What is the Effect of Changing Running Step Rate on Injury, Performance and Biomechanics? A Systematic Review and...

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Biomechanics
• Running Science

Background:

• Running-related injuries are common in distance runners.
• Altering step rate is a frequent retraining strategy for injury management and prevention.

Approach:

• Systematic review and meta-analysis of studies from MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and SPORTDiscus.
• Included 37 studies examining the effects of changing running step rate on injury, performance, and biomechanics.

Key Points:

• Increasing step rate shows limited evidence of improving pain and function in runners with patellofemoral pain.
• Increasing step rate is associated with reduced peak knee flexion, step length, and hip/knee moments.
• Decreasing step rate is linked to increased step length and braking impulse.

Conclusions:

• Increasing running step rate generally reduces (or does not change) kinetic, kinematic, and loading variables at the ankle, knee, and hip.
• Current evidence is insufficient to definitively conclude the effects of altered step rate on injury and performance.
• Longer-term effects of changing running step rate are largely unknown as most studies focused on immediate impacts.