, 6(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsspe.20210601.11

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ACS Style

Wes Zimmermann; Naomi van Valderen. The Automatic Strike-Change Phenomenon: When Running Barefoot Patients Change from a Heel Strike to a Forefoot Strike Without Any Instruction. Int. J. Sports Sci. Phys. Educ. 2021, 6(1), 1-7. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsspe.20210601.11

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AMA Style

Wes Zimmermann, Naomi van Valderen. The Automatic Strike-Change Phenomenon: When Running Barefoot Patients Change from a Heel Strike to a Forefoot Strike Without Any Instruction. Int J Sports Sci Phys Educ. 2021;6(1):1-7. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsspe.20210601.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijsspe.20210601.11,
  author = {Wes Zimmermann and Naomi van Valderen},
  title = {The Automatic Strike-Change Phenomenon: When Running Barefoot Patients Change from a Heel Strike to a Forefoot Strike Without Any Instruction},
  journal = {International Journal of Sports Science and Physical Education},
  volume = {6},
  number = {1},
  pages = {1-7},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijsspe.20210601.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsspe.20210601.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijsspe.20210601.11},
  abstract = {The department of Military Sports Medicine of the Royal Netherlands Army has an ongoing research line ‘Exercise-Related Leg Pain’ since 2011. This study investigated which immediate changes occur in running technique while running barefoot or in minimalist running shoes on a treadmill, which proportion of service members automatically changed from a heel strike landing to a forefoot strike landing without any instruction to do so, and whether these patients experienced a subsequent gait retraining program as easier and completed it faster or with a better clinical outcome. In total, data from 53 patients with exercise-related leg pain were used to answer the research questions. Running barefoot, 24.5% of patients automatically changed from a heel strike landing to a forefoot strike landing (16.7% of the men, 54.5% of the women), in minimalist shoes the percentage of automatic strike-changers was 5.7% (2,4% of men, 16.2% of women). Running barefoot, the patients used shorter strides and a higher cadence than in traditional running shoes and the vertical ground reaction forces under the midfoot and heel were lower. Automatic strike-changers were not better candidates for the treatment program, in terms of subjective ease of the gait retraining sessions and duration or outcome of the treatment program. Running barefoot is a helpful methodology to facilitate gait retraining.},
 year = {2021}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - The Automatic Strike-Change Phenomenon: When Running Barefoot Patients Change from a Heel Strike to a Forefoot Strike Without Any Instruction
AU  - Wes Zimmermann
AU  - Naomi van Valderen
Y1  - 2021/03/10
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsspe.20210601.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijsspe.20210601.11
T2  - International Journal of Sports Science and Physical Education
JF  - International Journal of Sports Science and Physical Education
JO  - International Journal of Sports Science and Physical Education
SP  - 1
EP  - 7
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-1611
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsspe.20210601.11
AB  - The department of Military Sports Medicine of the Royal Netherlands Army has an ongoing research line ‘Exercise-Related Leg Pain’ since 2011. This study investigated which immediate changes occur in running technique while running barefoot or in minimalist running shoes on a treadmill, which proportion of service members automatically changed from a heel strike landing to a forefoot strike landing without any instruction to do so, and whether these patients experienced a subsequent gait retraining program as easier and completed it faster or with a better clinical outcome. In total, data from 53 patients with exercise-related leg pain were used to answer the research questions. Running barefoot, 24.5% of patients automatically changed from a heel strike landing to a forefoot strike landing (16.7% of the men, 54.5% of the women), in minimalist shoes the percentage of automatic strike-changers was 5.7% (2,4% of men, 16.2% of women). Running barefoot, the patients used shorter strides and a higher cadence than in traditional running shoes and the vertical ground reaction forces under the midfoot and heel were lower. Automatic strike-changers were not better candidates for the treatment program, in terms of subjective ease of the gait retraining sessions and duration or outcome of the treatment program. Running barefoot is a helpful methodology to facilitate gait retraining.
VL  - 6
IS  - 1
ER  -

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