Heel Striking Leads to Injury? (Read 1215 times)

Its biology; a mid or forefoot landing requires the calf muscle to be integrated into landing mechanics. Then it has to fire to slow heel impact.

 

Then after firing twice and fatigued, the calves have to fire to push off.

 

In contrast, a heel strike landing requires no calf muscle integration in the landing mechanics, and only fires once in push off.

 

Let me see six calf muscle firings per step or two firings per step, that's not a statistic, that's a fact....

Robert,

I don't know whether you're telling the truth or not, but it seems as if there's question regarding this. 

I don't need you to reply with a link from an authoritative source to "prove" the "fact", but I will caution you regarding how you're perceived by the people when it appears as if the "facts" may be questionable and when, naturally, people may believe the exact opposite of your "punch line statement".

A couple of observations, though, separate and apart from the reply to this quote...

1. An ostrich leg has knees that bend opposite as humans... (referencing L-Train's picture) 

2. Humans from the past ran on softer terrain that we currently have access to in the metroplex's we live in (sidewalks and roads), and it may be a legitimate reason for why we run different from our ancestors (referencing your comment at 2:17 CST)

I don't need a response with evidence.  I don't care too much about whether it leads to injury or not. 

I just try to run in a manner where "I'm" not injured and where I enjoy every step I take. 

Cheers,
Brian

I predict a groin injury.  (Splitting the difference.)

1. An ostrich leg has knees that bend opposite as humans... (referencing L-Train's picture) 

 

You do realize that's ostrich's ankle, not knee, that you guys are referring to. 

Ostrichs run on their giant toenails!!

Of the 52 runners studied...Approximately 74% of runners experienced a moderate or severe injury each year.

On the surface, the subjects don't exactly appear to be "prime stock".

I'm going to heel strike with my right foot and forefoot strike with my left and see which leg gets injured first.

I actually used to do just that and I still do sometime.  My left leg is slightly longer and, maybe that's the reason, I have a hard time landing on my heel with my right foot.  Now I land on my forefoot with my right foot as well but I used to, and I sometimes do when I get tired, land on my heel with my right foot.  

Injury rate?  Most of my calf problems were in my left calf, probably not surprisingly, but I don't have that any more now that I run in minimalist shoes and I'm a bit smarter.  Almost all my knee problems were in my right leg and, just last weekend I ran about 1:45 with my wife with quite hilly course.  I'm a form runner and, when I'm off, my form is bad and when my form is bad, I struggle.  As we went up and down the hill, only an hour into our run, my right quad started to hurt.  When this happens, it's almost ALWAYS my right quad that goes first.  I would imagine this form landing on the heel and what Dr. Leiberman would call "shock wave".

It is quite interesting to me to read "some of" what Jester would have to say.  I'd like to consider myself with open mind and, even our beloved Richard, I felt he's got some interesting things to say about.  I don't necessarily look at fast people as more right or more knowledgeable--if that's the case, I'll be the first to be thrown out the window!!--but there's something to be said about.  I would question being coached by someone who's a 5-hour marathon runner who struggle to do a weekend long run without 3-days recovery that follow.  It makes me laugh that Jester insult Leiberman for his running when we have no idea (we might, I don't) how fast Jester actually runs--we always hear about this 8-miles per hour WALKING that he talks about but we never seem to hear anything about him competing in the world race walk championships.  If he can improve his running SPEED by 20% within 2 hours, that'll bring, what, 6-minute-mile pace, which is pretty average, down to almost world class but we never hear anything about him or runners he had coached.  I saw a not somewhere that he said "(with my technique) you can run at the same speed with 20% less heart rate..."  Well a very simple fact that, just because you can run at the same speed with 20% less heart rate, that does NOT mean you can actually run 20% FASTER.  It completely ignores reality of running.  I think, when I worked for Breathe Right Nasal Strip, their clinical study actually shows (I have a graph) that you can run at the same speed with about 2bpm less heart beats.  I introduced this product to some of the best marathon runners in Japan (including a 2:19 female runner) but I was always VERY careful about NOT saying that you could run XXX% faster because of that.  It MAY be responsible for better recovery but that would not convert the same rate of velocity.  Same thing; about this calf firing 6 times.  First of all, you don't "kick" with your calves when you propel yourself forward.  You actually "push" off with your quads and butt/hamstrings.  Landing 70% of body weight is, well, I don't know, in the eyes of physics, I don't see how that is possible unless you're moving upward as you run instead of downward...  If I sit down and read what Leiberman had written and what Jester had written, there are lot more valid comments in the former than some non-sensical things I've read from Jester over the years.  

Running form does play a very important roll.  There's no doubt about that.  But that is not a miracle cure.  Running 20% faster means it requires something to be moved around or being used extra or whatever.  Energy wouldn't all of a sudden disappear or being added.  If 2-hours of lecture from Jester can make your run 20% faster, chances are, you'll end up getting hurt.  There's is no such thing as quick fix.  This is one of the reasons of some drug user getting hurt--mostly Achilles--after their "miracle" performance.  They can get so much more oxygen that they can run so much faster (yeah, Richard!!) but that quick fix eventually add more stress on the weakest link; tendons and ligaments.  Running would have to be a very much a whole package.  Running technique, as important as it is, is only a part of this whole packet.  At the end of the day, I think what Spaniel said hits the nail.  I don't think about how many times my calves are firing when I barely staggering out in the morning in my thin minimalist shoes when it's 5 degrees F.  I tried this thicker more cushiony shoes last week but I didn't like them.  I still run in them but, for the first thing in the morning, it just bugged me.  I switched back to my Piranah, landing on my forefoot, firing my calf muscles guzzling times more but my quads feel happy, my calves are not complaining, I feel happy and the day has been going well.  I totally forgot about how busy my calves had to work to keep me and all my body parts happier...

I'm looking at the left leg, horizontal to the ground, 2 - 3 feet behind the hip (or maybe it's the knee).
I thought that would be a knee, but that's one crazy long foot otherwise.

 

If so, thanks for correcting me, and making it even harder to understand

Yes, that's its heel.  Think of the chicken thigh you have at KFC...  No, they don't have a whole leg...  Game hen!!  You get one, and check out how its legs look.  There's a big chunck that goes around...  THAT is the knee.  And it's usually cut off at the ankle.  Animals have a HUGE but very short thighs, big and round knee; then loooooong foot and what points backward is their ankle.  If you look closely, you can see a thin tube like thing that runs on the back of their heel that's pointing backwards.  That's their Achilles tendon.  Remember, they do run on their toes.