Biomechanical Strategies to Improve Running: Cadence, Footwear, and Orthoses-A Quasi-Experimental Study.

Background

Running-related injuries are often associated with biomechanical inefficiencies, particularly in the sagittal and frontal planes. This study evaluates the effects of three interventions-reduced heel-to-toe drop (HTD) shoes, increased cadence, and inversion foot orthoses-on key kinematic parameters: ankle dorsiflexion, knee flexion, and hip adduction (measured at foot strike and at their respective peak joint angles during the stance phase).

Methods

Nineteen recreational runners (ten males and nine females; mean ± SD: age 26.4 ± 4.3 years; height 174.2 ± 7.8 cm; weight 68.3 ± 9.6 kg; BMI 22.5 ± 2.1 kg/m2) participated in a 3D motion capture study under five experimental conditions: baseline (10 mm HTD, no cadence adjustment, no foot orthoses), full intervention (5 mm HTD, +10% cadence, orthoses), and three partial interventions: HTD combined with orthoses, HTD combined with increased cadence, and cadence increase alone. Kinematic changes were analyzed for statistical significance.

Results

The full intervention significantly increased ankle dorsiflexion at foot strike (from 8.11° to 10.44°; p = 0.005) and reduced peak knee flexion (from 45.43° to 43.07°; p = 0.003). Cadence adjustments consistently produced improvements, while orthoses and HTD alone showed effects on ankle flexion only.

Conclusions

Combining structural (HTD and orthoses) and dynamic (cadence) modifications optimizes running biomechanics, providing evidence-based strategies for injury prevention and performance enhancement.