Effects on foot-strike pattern and loading rate following a gait retraining: treadmill modification transfer to over-ground

Upon completion of a treadmill-based running retraining that focused on promoting a midfoot strike landing, reduced foot-strike angle and vertical instantaneous loading rates were observed in habitual rearfoot strike runners. We sought to measure whether these modified gait mechanics could be transferred to over-ground running. Overall, the results showed that the altered foot-strike pattern observed on the treadmill was effectively transferred to over-ground running, as reflected by a reduction in foot-strike angle towards the bounds of a midfoot strike. However, changes in vertical instantaneous loading rate were only observed during treadmill running. In view of our findings, a treadmill-based gait retraining protocol may not be adequate for the transfer of modified running kinetics during over-ground running.