The Fingerprint of Gait
Updated: Oct 27, 2021
A runner who runs 20 miles per week can log more than 1 million footstrikes per year. One factor of cumulative overload is technique and each runner has a threshold for injury.
Faster, higher … stronger
The most common therapeutic approach to altering faulty movement patterns is to strengthen the muscles that control that movement. There is little support, however, that strengthening these muscles, without neuromuscular retraining, translates into a change in movement patterns.
Harnessing cadence as a biometric marker for recovery
In their study, "Effects of 12-week cadence retraining on impact peak, load rates and lower extremity biomechanics in running," Junqing Wang, et al. found a significant increase of 5.7% in the cadence of the retraining group. This effectively reduced impact peak and vertical average/instantaneous load rates. Given the close relationship between impact force variables and running injuries, increasing the cadence as a retraining method may potentially reduce the risk of impact-related running injuries.
