Stride length & Stress Fractures
2009 November 27 (15:33)
categories: Barely Barefoot, Biomechanics, Foot Pain, How much? How fast?, Research, Run Barefoot, Running (not necessarily Barefoot), Stress Fractures, Transitions
This peer-reviewed article just came off the press from a respected journal in exercise science. The abstract link is listed below:
Effects of stride length and running mileage on a probabilistic stress fracture model
The results indicate that an increased stride length will increase the probability of a tibial stress fracture. I’ve briefly looked over the full article and the authors fail to mention what could be causing runners to have a large stride length to begin with?!
This is simple. Shod runners have a large stride length because their no feedback from the periphery telling shod runners that they are landing wrongly (mainly extending their stride so far in front of them that they’re pounding the heel of the foot into the ground). While barefoot runners have a shorter stride length and faster cadence when compared to shod runners.
In general stress fractures are common in runners. This is mainly due to neglecting the ‘progressive overload’ principal of training - in other words too much training, too soon.
It seems that shod runners commonly suffer from tibial stress fractures, while amateur and new barefoot runners are at high risk for metatarsal stress fractures (according to the testimonials of this website).
According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association it takes 6 to 12 months to improve bone density via a weight bearing training stimulus. So those of you, who are new barefoot runners, take it slow, read the HOW to run barefoot section on this site & enjoy it!
Comments
Comment
from Doug
Time 2009 November 28 Sat at 6:02 am
So what do you do if you’re running and have a metatarsel stress fracture? Stop running, or just back it way down?
Seems like a good chance I have metatarsel stress fractures that I can tie to one specific run in my VFF where I knew I was pushing too hard trying to really show off my times. Since then I’ve still been running 6 days a week, but my speed and distance is reduced. I’m also really focusing on lifting my feet so that I’m putting as little stress on the metatarsel bones as I can (no pushing off).
Should I just keep up what I’m doing or scale it back further?
Comment
from climbhoser
Time 2009 November 28 Sat at 9:01 am
Doug,
If you can still run there’s a chance it’s not a SFX. When I had mine I knew it. As the pain onset I could run, but very uncomfortably, and often in the mornings I was barely hobbling on it.
There is an injury several other barefooters have had, including me, that manifests similarly to a SFX. Ken Bob has mentioned VFF wearers get it, but I got it solely barefooting. I think it was on this site I saw a link to a “Trigger Points” article that detailed how lower leg tension can manifest as foot injuries. That’s what happened to me and these others I speak of that had me thinking I had SFX #2!
My problem was two-fold: 1) bad technique and 2) not doing therapy on my traumatized (from a lifetime of heel-high shoes) calves. I really took Ken Bob’s “How-to” to heart on not avoiding my heels, focusing on landing gently with my whole foot and also started stretching my calves many times throughout the day. I do some self massage, but have found it difficult, so I mostly just stretch.
It worked, is the point! One day of stretch, massage and better technique and my foot felt better. Weeks of it and I have no more metatarsal pain.
That said, IF you do have a SFX then stop running. Seriously. You can do more damage than you can imagine, and it will not heal if you don’t stop. If you still can’t decide if what you have is truly a SFX then go to your podiatrist. Give it 5 days of no running before you go, though, because the only way they can see some SFXs is by identifying healing bone in an x-ray, which you have to stop running to achieve.
If you have any other questions then fire away!
Comment
from Doug
Time 2009 November 28 Sat at 2:01 pm
I suppose I should take a few days off and go see a doc to see what’s up. However, I fully expect that taking 5 days off, my feet would be completely healed.
While I run I have pain in the top of my foot (while wearing VFF) when I push off with my toes. When I’m very conscious about lifting my foot I can run for miles without any pain. When I get home and stop, my feet get stiff on me and it’s hard to walk without foot pain. After a shower and some rest, that goes away. In the mornings my feet are also stiff and it’s hard to walk without pain. However, I’ve had that for months and months and months. My morning foot pain has been getting a lot better since I’ve started running “barefoot” and haven’t been wearing any strong support shoes.
One of the articles I read today said that our bones are somewhat constantly stressing and healing. It explained that runners can get stress fractures from not giving their feet enough time to heal between stresses. It seems likely that I’m over stressing my feet and my VFF are allowing me to do that. If I were really running gently then my feet wouldn’t need as much time to heal between runs and I could get away with running every day.
It’s been almost 24 hours since my last run and my feet are doing very well. I can fully flex them and bear all my weight on them with no pain. As such, I’m feeling like going out for a run; but I know I’ll probably come back in with tired, stiff, and sore feet. I’m hoping I can just keep up with my running schedule except maybe do 5 days a week instead of 6; do 2.5 miles a run instead of 3.5 – 4.5.
I’m not really expecting medical advice, but does this sound like a SFX or something else?
Comment
from climbhoser
Time 2009 November 28 Sat at 2:12 pm
Sounds not necessarily like a SFX, but I’m no doc. My un-professional recommendation (I am in no way responsible if this is bad advice 
) is that you should ditch the VFFs, run shorter and easier, and really work on stretching/massaging your calves. I mean get in there deep or have your SO do it for you, even.
If that proves useless then go see a doc. My SFX was pretty typical and while I could run on pavement, it hurt to do so. Running on grass was misery, and it took a few days, at least, of no running at all for pain to subside. It would typically flare up if I ran even 20 feet, but often not for 5-10 minutes after doing so.
Try the trigger point stretching/massage, though. And seriously, ditch the VFFs!
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Comment from Barefoot Ken Bob
Time 2009 November 27 Fri at 7:01 pm
Bacon,
Thanks for adding this post.
I will add that the majority of (if not all) metatarsel stress fractures reported to me, come from people trying to transition to running “Barefoot” while wearing minimalist footwear – not from literal beginning “barefoot” runners – whose bare soles would be telling them not to do too much, too soon.
My warning would be, if your bare soles aren’t ready to run the distance, then you aren’t ready to use minimalist footwear. Minimalist footwear is not for beginners!