Effect of a 12-week gait retraining intervention on knee loadings in runners

Studies examining forefoot strike (FFS) has lower eccentric quadriceps work during the braking phase of the running compared with rearfoot strike (RFS). Lower eccentric quadriceps work may result in lower knee loading. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the patellofemoral joint contact stress will decrease after a 12-week gait training intervention. After a 12-week gait training, 7 of the 9 subjects were converted from RFS to FFS. Under the minimalist shoes condition, FFS exhibited 15% lower peak knee extensor moment (p = 0.029) and 14% lower peak patellofemoral stress (p = 0.029) compared with RFS. Under the cushioned shoes condition, there were no significant differences in knee sagittal peak moment, maximum knee flexion angle, peak patellofemoral contact force, and peak patellofemoral stress after training.