Many articles are written about how to prevent and take care of running injuries. Recommendations typically include seeing a doctor, doing stretching/strengthening exercises and taking anti-inflammatory medicines. Rarely is the role of technique discussed in the prevention of injuries.
In a recent article on metatarsal injuries, wearing proper shoes and using orthotics were recommended. But how you land on every touchdown is extremely important for proper functioning of the foot support structures. For example, landing on the heel does not allow for proper functioning of the foot in its shock absorbing and energy accumulation actions. Landing on the ball of the foot is somewhat more effective but also places excessive stress on the foot structures.
These aspects of technique can create many problems with the underside of the foot, which is strongly involved with every landing. To prevent problems to the metatarsal area, you should learn to land mid-foot. This means landing with the ball the foot and heel simultaneously or ball-heel almost immediately. In this way you allow the dome of the arch to compress and return to its original shape on every foot strike.
If the arch of the foot is held rigid as it usually is with orthotics and some “arch support” running shoes, it does not allow the foot to function normally and places stress on other foot structures. You should use shoes that allow the foot to function normally, the same as when you are barefoot. This is where the minimalist shoes can be of benefit.
However, before using such shoes it is important that you first strengthen the foot support structures to handle the new forces that you will be experiencing. If you are not physically prepared, wearing such shoes while running can easily cause injury.
Also beneficial is to do strength exercises to strengthen the arch of the foot. This includes exercises such as heel raises, marble pickups, foot inversion and walking on the ball of the foot. When combined with proper running technique, you should not experience any foot problems or injuries to the foot or leg.
For more information on foot and arch function in running, how to effectively execute touchdown and exercises specific to the foot, see Explosive Running. For additional information, please see “Couch To 5K”.