Plantar loading and foot-strike pattern changes with speed during barefoot running in those with a natural rearfoot strike pattern while shod

• Injury claims are associated barefoot running and altering foot strike patterns.
• Pressure and force increases with speed despite changes in foot strike pattern.
• Barefoot running with a forefoot pattern may mitigate metatarsal and heel loads.

BackgroundClaims of injury reduction related to barefoot running has resulted in interest from the running public; however, its risks are not well understood for those who typically wear cushioned footwear.ObjectivesExamine how plantar loading changes during barefoot running in a group of runners that ordinarily wear cushioned footwear and demonstrate a rearfoot strike pattern (RFSP) without cueing or feedback alter their foot strike pattern and plantar loading when asked to run barefoot at different speeds down a runway.MethodForty-one subjects ran barefoot at three different speeds across a pedography platform which collected plantar loading variables for 10 regions of the foot; data were analyzed using two-way mixed multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA).ResultsA significant foot strike position (FSP) × speed interaction in each of the foot regions indicated that plantar loading differed based on FSP across the different speeds. The RFSP provided the highest total forces across the foot while the pressures displayed in subjects with a non-rearfoot strike pattern (NRFSP) was more similar between each of the metatarsals.ConclusionsThe majority of subjects ran barefoot with a NRFSP and demonstrated lower total forces and more uniform force distribution across the metatarsal regions. This may have an influence in injuries sustained in barefoot running.