FOOT STRIKE AND INJURY RATES IN ENDURANCE RUNNERS: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY- REVISITED

Although the sport and exercise of running has a great amount of benefits to anyone's health, there is a chance of injury that can occur. There are many variables that can contribute to running injury. However, because of the vast amount of footsteps a frequent runner takes during their average run, foot strike pattern is a significant factor to be investigated in running injury research. This study hypothesized that due to biomechanical factors, runners that exhibited a rear foot striking pattern would display a greater incidence of chronic lower extremity injury in comparison to forefoot striking counterparts. This hypothesis would support previous studies conducted on the topic. Student-athletes in the Arizona State University- Men's and Women's Track & Field program, specifically those who compete in distance events, were given self reporting surveys to provide injury history and had their foot strike patterns analyzed through video recordings. The survey and analysis of foot strike patterns resulted in data that mostly followed the hypothesized pattern of mid-foot and forefoot striking runners displaying a lower average frequency of injury in comparison to rear foot strikers. The differences in these averages across all injury categories was found to be statistically significant. One category that displayed the most supportive results was in the average frequency of mild injury. This lead to the proposed idea that while foot strike patterns may not be the best predictor of moderate and severe injuries, they may play a greater role in the origin of mild injury. Such injuries can be the gateway to more serious injury (moderate and severe) that are more likely to have their cause in other sources such as genetics or body composition for example. This study did support the idea that foot strike pattern can be the main predictor in incidence of running injuries, but also displayed that it is one of many major factors that contribute to injuries in runners.