The Effects of Changing Footstrike Pattern on the Amplitude and Frequency Spectrum of Ground Reaction Forces During Running in Individuals With Pronated Feet

The current study aimed to evaluate the effects of barefoot and shod running with two different styles on ground reaction force-frequency content in recreational runners with low arched feet.

The statistical sample of this research was 13 males with Pronated Feet (PF) (Mean±SD age: 26.2±2.8 y; height: 176.1±8.4 cm; weight: 78.3±14.3 kg). A force plate (Bertec, USA) with a sample rate of 1000 Hz was used to record the reaction forces under each foot. Three test conditions in our study included shod running with rearfoot, midfoot, and forefoot patterns. Repeated-measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used for analyzing the data.

During forefoot running, the research subjects attained 10% higher GRF values in vertical direction, compared with rearfoot running (P˂0.001, d=2.133). Forefoot running decreased the peak vertical GRF, compared to rearfoot running (by 12%, P=0.01, d=0.826). Barefoot running decreased the peak vertical GRF, compared to shod running (by 6%, P=0.027, d=1.143). The collected results revealed a significantly lower FyMed (P<0.02, d=1.11, 14%), Fy99.5% (P<0.02, d=0.11, 8%), and greater FyNe (P<0.02, d=0.72, 10%), Fz99.5% (P<0.01, d=4.30, 124%), and FzNe (P<0.01, d=1.65, 44%) when running with rearfoot strike pattern, compared with forefoot strike pattern.

The study subjects with pronated feet experienced greater GRF values during forefoot running than rearfoot; such data may imply an increased risk of running injuries. Therefore, forefoot running is not recommended for runners with pronated feet.