I enjoy running, it’s convenient, needs minimal kit and offers me great mental and physical benefits. However, I’m mindful that high impact when running can risk overuse injuries like shin splints, knee pain, stress fractures, and can overload our pelvic floor leading to problems like stress incontinence (which can affect men as well as women).
So, I was interested to read an article published in the ‘Journal of Sports Rehabilitation’ that found simple cues like “land softly” can significantly reduce ground impact forces in females during run training. Interestingly, these external cues are more effective than internal cues like “bend your knees as you land”.
Therefore, in addition to considering footwear, support garments, core and cross-training, something as simple as practicing “landing softly” can be a straight-forward and completely free way to reduce ground impact forces and improve running form. Why make it harder than that?